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Scholarship sends senior to China
June 14, 2007
The Chinese government awarded PLU senior John Yu a scholarship to attend an intensive summer session at the prestigious Beijing Language and Culture University.
The university’s main focus is to teach Chinese language and culture to foreign students. Yu will spend the month of August studying language and culture six days a week, including excursions to local cultural sites, he said.
“This sounds cheesy, but I’m looking forward to the intensive learning aspect of it,” Yu said.
Scholarships to the summer session are awarded annually, and recipients are determined based on the Chinese Proficiency Test, also known as HSK. The standardized test measures the Chinese language proficiency of non-native speakers, much like the SAT, Yu explained. Administered internationally, the test is officially recognized by the Chinese government.
Yu took the test at Seattle University last November. His score of 352 out of 400 was the highest of all participants in the northwest United States. It earned him one of two full-ride scholarships.
“I took the test for myself,” Yu said. “To review and keep myself up to speed … it helped improve and twist my mind.”
When he decided to take the test, Yu wasn’t aware of the scholarship opportunity connected to it. He simply wanted to assess his own knowledge and language proficiency.
Yu began studying Chinese language when he was 18 and living abroad in Taipei, Taiwan. He didn’t know any Chinese when he first moved there, but being immersed in the language enabled him to pick it up fairly quickly, he said.
“It’s real easy, the spoken language. I think people are thrown off by the intricacies of the written characters,” Yu said.
Yu lived in Taipei for two years. There, he worked at a Chinese Christian publishing company, where he translated material, worked on Web development and multi-media projects.
Since coming to PLU nearly four years ago, Yu hasn’t been able to use his Chinese language skills as often as he’d like. While he capitalizes on every chance he gets, it’s not the same as living abroad and speaking the language daily, he said.
A Chinese Studies major, Yu has tutored students and translated several projects, including articles and film. He is currently translating the graphic novel “Book and Sword” written by renowned martial arts novelist Louis Cha.
Learn more about PLU’s Chinese Studies program here.
“This sounds cheesy, but I’m looking forward to the intensive learning aspect of it,” Yu said.
Scholarships to the summer session are awarded annually, and recipients are determined based on the Chinese Proficiency Test, also known as HSK. The standardized test measures the Chinese language proficiency of non-native speakers, much like the SAT, Yu explained. Administered internationally, the test is officially recognized by the Chinese government.
Yu took the test at Seattle University last November. His score of 352 out of 400 was the highest of all participants in the northwest United States. It earned him one of two full-ride scholarships.
“I took the test for myself,” Yu said. “To review and keep myself up to speed … it helped improve and twist my mind.”
When he decided to take the test, Yu wasn’t aware of the scholarship opportunity connected to it. He simply wanted to assess his own knowledge and language proficiency.
Yu began studying Chinese language when he was 18 and living abroad in Taipei, Taiwan. He didn’t know any Chinese when he first moved there, but being immersed in the language enabled him to pick it up fairly quickly, he said.
“It’s real easy, the spoken language. I think people are thrown off by the intricacies of the written characters,” Yu said.
Yu lived in Taipei for two years. There, he worked at a Chinese Christian publishing company, where he translated material, worked on Web development and multi-media projects.
Since coming to PLU nearly four years ago, Yu hasn’t been able to use his Chinese language skills as often as he’d like. While he capitalizes on every chance he gets, it’s not the same as living abroad and speaking the language daily, he said.
A Chinese Studies major, Yu has tutored students and translated several projects, including articles and film. He is currently translating the graphic novel “Book and Sword” written by renowned martial arts novelist Louis Cha.
Learn more about PLU’s Chinese Studies program here.