In this episode, we'll be discussing Disney’s new Mulan movie. Today’s topics include the origins of Mulan’s story, where she came from, and the meaning of her name. We will also analyze the Mulan poem and examine whether or not the movie is a true reflection of it. We will go over some Chinese idioms you will see in the movie such as “four ounces can move a thousand pounds”, and “know your place”.

In this episode of MandarinPod, we invited Zhiren Xie to talk to us about public speaking in Chinese. Not only has Xie won several Chinese public speaking contests in Malaysia, but they have also taught Chinese public speaking for many years. We believe that both native Chinese speakers and Chinese learners can learn how to be confident, articulate, intelligent, and even likable by practicing public speaking skills in Chinese.

Many international students choose to study in the United States for college. However, very few Americans consider enrolling abroad for their University experience. Kathya is among the few. She’s currently attending Peking University as a Chinese major. As an American student who had no relatives or friends in China prior to her trip, what was her experience studying abroad in China?

New York City public schools are expected to reopen on Sep 21st. Many public school teachers are deeply concerned about the lack of supplies, poor ventilation, and spacing issues. In this episode, we invited two NYC public school teachers to talk about their feelings toward the reopening of school and remote learning.