In case you have never heard of Douyin: it’s a Chinese short-video app with over 200 million daily active users in China. Or so they say. Can you use Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – as a tool for learning Chinese?
The ByteDance family
The company behind it (ByteDance) is still spectacularly unknown, although that may be about to change. Since its app TikTok has come under suspicion of political censorship in China’s national interest. Outside of China, ByteDance is best known for TikTok. This app could be called the global version of Douyin: same features, different users.
What makes Douyin so popular in China? One thing works really well: Douyin’s self-learning algorithm “personalizes” your feed. It does so based on your viewing behavior (interaction, viewing time etc.). It adapts almost immediately. The more you engage with the app, the more it’ll show that kind of content Douyin thinks you want to see. That’s why when my friend from Russia opens his app, he only sees half-naked women dancing around.
If you want to know more about China and learn Mandarin, could Douyin with it’s massive Chinese user base be a useful tool?
Well, potentially yes, and here’s why:
Content: On Douyin you’ll find a broad variety of content: singing, dancing, cooking, sports, animals and sightseeing. There’s also a lot random everyday, normal life stuff going on from all over China which usually is more interesting than the more fancy “premium” kind of videos. This makes Douyin an endless source of raw and local content.
Your personal feed: It’ll give you what the algorithm thinks you want to see. Whether you want to watch squirrels climb up trees or prefer watching people eating turtles and snakes, the app will figure it out for you. (Or actually content moderators who label all those videos accordingly and feed the right categories to the algorithm…)
Interact, get famous: you can create your own content, make duets, comment and engage with the community 24/7. If you stand out from the crowd, you might even get a lot of views. With the right mindset, you can get very big on Douyin. But don’t say anything wrong.
As for learning: not everybody speaks Standard Mandarin, some post stuff in their local dialect which is fun for other Chinese, but hard to understand for foreigners. I do see a lot of potential to interact with native speakers.
Interact with Chinese people? BUT AT WHAT COST?
Here we go:
Douyin and data protection are antipoles. Douyin’s data privacy equals almost zero. The moment you’ll install it on your phone, it will absorb everything like a black hole. From your contacts and numbers to your fitness data. Even if you customize your privacy settings: where and how they store your data, with whom they share it and for what purposes, I really couldn’t tell. Also the practice of fingerprinting is a major concern.
Douyin drains your battery and uses a lot of storage. Even when it’s only running in the background, it’ll constantly be updating and inviting you back in.
Commercial crap: Advertising! Apart from gathering your personal data, they run advertisements. No, let me rephrase that: they gather your personal data, so people who sell stuff like to advertise on Douyin. So be prepared for commercial content or run away while you still can! You can’t always differentiate between ‘normal’ and commercial content, because everything’s in the same Douyin format.
Favorite hangout for pedophiles: Since Douyin doesn’t take age restrictions very seriously, Douyin and its overseas equivalent TikTok have become very popular among people who like to watch and contact little children using the chat function.
Douyin addiction: The app is very addictive and time-consuming. It’s designed to keep you on the app for as long as possible. An Indian kid was reported to have fallen from a roof while watching videos on TikTok. It can turn people into walking zombies whose only concern is the number of likes on their videos…
The kind of stuff people do for likes: if you have spent some time on these apps, it all becomes too obvious. Girls start to wear sexy outfits and hang their boobs into the camera. Why? Because it works. And people copy each other.
No politics or “controversial” content: no, I wouldn’t do that. Unless you want to get banned or worse. Douyin is for “fun” only, so if you happen to have an opinion about Hongkong or Xinjiang: be prepared to be banned permanently. This we know from the TikTok moderation guidelines that got leaked.
Maybe I’m going to regret this, but I can’t even get to that level of thinking with [TikTok],” Huffman said at the event, “because I look at that app as so fundamentally parasitic, that it’s always listening, the fingerprinting technology they use is truly terrifying, and I could not bring myself to install an app like that on my phone.
Douyin might be fun (like facebook used to be cool and fun once), but it comes at a high price. I can’t recommend an app which I cannot trust. I can’t recommend an app that shares my personal information with … I don’t know who or when and for what reasons. I can’t recommend an app that might be using the faces of its users for facial recognition software. I don’t want to be a slave of another big data company which claims to create value, but only throws an addictive toy at the masses to get people’s personal data.
Please feel free to comment below.
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The big news was shared on the HSK Official Twitter account, the wording rather cryptic. Apparently the new HSK will consist of 9 levels instead of 6:
But as for all the other details, even now three weeks later, I couldn’t find any news concerning the HSK reform on their official website (and still can’t (20-01-2021)). The link they shared in the above tweet strangely enough seems to have nothing to do with the announced updates to the HSK system, or does it? The article covers the language requirements for overseas students in China who study medicine in English university programs, but what about the new HSK exam?
Isn’t it odd to officially announce a big reform that will happen this year and then share a link to an Chinese article that offers very little explanation to the average HSK candidate?
“Three Stages and Nine Levels”
This is what the new HSK system looks like. Each “stage” is divided into three levels:
The best article I could dig up so far was published in The Beijinger which apparently was able to win some inside info. Since I’m not sure about the source, I think it’s still too early to go into the details of the new system. Many questions remain to be answered: Will an oral examination be mandatory for the higher levels? How will the progression between the levels be? Will HSK 9 more or less match the current HSK 6 or will it be harder?
Concerning this last question the article does give an answer, but honestly I don’t yet know what to make of it. It says the difficulty between the different test levels will increase more gradually, reducing the gaps between the levels to some extent:
Compared to the current standards for HSK 1 to 6, it is not hard to see how the new system will alter the overall difficulty curve. For example, the current HSK 6 requires takers to master cumulative 5,000 words, half of which are new, and 2,663 characters, 978 of which are new. In HSK 3.0 [Kaohongshu: the new system] though, students need to memorize 5,456 words in total, 1,140 of which haven’t previously appeared, while the number of characters needed has been reduced to 1,800, 1,500 of which should already be familiar. That’s good, right? Not so fast.
All those words have to go somewhere, in this case, they’ve been divided among the lower levels: the threshold to pass HSK levels 1 to 4 have now all increased, with the word list for each expanding drastically, by a multiple of three or four. Let’s take HSK 1 for example. Whereas 150 words is currently sufficient for someone to pass, that number will rise to 500 words in HSK 3.0. No word list has yet to be released for any of the levels.
New HSK requirements for international students in China
What does this mean for people who want to study in China? Which HSK level is required? We don’t know yet:
There has also been no word on what these changes will mean for graduation requirements for international students in China. Until now, foreign students who study in Chinese are required to pass the HSK 6 test prior to graduation, while a HSK 4-5 certificate is usually sufficient for students taught in foreign languages to pursue graduate or higher-level degrees. If you major in medicine or a related field, an additional Medical Chinese Test (MCT) may be required.
One major problem of the HSK levels in the past was that they were supposed to correspond directly to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, except they didn’t, meaning that HSK 6 was nowhere near the “almost-native” C2 level, HSK 4 by now means matched B2 and so on. To me at this point it’s not at all clear if the reform’s intention is to eradicate this flaw and bring HSK closer to the European Framework. Will the higher levels go beyond the “old” HSK 6? Will they alter the structure of the exams? What’s the reasoning behind the reform?
Two things I would welcome: a more gradual progression between each level and a closer correlation to the European Framework. On that I agree with The Beijinger:
While the changes seem intimidating at first, we’re all for the levels being rebalanced to better reflect an individual’s proficiency. For too long, levels 1-3 have felt little more than token certificates, too easy to pass with a little effort and making the jump to HSK 4 and up too substantial. Finally, adjusting the test to better reflect the CEFR system should help give the HSK improved weighting and caliber on the international stage.
But will that be what we’ll get? I hope we receive an update soon. Then we’ll know what Hanban, the organization behind HSK, has in mind with the new HSK system. Maybe the changes won’t be that radical after all. Only time (and vocabulary lists and mock exams) will tell.
Update, 02.06.2020 – from the Chinese Testing InternationalBarcelona:
Lately, news such as “HSK will have 9 levels! The Chinese level 3.0 test will be coming soon” have attracted a lot of attention inside and outside China. The concerns and inquiries of Chinese students and teachers who are dedicated to the international teaching of this language come one after another, which excites us and shows unprecedented support. In order to answer the main concerns, the “Standards of the Chinese level in international education”, the Chinese proficiency test (HSK) and the relationship between the two will be explained.
With the development of the teaching of the Chinese language and the changes in the global needs of teaching and learning the Chinese language, it is necessary to adjust the “International Standards of Proficiency in Chinese” (published by the headquarters of the Confucius Institute in 2007), to Continuously improve the international teaching and learning of Chinese. In 2017, we began research and development of a new standard, namely “Chinese level standards in international education” (hereinafter referred to as “Level standards”). This research has already been completed and will therefore be launched in the second half of the year.
“Level Standards” is based on the essence of Chinese language and writing, and has been nurtured by the strengths of other language standards in the world, inheriting the experience of teaching Chinese as a foreign language and the international teaching of Chinese. . From this base, divide the Chinese level of non-native speakers into three categories: beginner, medium and high, and each category is subdivided into three levels, that is, three categories with nine levels. Each level description includes three parts: verbal communication skills, content of thematic tasks and quantitative indicators of the language, and describes each level from five aspects according to their abilities to listen, speak, read, write and translate. “Level Standards” is an open and inclusive professional standard system that, after launch, will lead all international fields of Chinese language learning, teaching, testing and assessment, and will become an important indicator of reform and development of international Chinese teaching.
The main change to the next “Level Standard” consists of three new advanced levels 7-9. A higher level of the Chinese language requires students to understand complex subjects in various fields and genres, carry out in-depth exchanges and discussions; are able to express themselves on complex issues of social, professional, daily activities, academic research, etc., have a flexible and effective organization of language, with a clear logic, a rigorous structure, a coherent and reasonable speech, and can communicate decently in various situations; Be flexible in using various communication strategies and resources to complete communication tasks, gain a deep understanding of Chinese cultural knowledge, and possess an international vision and intercultural communication skills.
To this end, we will expand the levels by developing the Advanced HSK exam (levels 7-9), with the premise of guaranteeing the stability of HSK levels 1-6. The advanced exam is mainly for foreign students who specialize in Chinese language and literature, as well as for students from other majors with Chinese proficiency who come to China to study and for Sinology researchers abroad. A single exam will be implemented in the levels 7-9 test for the three levels, which means that only one exam will be added and will be determined by the score if the level 7, 8 or 9 is obtained. The Advanced HSK exam (Level 7-9) is scheduled to be released in the first half of next year.
This text is a translation of the Chinese original and is for informational purposes only.
Skritter published the below overview on their YouTube channel showing the new levels and vocabulary requirements from “HSK 3.0”. If this information is correct, there will be three new levels on top of HSK 6. The current sixth level will be downgraded to a more appropriate intermediate level. Only those passing the seventh level will be able to call themselves “advanced”. The vocabulary for the advanced levels will be significantly increased (or actually this is true for all levels).
On the whole, “HSK 3.0” will be more difficult and – according to this information – the new levels will correspond more closely to the European Framework (someone who masters HSK 9 in the new system would truly have C2 proficiency for example). But we can’t really be sure until an official statement with more details has been issued by Hanban.
Hard to believe, but It’s still unclear on which date HSK 3.0 will be launched exactly. Without any official updates and information, much about HSK 3.0 still remains speculation. Any news? Well, a longtime Chinese-Forums member compiled a first rough (unofficial) HSK 3.0 vocabulary list which can be downloaded via Dropbox. It is based on this paper which presents the following HSK vocabulary breakdown:
The same forum-member published a HSK 3.0 FAQ section on Reddit which summarizes the latest information (and rumors) about the HSK reform and is worth sharing:
FAQ about the NEW HSK (03.08.2020) (Source: Reddit)
Q: What changes? A: An increase of 6,092 words, going from 5,000 to 11,092 words, divided over 3 categories corresponding to the CEFR groups which are further divided into 9 HSK levels. The new progression will be less of an inverted pyramid and the newly added words will be divided across said levels.
Q: What is the new Vocab? A: The official vocabulary is so far unknown, but we can make an educated guess. The author of the essay《汉语国际教育汉语水平等级标准全球化之路》***, 刘英林 Liu Yinglin, beckoning in the new HSK structure in 2020 has published a book with the corresponding amount of vocab (11,092 words).
Q: Should I still keep studying for/take the current HSK? A: Yes. If we take in mind the 2010 changes to the HSK: all grammar and the vast majority of vocabulary will carry over. Most, if not all, HSK exams are taken online so if you require an HSK certificate for a course/job you should still take it.
Q: How can I prepare for the new HSK? A: By spending more time on non-course content. Studying only the HSK vocabulary will no longer be enough (at least for the reading section), so venture off the current HSK Standard course and start consuming media and books, or whatever you can get your hands on at your specific level.
Q: Will my old HSK certificate still be valid? A: \[speculation\] Current HSK certificates will be valid for another 2 years. Though for graduate programs they might implement the changes sooner.
Q: When will the new HSK be official? A: Either Winter of 2020 or Spring of 2021.
Q: When/where to buy the new HSK books? A: The first materials will probably be released by BLCUP (Beijing Language and Culture University Publisher), expect this to coincide with the official release of the test.
Q: Will the new HSK be 4+ times more difficult??? A: Not necessarily, the amount of characters you’re required to know has only increased by a few hundred and the same holds true for the grammar covered. What this does entail is that you won’t be able to pass the new HSK by solely learning the course vocab and neglecting any extra-curricular consumption of content. But, this time it will include an (optional?) translation section and the HSKK spoken test has been integrated.
Q: How about the TOCFL? A: The Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) is a Taiwan specific test and is thus not affected by the new HSK changes (which is a mainland test).
Go East Mandarin: “We’re at a presentation about the new HSK levels” (01.11.2020) (Source: Reddit)
GoEast Mandarin is a Chinese language school in Shanghai. They posted the following picture on Reddit which suggests that the HSK 3.0 reform will not affect the existing six HSK levels, but merely will add three additional levels on top. They did provide some additional details on their website. I don’t think this affects the overall validity of the “educated guesses” by the Chinese-Forums member or Skritter, but again, we have to wait and see to be certain.
(Source: Reddit) 教育汉语水平等级标准 Translation: Chinese international education Chinese-level standard grading HSK3.0只增加7-9级，1-6级不变 Translation: HSK 3.0 only adds levels 7 – 9, levels 1 through 6 are unchanged
Latest HSK 3.0 updates, 20.01.2021
Yesterday I sent an email to two Confucius institutes (one in Germany, one in the Netherlands), asking when it would be possible to take the HSK 7 – 9 exams and in what way the newly added levels would be different from the HSK as we know it.
I didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Here’s the reply from the Confucius Institute in the Netherlands. It confirms what it says on the picture above and corresponds with the information shared earlier by theChinese Testing International Barcelona from June 2020, that is, the HSK 3.0 reform will not affect the existing HSK levels 1 – 6, but will mainly add three additional levels. Here the original mail with translation:
Google Translate: Regarding HSK Levels 7-9, no relevant documents and plans have been issued yet. At present, the information we have is only that Hankao International will extend the development of the HSK advanced (level 7-9) test under the premise of ensuring the stability of the HSK level 1-6 test. The exam is mainly for foreign students majoring in Chinese language and literature, as well as international students from other majors with higher Chinese proficiency, and overseas Sinology researchers. The 7-9 level test will be implemented with one try for all 3 levels, that means, only one additional test will be used to determine the three levels of 7-9 through the score. Specific information will be shared with you on the official website of our institute after we receive the documents from the headquarters. Hope the above answer can solve some of your questions.
The mail from the Confucius institute in Germany states the same, adding a rough time frame for the launch:
Google Translate: The latest HSK 3.0 of Hankao International has not yet been officially released. According to the information currently released, HSK 3.0 mainly adds three advanced levels 7-9. The exam is mainly for foreign students majoring in Chinese language and literature, as well as international students from other majors with higher Chinese proficiency, and overseas Sinology researchers. The 7-9 level exam will be implemented at 3 levels, that is to say, only one additional test will be used to determine the 7-9 three levels through scores. The HSK Advanced (Level 7-9) test is scheduled to be launched in the first half of next year at the latest. Once the HSK 3.0 policy information is implemented, we will release the test-related information as soon as possible, please feel free to pay attention.
So to sum up the main information from these two emails:
“HSK 3.0 mainly adds three advanced levels 7-9” on top of the existing six levels, “under the premise of ensuring the stability of the HSK level 1-6 test”. To me this sounds as HSK 1 – 6 are not affected by the reform, but I’m not fully sure.
The new levels HSK 7 – 9 are targeted at overseas M.A. students and researchers studying / working in China in fields that require advanced Mandarin language skills. This probably means HSK 7 – 9 won’t concern most Chinese learners, only a very small group of students and academics.
Candidates are supposed to take the advanced test only once to determine their HSK level. My interpretation: there will be one exam for the HSK levels 7 – 9.
At the latest, the new HSK 7 – 9 exam will be launched by the first half of next year. This doesn’t sound like the new levels will come as early as this spring.
Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the HSK reform or share any updates in the comments below.
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For one month I digitally teamed up with like-minded spirits for a Mandarin learning challenge. This is what I learned.
Hacking Chinese challenges
Maybe the biggest problem of self-studying a language in the long run is to keep the flame of motivation burning. Especially if you’re not perceiving any clear sign of progress – no matter how hard you are pushing forward – and no one of your friends shows any particular interest in your “hobby”…
The truth is most people can’t relate to language learning as an activity to voluntarily engage yourself in. To stop feeling that you’re wasting your time, it’s worth looking for like-minded spirits who share your passion. They can also support you to tackle another issue: to set achievable goals and make you see light at the end of the tunnel.
This is where the Hacking Chinese challenges come in. The basic idea is to digitally team up with other motivated people for – what could be called – a Mandarin learning competition focused on one of the four language skills. You set a personal goal, make it public and give it what you got.
The June 2020 challenge was all about listening, an activity which is (arguably) more laid-back than writing, reading and speaking, since all you have to do is sponge up spoken words.
Set a goal and share it
I updated my personal goal twice: from a modest 15 hours to 20, up to a more ambitious 25 hours eventually, cause I wasn’t sure how much time I could find to effectively listen between work and family duties.
How high you set your goal doesn’t really matter, as long as it is reasonable and challenging at the same time, which is easier said than done. Listening about an hour everyday, I reached my goal of 25 listening hours surprisingly smoothly – that equals more than one day of quality Mandarin input. It was the perfect excuse to spend more time on YouTube. Other participants managed 30 or even 50 hours.
Finding suitable listening materials
Finding the right stuff to listen to was a challenge in itself. For an intermediate learner like me randomly tuning in to a Chinese radio station or listening to some podcast you’ve never heard of before doesn’t cut it. The Chinese audiobook called “十年徒步中国” I tried proved to be too difficult to enjoy. I missed major information about Lei Diansheng’s hiking adventure and pretty soon lost track of the supposedly simple story line.
The popular YouTube Channel Mandarin Corner worked best for me. I really enjoyed all the Mandarin subtitled interviews with taxi drivers, tattoo artists and the like. Very authentic and perfect when you’re not yet ready for non-subtitled, high speed Chinese radio and podcasts.
A little more challenging were the speeches from TEDxTaipei with a great variety of topics and (mostly Taiwanese) speakers to choose from.
One of the bests things of teaming up with others is that you can share ideas and resources: Popup Chinese and Learning Chinese through Stories are podcasts I hadn’t checked out before. The same goes for the Chinese podcast websites Qingting.fm and lizhi.fm. There’s definitely no lack of Chinese audio materials. It’s just where to find something that matches your level and interests.
Check your progress and the leaderboard
We live in a KPI-obsessed world. That’s not always a bad thing. The performance chart keeps track of your progress, so you know if you’re on schedule or not. I’d normally never do this kind of thing, but I realized it does help to stay focused on your goal. Plus, it feels reassuring to know you’re on schedule and delivering a solid performance.
My performance chart: my goal was to do at least 25 hours of Mandarin-listening
There’s an element of competition to it as well. Open the leaderboard and see how you have been performing compared to the others, with the score standing for hours spent listening. It’s not about being the best of course. Far more important is to motivate yourself and others. As you can see everybody did quite well.
It worked
By joining this Mandarin Challenge, I studied far more productively than I could have done on my own. I know I can be goal-orientated and self-motivated to a certain degree, but being a part of a group of enthusiastic people with a shared objective felt like shifting gears. It was also refreshing to focus on one language skill for an entire month.
That’s why I am really grateful to Olle Linge from Hacking Chinese for organizing this Mandarin adventure. If you’re interested in participating, you can check the upcoming challenges.
