This course is an extension for students who have completed the Mandarin Express series to further their Chinese study and to understand current affairs in China. Course materials selected are from influential WeChat public official accounts.
WeChat is one of most popular mobile Apps in China. It is the primary source for Chinese people to chat and share with friends, to play games, to make calls, to send money, and to read news. It is a self-contained social network.
There are tens of millions public official accounts on WeChat, acting as an effective platform for media, government bodies, companies and celebrities to distribute their content to their followers and to interact with them directly.
Many articles address the current hottest topics. By reading and discussing some of these articles, students are able to get a glimpse of the general sentiment of Chinese people and comprehend the stance of the Chinese government on many social and political issues.
Moreover, different from traditional media, articles published on WeChat platform usually adopt a casual style, imbedded with many internet memes and the latest unique expressions. Studying these articles provides a unique way for students to stay current with Chinese language as it continues to add new expressions.
