What does your Chinese accent say about you? Assuming you've gotten past the stage so your accent doesn't scream out "laowai!" anymore, what kind of an image are you projecting via your speech? Should you have gone to Beijing for those Mandarin lessons after all? ChinesePod writer Jenny Zhu shares her insights. For instance, did you know the way your taxi driver pronounces Hengshan Lu as "Hensan Lu" used to be the signifier of glamour and sexiness? Yeah, not so much now, eh? more ›

A couple weeks ago I translated the rants of a Shanghai subway security dude. It contained a bit of Shanghainese and I cursed my inability to speak the language. Well - if I want to translate anything by the locals ever again, ChinesePod is now offering Shanghainese lessons! Each dialog on their new spankin' podcast has been recorded by a native and will be things you can hear at any restaurant or street. I'm looking forward to it (coming: April 23)! Note: The guys from M and MX wanted to tell everyone that they teach Shanghainese too (and have been for a while). Well, TWO podcasts to learn the dialect from. Aren't we lucky? more ›

Three months have passed since the infamous implosion of Kai En English sent shock waves throughout the community of English language teachers here in Shanghai, and now Danwei has revisited the subject with an excellent report by Shanghai-based writer Tessa Thorniley that sought to answer the question: "Why are so many foreigners fleeing China in the wake of language school bankruptcies?" more ›

By now, some of your New Year's resolutions have probably fallen by the wayside ("Take care of liver...uncheck.") However, if your resolutions included helping some shelter animals, appreciating more photography, watching Mickey Mouse ice skate, or screaming words at British comedians, well then this is the week for you. Enjoy. more ›

This is going to be a loooong post on the ongoing KaiEn English fiasco, so brace yourselves. One day before KaiEn's unpaid staff were scheduled to negotiate with the Shanghai Construction Group (KaiEn's Chinese partner), co-founder Ken Carroll's business partner and CEO of Praxis Language, Hank Horkoff, was quick to issue the following clarification on the ChinesePod blog, disavowing all relationships with KaiEn English:

There have been a number of stories in the local Chinese-language press about problems at the Kaien language schools here in Shanghai. It appears to be a very unfortunate situation for everyone involved - students, teachers, partners and management. more ›

UPDATE: Another day, another disgruntled KaiEn English teacher more ›

Aric Queen, former executive producer of ChinesePod, writing from exile, appears to think so. Once upon a time, his friend Frank Fradella flew to Shanghai and approached ChinesePod with a pitch for a new show designed to teach foreigners how to recognise radicals [see video below]. He was told by the Shanghai startup that they didn't have the budget for the show and Fradella flew home a little dejected, but that was that.
more ›

Welcome to the latest edition of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we bring you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the newest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Welcome to the newest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Check out John Pasden's helpful tips here (and be jealous that your company doesn't subsidize the purchasing of cool smuggled gadgets). more ›

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›

Gll Wonton has nearly 80 restaurants all over Shanghai, all open 24 hours, they also deliver. Convenience is the key word here. The wontons are stored frozen, so this isn’t fine cuisine. The surroundings are moderately dirty, the ambience dull, and the staff inconsistent. Without much style, no English menu, and no real buzz the reason we're writing about Gll Wonton is simply about the Wonton. more ›

• Everyone's favourite blogger (and rightly so), John at Sinosplice, worries about racial slurs of the optic variety.
• Not a blog we admit, but the Chinese Pod community is chatting about how to work on Mandarin Chinese pronunciation.
• Sunny Side Up finds good reasons why Chinese people think that they dislike western food, and has a drool-inducing image too.

Friday: The Honeys, one of Shanghai’s most experienced rock bands, take a break from recording their new album to team up with Ark regulars Blue Garden for a show at Shuffle Bar. They describe themselves as "aesthetic but accessible," or as a friend of Shanghaiist put it, "indie-rock for normal people." Opening the show is Flying Fruit (羽果), a Jiangxi band who recently relocated to Shanghai and are already garnering praise for their interesting darkwave/shoegazer sound and energetic stage show. more ›