On the last day of our 2-month business Chinese course at Capital Mandarin, my teacher invited me to accompany her to see Beijing’s Capital Museum.It felt great to get out the classroom and immerse myself in Beijing’s rich culture and history.The museum has a fantastic Chinese porcelain exhibit, full of beautifully decorated, delicate vases and basins.Since all exhibit pieces contained explanations in both Chinese and English, it was a great way for me to practice my reading comprehension!

The exhibit on traditional Chinese weddings was especially interesting.A brief movie illustrated the wedding customs, while the walls lined with wedding costumes and sample dowries brought the traditions to life.One hall was filled with relics from traditional Chinese operas, complete with elaborate costumes, masks, wigs and yellowed photographs of famous opera stars.An entire floor is dedicated to Beijing’s own history, full of photographs of ancient Beijing, drafts of city planning and examples of building materials used in Beijing’s original construction.We wandered around mock-ups of traditional hutong doorways, reading the explanations of how each part of the doorway indicated the household’s social position.

The best part of the museum outing was having my teacher act as my personal guide throughout the tour.Her knowledge of Beijing’s history was impressive, and it was great practice for my listening comprehension to hear all her explanations in Chinese.As I exited the museum, it occurred to me that I had just spent five hours conversing in Chinese, a feat that would have been impossible just a few short months ago.No wonder I was so exhausted!I was very happy overall with my learning experience at Capital Mandarin, and the museum trip was a great way end the course.