Subject guide to Chinese
Chinese at Manchester
Step into the rich language, culture and history of China and East Asia, joining a close-knit community of students and academics. Students join a language learning pathway for Mandarin Chinese (beginner, intermediate or advanced), and everyone is taught together for the cultural course units.
The University of Manchester has close links to students, alumni, academics and researchers in China and in Chinese-speaking communities around the world, which connects teaching to global conversations about contemporary Chinese culture, politics, and current affairs. AI is transforming the digital and technology sectors, with China leading many of these developments.
At Manchester, we enable students to engage and utilise AI in an ethical and sustainable way, to develop the skills that are in demand by graduate employers. Students that choose to study Chinese as part of the BA Modern Languages degree can choose to include a specialism in Digital Humanities.
The city of Manchester has a large Chinese-speaking community. Chinatown is located in the heart of the city, and hosts one of the largest New Year Celebrations in the UK with the Dragon Parade and a Hong Kong Lunar New Year market. ESEA Contemporary is the UK’s only non-profit art centre specialising in presenting and platforming artists and art practices that identify with and are informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural backgrounds.
In my 3rd year, I was sent to study in Shanghai. It was unforgettable and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity. I had a lot of support from the university during this time and one of my professors even flew out to visit us all.
Cedrine / MLBM Chinese, 2025.
Video: Discover more about studying here
Courses - 2027 entry
Chinese is available as a specialism in the following 4-year degree courses:
- BA International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response and Modern Languages
- BA Linguistics and Modern Languages
- BA Modern Languages and Business and Management
- BA Modern Languages
- BA Politics and Modern Languages
- BA Sociology and Modern Languages
BA Modern Languages has 3 pathways for Chinese and students on this course must choose one:
- Chinese
- Chinese with Digital Humanities
- Chinese and a language chosen from French or Spanish
The degree title on the graduation certificate will state the language(s) that have been studied. For example: BA Modern Languages (Chinese), BA Modern Languages (Chinese) and Business and Management, BA Politics and Modern Languages (Chinese).
For information about entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships and bursaries, please visit the online prospectus.
Students looking for a 3-year course that includes Chinese can consider the BA East Asian Studies. On this course, learning a language (Chinese, Japanese or Korean) is optional, and the course has a stronger focus on the history, politics and anthropology of China and Japan. This course also has an option to include a study abroad year in China or Japan.
Course structures
Degree courses in Chinese provide students with a range of choices. When considering the choices you’d like to make, please note:
- Chinese has 3 language learning pathways – beginner, intermediate and advanced.
- Each year, all students study a total of 120 credits. Each course unit is 20 credits unless indicated.
- The course unit titles for each year of study have been listed.
- Joint honours. In Year 1 students take 60 credits from Chinese. In Year 2 students can take 60 or 80 credits, although students on the intermediate or advanced language pathways can take 40 credits. In Year 4 students can take 40, 60 or 80 credits. The remaining credits are taken from the other subject or language.
- Single honours. Each year, students take 80 credits of course units from Chinese and choose 40 credits from a range of subjects in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, including digital humanities, or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning
- Digital Humanities. Students on BA (Hons) Modern Languages that take 40 credits of digital humanities course units each year will graduate with BA (Hons) Modern Languages (Chinese) with Digital Humanities.
- Essential course information for students studying a 4-year degree.
Course content
We encourage students to engage with their language learning and to absorb as much Mandarin Chinese as they can. For beginners taking Chinese Language 1, students use role-play and everyday conversations to develop their listening and speaking skills. Reading and writing practice is grounded in learning 370 basic characters and being able to identify a further 452 different phrases. Small paragraphs of text are translated into English.
Intermediate learners practise formal and informal conversations and take part in group discussions and presentations. When reading texts, students are not just identifying words and phrases but are following the central issues and important details.
Students on the advanced pathway develop skills in linguistic competency and socio-cultural literacy and utilise higher level translation skills.
All students
20 credits taken from:
◈ Introduction to Chinese Studies
40 credits taken from one of the language learning pathways:
◆ Beginner pathway: Chinese Language 1
◇ Beginner pathway: Chinese Language 2
◆ Intermediate pathway: Chinese Language 3
◇ Intermediate pathway: Chinese Language 4
◆ Advanced pathway: Chinese Language 5
◇ Advanced pathway: Modern China: from the Opium Wars to the Olympic Games or Visual Cultures in China and East Asia. Joint Honours students on the advanced pathway can choose either course unit. Chinese (single honours) or Chinese with Digital Humanities students on the advanced pathway must take Modern China: from the Opium Wars to the Olympic Games.
Chinese, or Chinese with Digital Humanities
20 credits taken from:
◆ Visual Cultures in China and East Asia
Chinese
40 credits chosen from:
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
◆ Course units from Digital Humanities. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
Chinese with Digital Humanities
40 credits taken from:
◆ Course units from Digital Humanities. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
KEY:
◆ Semester 1
◇ Semester 2
◈ Full Year
Students continue learning Chinese on the beginner, intermediate or advanced pathway, and prepare for the Residence Abroad year.
All students
40 credits (beginner pathway) or 20 credits (intermediate or advanced pathway) taken from:
◆ Beginner pathway: Chinese Language 3
◇ Beginner pathway: Chinese Language 4
◈ Intermediate pathway: Chinese Language 5
◈ Advanced pathway: Chinese Language 6
Chinese (joint honours) students choose 20 or 40 credits. Chinese (single honours) and Chinese with Digital Humanities students must take both course units (40 credits) from:
◆ China's Borderlands: Culture, Ethnicity and History
◇ Introduction to Classical Chinese. This course unit is not available to students with native-level fluency of Mandarin Chinese.
Chinese
Students on the intermediate or advanced language learning pathway must take 20 credits from:
◇ Late Imperial China: The Great Wall and Beyond
40 credits chosen from:
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
◆ Course units from Digital Humanities. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
Chinese with Digital Humanities
Students on the intermediate or advanced language learning pathway must take 20 credits from:
◇ Late Imperial China: The Great Wall and Beyond
40 credits taken from:
◆ Course units from Digital Humanities. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
KEY:
◆ Semester 1
◇ Semester 2
◈ Full Year
This is the Residence Abroad year and students live in China or Taiwan, completing a study abroad placement with one of our academic partners. Opportunities vary from year to year, and some opportunities are selective.
Students studying Chinese and another language, usually divide their time between two countries.
Please see Residence Abroad for information about funding and finance, the support provided to students to find suitable study or work placements, and for videos and blog posts from current students.
Language learning continues in Year 4. Students from the beginners pathway move onto the intermediate pathway, and students from the intermediate pathway join the advanced pathway.
The Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures course unit is compulsory for students taking Chinese or Chinese with Digital Humanities. It is optional for Joint Honours students. The dissertation is a guided research project, and students develop their own research question and receive support and advice from a supervisor. Contact hours are low (less than 10 hours) and independent study hours are high (391 hours).
The dissertation will be written in English, but students must demonstrate they analysed or used primary or secondary sources in Mandarin Chinese.
Business Chinese is only available to students on the intermediate language learning pathway.
All students
20 credits from one of the language learning pathways:
◈ Intermediate pathway: Chinese Language 6
◆ Advanced pathway: Language-Based Project 1 (10 credits)
◈ Advanced Pathway: Language-Based Project 2 (10 credits)
Chinese (joint honours) students choose 20, 40 or 60 credits. Chinese (single honours) students take 60, 80 or 100 credits, including the dissertation. Chinese with Digital Humanities students take 60 credits, including the dissertation from:
◈ Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures (40 credits)
◆ Religions in China
◇ Socialism in China
◇ Business Chinese
Chinese
0, 20 or 40 credits chosen from:
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
◆ Course units from Digital Humanities. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
Chinese with Digital Humanities
40 credits taken from:
◆ Course units from Digital Humanities. Some course units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
KEY:
◆ Semester 1
◇ Semester 2
◈ Full Year