Chinese is easy, practical and suitable for Westerners to get off to a good start on site. I am from Wavre (Belgium) and have been immersed in Chinese culture and language since 2005. After 2 years of learning the basics at the Catholic University of Louvain, I went to Taiwan for a year to learn Mandarin in immersion and deepen my knowledge of Chinese martial arts. Back in Belgium, I always remained exposed to the language. My method is therefore that of spoken drill, with introduction to characters illustrated by practical examples or points of cultural and historical interest. The basic characters must of course be studied and I give a lot of “nice to have” characters to increase cultural and practical interest without overloading the mind. --> The interest is to be drilled on the important points and to have a practical survival pack in passive knowledge which can allow rapid development in the field. My method is also well suited as a summer catch-up course and preparation for the following year.