Nine QUT students are about to spend this year brushing up on their Mandarin in the Chinese city Qingdao which is not only hosting the Olympic sailing events but is also the country's beer brewing capital.
Mikael Almond, a final-year Bachelor of Business student who is majoring in international business with a specialisation in Mandarin, cannot wait to get there.
"It's going to be great because nine of us are going to Qingdao so it won't be hard to settle in and we will live in an international college," Mikael said.
"It'll be a fantastic challenge because we have to speak Mandarin from the start as they don't speak any English in the course."
The students are participating in QUT's In-country Mandarin Program where they pay their usual course fees in Australia and receive tuition and credit towards their QUT degree.
The Mandarin language classes are delivered by QUT's partner university, Qingdao University in mainland China.
For Mikael, who wants to eventually work for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in China, it's a fantastic opportunity to immerse himself in the language and culture of a country that is fast becoming a global business hub.
"China is the world's manufacturer so everyone is going to deal with them for business," Mikael said.
"There will be an exciting buzz in the city thanks to the Olympics and a national beer festival during the Olympics so it is a great time to live there to learn not only Mandarin but the customs and lifestyles of the people."
QUT Mandarin Program coordinator Dr Ingrid Wang said Qingdao University and the city of Qingdao would provide a highly conducive learning environment in which the students could progress rapidly towards a high level of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese.
"All QUT students who studied at Qingdao University last year did very well and were highly spoken of by our partner university," Dr Wang said
