M A N D A R I N S U P E R S T A R
M A N D A R I N S U P E R S T A R
M A N D A R I N S U P E R S T A R
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Lulu Dufty
Whanganui High School
When did you start learning Chinese and what inspired you to take up the language?
I started learning Chinese when I was just a toddler. My family and I were living in Shanghai, China and so it was only natural to learn the language. Billie, who is my sister, took private classes with me and practised Chinese at the bilingual school we attended.
Tell us about your Chinese language learning journey. What has been the most unexpected or rewarding part of the experience?
Learning Chinese was, and is still challenging, but at the time I was living in China, so I was exposed to the language everyday. The most rewarding part of this journey is coming back to New Zealand and actually realising how valuable learning Chinese is and appreciating how lucky I was to have grown up in that environment. Moving back here was like leaving a whole part of me back in China. Through these past several years since being back, I've felt as though I took my childhood for granted.
​What opportunities have opened up for you as a result of your Chinese-speaking ability?
Being able to speak Chinese has brought cool opportunities like winning the Chinese bridge speech competition for my age group, which has brought me here.
​Why do you think other New Zealanders should learn Chinese?
I believe other kiwis should learn Chinese because It is such a culture enriched language with many beautiful stories and character origin.
Do you have any tips for anyone thinking about taking up Chinese?
The number one tip I could give is simply be willing to learn it. To be good at a language, especially Chinese, takes a lot of time and practice.
​Do you have a favourite Chinese word or expression? Why do you like it?
Probably å“Žå‘€, because I just like saying it and it is an expression.