Hailong Wang

Test submission, please ignore. -Philippe

Professor Wang is amazing, and is a great teacher. I learned a lot from him and my Chinese definitely improved in the year that I was his student. He does his best to help you to improve, and he genuinely wants to give you a good grade. He may not be the most exciting, but he definitely knows his stuff. Sometimes, he'll digress and tell you a story about his life in China, which are usually not that funny, but is good for wasting some time in class. Do the work, listen in class and study for the tests. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Wang 老師 really isn't as bad as a teacher as the reviews make him out to be. Yes, he can be sarcastic and tease/pick on you for small things, but it's not like he's trying to be mean. That's just kind of who he is, and the general old-Chinese-man-from-China kind of personality: super sarcastic with a very dry humor. Don't take it personally, he does it to everyone. He'll usually enter the classroom in a kind of bland mood, but he'll start to liven up quickly. He can have his off days--if he does, do not irritate him in any way. The cardinal rules of his class: 1) Do not be late. 2) Participate. 3) Double space your homework. Despite his insistence on participation and the strict way he runs his class, I enjoy his class more than the previous instructor I had. She was super sweet and so nice, no complaints, but because she was super lenient and didn't push the class, I subsequently also was less invested in the class. WIth Wang 老師, I actually really care because you can tell how badly he wants the students to care. He also actually really cares about his students, and despite how much he teases us, he's really proud of the students as well. If he sees that you're not feeling well, he'll insist that you don't come to class and just go back to your room. He's also constantly telling the class how we're "the best of the best" and the advantage we have because we're sort of…

Hailong Wang will probably be the worst teacher I'll ever have at Columbia. He is conceited, bordering on biopolar, and uninspiring. His textbooks are not only outdated and often not useful, but also full of mistakes in both English and Chinese. Wang thinks highly of his opinions, some of which I'm sure are very good, but I don't want to learn about Jane Eyre in Chinese even if he has a degree in English literature. His lecture style means that everyone daydreams for the majority of the class, leaving most of the work to be done outside of class. At the beginning, the workload may not appear too heavy, but Hailong Wang will then often be unreasonable and be prepared to expect an oral presentation, homework essay and long dictation all due on one day. Furthermore, his TA marks the homework quickly without helpful comments about how to improve the essay. Occasionally, he can be nice, especially during office hours. But generally, expect a total dick.

Very strong instructor and course overall. His textbook uses an anthropolgy approach so you will learn Chinese language in the context of Chinese culture. Also the practical business writing sessions are interesting but a bit long and half of it is too basic. If he likes you, he is incredibly flexible with abscences for job interviews or illness. Don't be late to class and/or be really dumb and the default is he will like you.

He is a good teacher in that he knows how to present the words of the language for the students to learn. He paces the class well and you will learn if you do his work. That said, I must say that this man has some of the characteristics that create for a poor human being. He thinks he has a good strict style, but that kind of teaching style belongs back in elementary school, or communist china where disciplining students is part of a teacher's job. He continually targets students he does not like in class, especially the ladies of the class. No matter how hard they are trying, he continually mocks them and belittles them in front of everyone in the class. (This is all my opinion, of course) This, I feel detracts from his overall teaching ability.

Recommend to individuals who would like to hone their Chinese skills and learn more about Chinese culture 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2021 Course: CHNSUN3005_001_2021_3-THIRDYEARCHINESEW : CHNSUN3005_001_2021_3 - THIRD YEAR CHINESE W Instructor: Hai-Long Wang

Heavy workload (The same as what others wrote in their reviews)

Wang Laoshi seems to find joy in appearing as much of a jerk as possible in the first week of school. On the first day everyone has to give an introduction in Chinese and be corrected/mocked for every mispronunciation and grammatical mistake. After the first week he isn't as perpetually angry, but will still have his pissy days. Always do the homework the exact way he tells you to, never arrive late to class, and make sure you keep your phone on silent. Wang Laoshi's insistence on correct pronunciation, while often embarrassing, has been very helpful. Being made to repeat a sentence over and over again will ensure that you will never dare say it wrong again. He has some interesting stories to tell and isn't the driest of lecturers but class is mostly centered around him talking without much discussion (other than during the oral presentations). Fair grader and pretty approachable during office hours.

I had Hailong Wang for 3 semesters: all of 1W and the first semester of 3W before I finally switched out to 3N, which I found suited my needs and learning style better. The biggest con is that Wang lectures through the entire class, and it's normally not too interesting (though he does have some cool stories about the Cultural Revolution). Although I knew Chinese coming into the class, I was looking for more speaking practice and formal instruction regarding grammar and structure, neither of which was a focus in the class. I found the textbook lessons boring and not particularly well-structured or well-written (too many archaic vocabulary words, lessons that don't build off each other or progress naturally, etc.). Wang could also be a bit of an ass sometimes, as other reviewers have already mentioned (e.g. referring to Cantonese as "barbaric"). Still, this might be a fit for some people. We do learn a lot of vocabulary. I personally didn't think there was a strong enough focus on practicing the correct usage of that vocabulary, but if you're seeking primarily just to learn to read/write characters that you already know how to use in speech, this may be the class for you.