CHIN 1010

Zhao Laoshi is one of the best professors I've ever had- I highly recommend. This class is a ton of work and takes up a ton of time, but as long as you put in the work and do the assignments you will probably get an A. Daily quizzes are really overwhelming at first but once you get in the groove of studying for them they're not so bad.

You cant go wrong in choosing a professor for 1010/1020. I took Ying Gao for 1010 in the fall, and I really wanted to take 1020 with her in the spring. I was not able to, so I joined Ran Zhao's 1020 class. She is a hardworking professor that cares about each student, and she is the kindest person on the planet. The course demands a lot for sure, but it is so worth it. Everyone that takes Zhao wants her again, and everyone that takes Gao wants her again. Just choose a professor that fits your schedule because they are both some of UVAs best.

Definitely the best Chinese 1010 teacher. Just in general though, the characters do get harder as you go on in the semester just because there are so many to learn, so don't slack off!

I totally recommend this class to others. Especially for first years who are interested in learning foreign language or fulfilling their language requirements. Please don't get intimidated by the sheer number of Chinese characters and tones to memorize, because Zhao Laoshi will just make it all fun and cool. I was very intimidated by tones, but Laoshi surely guides you through everything step by step. There are very well-formatted schedule that you know what you expect each week, which gives you how to prepare for each week, or even in advance. It took me about 3 hours to finish each lesson's homework. I needed an extra hour or two to listen to tingxie (dictation). It is a weekly dictation, so it can be very overwhelming at first, but it is completely necessary and worth it in the end. Also, she takes only 32 out of 40 or so, and you can lose 70 out of 1000 points to get an A, so it is not as pressuring as other language classes. Trust me. You surely need to put effort, but Zhao Laoshi wants everyone to do great and you need to literally screw up to get anything below C. Also, you have a weekly oral presentation, this took most of my time to prepare for, but it was how I actually learned how to pronounce the word correctly and formulate sentence and prepared myself for oral exam every three lesson. I really liked a skit presentation with my group members. It's been a while that I actually had fun without having to worry about my grade in a class. Exams are not really hard in my opinion and she even gives you the essay question that will be on the exam few days prior to the exam so you can prepare for it. If you get a chance, try to go to a Chinese Corner to meet new people and talk in Chinese (and free Chinese food xD why not?). I learned great deal and appreciate Zhao Laoshi greatly. There is a reason why her class gets filled up so quickly each semester. Also, as long as you put constant effort, it is quite a good GPA booster xD

I cannot say enough good things about Zhao Laoshi. She is one of the best teachers I've ever had. Chinese is an incredibly difficult language, but Zhao Laoshi makes it fun and makes you really want to put in all the work. There is a lot of work! But it is completely worth it. Class is fun and you learn a ton. If you work hard you will absolutely earn her respect and do well.

Ran Zhao is perhaps one of the best Chinese teachers in the whole department. She cares about her students and wants them to all succeed. CHIN 1010 and 1020 are not hard by any means; but, it does not go to say that it is very time consuming. Definitely take it if you're serious about learning Chinese.

Obviously Chinese is a lot of work but it was so much fun. Ran Zhao is an awesome professor- she does a great job helping you learn and is really, really nice. I loved this class- absolutely my favorite class.

101 Chinese was a blast. Zhao laoshi knows what she is doing, so listen to all the advice she gives for studying. If you ever have problems with Chinese, talk to her, she can help you (trust me, I needed some help my first semester). Workload is pretty light, most of my time spent on this class was for memorizing characters (definitely practice writing them often). Zhao Laoshi is an easy grader, and she and all the chinese teachers want you to get an A and love learning Chinese. Take 101 Chinese with her and you will be fine!

loved the way she taught the class

AMAZING. Ran Zhao is an incredible professor - you'll love her and you'll love to learn the language. I highly recommend taking this if you have even the slightest interest in learning Chinese.

Zhao Laoshi is the best! She's a great professor and is really happy all the time. Even though learning Chinese takes a lot of work, I always walk out of class with a good feeling.