Giulia, a 25-year-old from Italy who fell in love with China during a cultural exchange at 17 and never looked back. With degrees in International Relations and China Studies, she now lives in China, works in marketing at a language school, and shares her Chinese learning journey on Instagram.
In this interview, she talks about the challenges of reaching advanced fluency, her favorite tools and methods, cultural surprises, and the personal growth that comes with learning Mandarin.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?
Hi, I’m Giulia, I’m 25 and I’m from Italy. I recently graduated in International Relations from the University of Turin, and in China Studies from Zhejiang University. Right now, I’m living in China and working in the marketing department of a language school that focuses on Asian languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
I also create content on my Instagram page, where I share my language learning journey, especially with Chinese. I don’t teach the language, but I give my perspective as a learner, I share what works for me, what doesn’t, and try to create a safe space for other language learners.
I first got interested in Chinese when I was 17 and did a cultural exchange in China, living with a local family. At the time, I didn’t speak a word of Chinese and knew almost nothing about the country, but as soon as I arrived, I completely fell in love with it. After coming back to Italy, I knew I wanted to return to China and I especially wanted to learn the language.
Because of other commitments, I only started studying Chinese after finishing my bachelor’s degree, but once I started, I never stopped. I’ve been learning ever since and keep falling more in love with the language every day.
Can you walk us through your Chinese learning journey from the beginning to where you are now?
I started formally learning Chinese around three years ago, and right from the beginning, I looked for online tutors because I wanted to build a solid foundation and work on my pronunciation from the start.
Then I began my master’s degree, where I took a Chinese course as part of the program. During that first year, I applied for a scholarship for a double degree with Zhejiang University, which would allow me to study in China for one year. So, on top of university exams and certifications, I continued taking online Chinese lessons to prepare for the HSK 3 and HSKK beginner level.
I was lucky enough to receive the scholarship, and in September 2023, I moved to China, and it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. Even though my degree program was in English, I kept studying Chinese both through university HSK 4 classes and on my own. When I returned to Italy, I continued studying mostly by myself and started working towards HSK 5.
One key moment for me was realizing I could actually understand what people were saying. I started watching TV shows with only Chinese subtitles and understood what was happening, or watching YouTube videos and following along without needing translations. That really surprised me and made me realize how powerful full immersion in Chinese content can be.
I wouldn’t call myself an advanced learner. I’ve made progress, but I know there’s still a long way to go. I wouldn't say I’ve "arrived" at a final destination, I still make mistakes and have so much to learn.
What were the biggest challenges you faced as you progressed, especially when transitioning from intermediate to advanced?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced, and still face, is hitting a plateau. That feeling where you’re putting in the work, studying consistently, but you don’t see much progress anymore. It can be really discouraging.
Another tough one was listening. I remember feeling super frustrated because I knew the words, but I just couldn’t catch them in real conversations.
To work on that, I focused a lot on input. I actually made myself a listening plan where I had to watch a certain video or podcast every day. Even if it was just 10 minutes, I tried to stay consistent. Immersing myself in real Chinese really helped me get used to the natural rhythm and flow of the language.
Something else I struggle with is speaking. Sometimes I understood what people are saying, but I’d freeze when it is my turn to talk. What is helping me a lot is shadowing: listening to native speakers and repeating what they said out loud. It improves both my fluency and confidence.
What specific methods, tools, or resources helped you the most in achieving fluency?
For me, the best thing is to fully immerse yourself in the language and make it part of your daily routine.
Luckily, nowadays, thanks to the internet, it’s totally possible to immerse yourself in Chinese even from home, you can watch videos, TV shows, and movies, listen to podcasts and music, take online lessons, read books or even just scroll through posts on Chinese social media. On YouTube, there are tons of creators who make vlog-style videos specifically for Chinese learners, which makes the learning experience much more fun and engaging.
How do you create opportunities to practice Mandarin in your daily life?
When I was still in Italy, practicing speaking with other people was much harder. So, I actually ended up talking to myself a lot, I know it sounds crazy, but it was a great way to practice without being too afraid of making mistakes.
Shadowing was also super helpful for me, repeating what I heard out loud really boosted my pronunciation and fluency.
Sometimes, I even recorded videos of myself speaking Chinese, which helped me become more confident and notice areas to improve. Speaking is definitely the skill I need to practice the most because I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on listening and reading.
How has learning Chinese changed your perspective on Chinese-speaking cultures or influenced your personal growth?
Learning Chinese has had a huge impact on my personal growth and how I see Chinese-speaking cultures.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you can’t skip the “cringe” phase when learning something new, you have to go through the stage where you make mistakes, people don’t understand you, and you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
For me, stepping out of that comfort zone has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. A memorable experience was less than a month after I arrived in China, I was asked to present products at a trade fair in both English and Chinese. I said yes immediately but was terrified the night before, wondering why I agreed in the first place. In the end, it went really well, and I even got to use my Chinese in many real-life situations.
Learning Chinese has also opened my eyes to cultural differences and new ways of thinking, but it’s also helped me discover unexpected similarities between cultures. What I love most about my work is connecting China and the language with students from all over the world, helping to bridge these cultural gaps.
What are your favorite aspects of the Chinese language or culture?
There are so many things I love about China and its culture and language, that it’s honestly hard to pick just one favorite aspect.
One thing I really appreciate about the Chinese language is how logical it is. Words often follow a clear internal logic, and the sentence structure tends to be very straightforward compared to other languages. There’s no gender, no verb conjugations, no plural forms, no cases, especially in spoken Chinese, it feels more direct.
But at the same time, there’s so much poetry in the language. The characters themselves carry meaning and beauty, and the idioms and expressions reflect such a rich cultural and philosophical background. It’s a language that can be both simple and profound, and that’s something I find incredibly fascinating.
What advice would you give to learners who are at the intermediate level and want to reach advanced fluency?
That’s a really interesting question, because I’m actually in that exact stage myself, I’m currently working toward advanced fluency.
What’s helping me the most right now is, as always, throwing myself into real-life situations. I try to avoid switching to English when I’m speaking with someone, and I’ve learned not to feel embarrassed when I make mistakes. The hardest part, in my opinion, is staying consistent with studying, but it’s also what makes the biggest difference.
What were the things that surprised you the most in your journey?
Culturally, one of the biggest differences I’ve noticed between Italy and China is the emphasis on the group versus the individual. In China, there’s a strong focus on community, family, and social harmony. In Italy, we also value family deeply, but we’re often more individualistic and tend to value personal opinions and self-expression a bit more.
I also noticed a difference in how people handle disagreement, in China, communication tends to be more indirect, whereas in Italy we’re usually more direct and open with our opinions.
At the same time, I’ve discovered so many beautiful similarities between our cultures. For example, food is a huge part of life in both China and Italy, not just as something to eat, but as a way to connect with others.
Was it some particular aspect of the language that surprised you?
One of the biggest positive cultural shocks for me was realizing just how convenient life in China is. I didn’t expect it to be so easy and fast.
You can effortlessly order delicious and affordable food online, which usually arrives within minutes. The same applies to almost any product, you can buy anything quickly with just a few taps on your phone.
Public transportation is excellent and incredibly fast, and your smartphone allows you to do almost everything: pay at restaurants, access the subway, and place orders.
All these digital services make everyday life much more comfortable and enjoyable than I ever imagined.
Are there some common misconceptions about the language that you believe are not true?
Some people say that learning Chinese isn’t worth the effort because it’s too difficult, that you’ll never speak it fluently, and that everyone speaks English anyway. I completely disagree with these beliefs. First of all, there are a lot of people who speak Chinese fluently, if so many others have managed to learn it well, it clearly means it’s absolutely achievable with dedication and the right approach.
Regarding the idea that everyone speaks English, that’s simply not true. Since you are the one moving to a new country, it’s important to make the effort to learn the language because you can’t always assume that people will speak English.
Moreover, learning Chinese opens doors to much deeper and more meaningful connections with people.
Do you have your favorite Chinese idiom or saying you would like to share with us?
One of the first Chinese idioms I learned is 笨鸟先飞 (bèn niǎo xiān fēi), and it’s very special to me.
The story behind this idiom is about a clumsy little bird named Xiao Ben who was slower than the other birds at learning to fly and couldn’t soar very high.
One day, he heard this advice from an eagle: “笨鸟先飞” clumsy birds should start flying early, meaning they should bravely try without fear of failure. Inspired by this, Xiao Ben dedicated himself to learning how to fly and eventually became the bravest bird in the forest.
This story really resonates with me. Like Xiao Ben, I don’t have any special talent for learning languages and I’m often slower than others. But instead of giving up, I try to start early, put in consistent effort, and keep pushing . 笨鸟先飞 reminds me that perseverance and bravery in the face of challenges are more important than being perfect or fast.
笨鸟先飞 (bèn niǎo xiān fēi): It refers to someone who may not be naturally talented or quick-witted but works harder or starts earlier than others to achieve success.
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