CHINA 120RChinese for Heritage Language Learners
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Chinese
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 6 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course is designed for students who have some background in Chinese (i.e., they speak Chinese but cannot read or write, or they read Chinese characters, but cannot speak Putonghua or modern standard Chinese). Students will cover content from CHINA 101R and CHINA 102R in a single term, strengthening their language skills, grammatical knowledge, and vocabulary range.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6873 | 47 / 40 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
85% liked it59% easy93% useful
From 66 ratings and 11 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
I've learned the fundamentals of Mandarin in the past so it wasn't bad for me. As a refresher course of the basics, it does its job. HOWEVER. Holy cow. Yan Li is one of the worst if not the worst professor I've ever come across. I'll be honest, you can get an 80 easily by just reading the textbook and not going to class. I ended up doing that by the end because of how depressing/hostile the environment was. I haven't dreaded seeing a faculty member of a school that much since the mean lunchroom ladies at my middle school. She's far too moody to be teaching. If you're planning on taking this course or any CHINA course at Renison, I'd advise you check if she's teaching it first. She'll make…
Oct 2019 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Chinee
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Pretty solid course, expanded my vocabulary tenfold as someone who grew up speaking chinese but got rusty over time. Requires effort but rewarding. The oral exam, however, was my only grievance with this course. The outline for the oral exam was misleading and I ended up having to improvise on the spot even though the outline heavily implied I'd get to choose my topic and prepare beforehand. Otherwise, professor is friendly and okay.
Dec 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Advanced can be hard for beginners but if you're able to converse in mandarin you should be fine to take this course. I found by the end of the term I could recognize words fine but it was more difficult to memorize how to write the characters (me personally). Previously I had minimal reading or writing knowledge.
May 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Funny little course. Still requires some effort despite growing up in Canada but being Mandarin.
Mar 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
37 posts and comments in 28 threads mention CHINA 120R, March 2014 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
How is CHINA 120r? 2 points, 4 comments
u/monkerpopo: “Im thinking of taking CHINA 120R in the winter term. Im wondering what the workload is for the course. I think I am a proficient native chinese speaker who can't read or write chinese.”
u/enviyu: “… i just finished CHINA120R and i think it's easy if you grew up speaking and understanding chinese even if you can't read or write. …”
Fall 2022
1st-year Chinese language course selection 1 point, 4 comments
u/fbroham2: “… I want to get as much out of that course as possible, and I was wondering if anyone has taken the advanced level first-year course (CHINA 120R) with no knowledge of chinese. …”
CHINA 120R 2 points, 2 comments
u/stephonmi: “I was wondering if there's anyone who had little to no knowledge of Mandarin or pinyin and couldn't read much Chinese who has taken CHINA 120R before and what your experience was like? Was it easy to follow along or was it difficult? How was the workload? …”
Spring 2022
Language Course Help 1 point, 1 comment
“Hii i’m going into my first year in GBDA and i’m thinking of taking chinese as my mandatory lang course but idk if i should because I hve 0 background in speaking or learning chiniese… Is the 101 …”
u/angerygoosepopo: “Language 101 courses are usually beginner-friendly. CHINA101 is for people who have no knowledge of the Chinese language and CHINA120R is an advanced course combining 101/102 in a faster pace for people who already know a bit of Chinese.”
Fall 2021
China 101R 2 points, 4 comments
“Thoughts on the class ? I’m not chinese but I have been learning languages for many years and am not totally new to chinese . …”
u/Agentm10: “If you have some experience learning Chinese, then go for CHINA120R. It seems that your level may be too advanced for CHINA101R.”
Fall 2020
What is CHINA 201R like? 6 points, 15 comments
u/zeph-yr: “… How much of a jump is it in comparison to CHINA 120R? 3. If you took it online, what is the workload like? I didn't do too hot in CHINA 120R (below 80%) so I was thinking maybe I should take the course in the Spring term so I can study the words this term. …”
u/kappa10thletter: “I also took CHINA 201R last spring and had taken CHINA 120R before that as well. 201R was fairly straightforward and the assignments were not that hard.”
Spring 2020
How long does it take for WStore items to arrive at your door? 5 points, 6 comments
“I'm only ordering textbooks now and I feel kind of screwed. For context, I live in the Greater Toronto Area.”
[deleted]: [deleted]
u/zeph-yr: “CHINA 120R lol”
Fall 2019
CHINA 120R speaking skills? 1 point, 2 comments
Winter 2019
Chinese class placement form 2 points, 4 comments
u/theDawnOasis: “Has anyone been forced into the advance section (CHINA 120R) despite not knowing how to read any of the questions on the placement form? They ask about what dialect we can speak and if we went to saturday school. …”
Spring 2018
Do you speak Chinese 3 points, 39 comments
u/Transcendate: “Yes, but CHINA 120R was a huge waste of money for me. Why pay for a whole course when you can just ask your parents to teach it to you for free?”
CHINA120R Difficulty level 1 point, 5 comments
u/waterloonub: “I speak Cantonese fluently and I can read/write some characters in traditional (complex) Chinese and I know no pinyin at all. What are the chances I'd be placed in CHINA120R and what's the difficulty like?? Will I get destroyed”
CHINA 120R difficulty after taking CHINA 101R? 4 points, 5 comments
u/Psychological_Coffee: “I was planning on taking CHINA 102R this term but after speaking with the advisor they had told me CHINA 120R merged with CHINA 102R this term and they will be covering 120R's content. I haven't taken CHINA 101R in a few years so I'm hesitant to enroll in CHINA 102R this term. …”
u/narcissuft: “I took CHINA 120R back in fall term with Yue Ha. All profs have different teaching methods and I found her teaching style to be very engaging and easy to understand. This term is being taught by Jie Yang so I'm not sure how she is. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them