About us
Biggest Chinese\English language exchange in London!. All levels welcome, events are aimed at getting people talking and making friends. You're also welcome to use the group to help find a teacher\student\language partner.
如果谁想练习中文和英文都可以参加这个语言小组。无论语言水平，或各种地方方言，都欢迎参加。活动的目的是让人们自由交谈和结交朋友。
Joining the meetup group
To be a member of this group, you need to have a profile photo in which you are recognizable as yourself. This helps people recognize each other at meetups. This is required for all members joining after May 1st, 2026. Also, please join the group with your actual name and in your personal capacity, not as a company or organization.
Group events
We will be hosting online and in-person Mandarin Chinese / English language exchange events for language enthusiasts of all levels.
No-Flake, Zero No-show group
Group events often involve reservations at restaurants and hiring of venues. Organizers have to put in a lot of effort to set up the event. Members might change work schedules and travel far to meet other members. It is inconsiderate to the group and its members to sign up for in-person events and then send in a last-minute cancellation or do a no-show.
No-shows and flake outs undermine the relationship between organizers and members, and destroy the community spirit of meetups. The attendance record has a large role to play in deciding how we host future events, and in the extreme case, if we can even have events.
We should try to make our group a no-flake, zero no-show group. Let's make a commitment to respect each other, and support group events by showing up.
‘People feel they don’t owe anyone anything’: the rise in ‘flaking’ out of social plans - The Guardian
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Banner photo:
Language Exchange - English\中文 - 语言交换 at the Folly - Hosted by Robin - Saturday, April 21, 2018
- from LCE photo album - uploaded by Robin
Upcoming events
5
Evening Online Mandarin Practice
·OnlineOnlineBi-weekly Mandarin conversation meetup for intermediate and advanced learners. For learners who can read and pronounce standard Mandarin Pinyin. HSK3 level recommended.
Start time: 8:00 PM London time (Wednesday, August 19th, 2026)
Zoom meeting room will open at 7:50 PM
This will be an intergroup meetup event. We'll join members of the London Mandarin Learners group for this online Mandarin conversation practice meetup.HSK3:
Intermediate-level Chinese proficiency test. It evaluates your ability to communicate in basic daily, academic, and professional situations, and helps you handle most communicative tasks while traveling in China.
(Google AI)Sample HSK3 text:
虽然昨天天气不太好，但是我们还是去了公园。
Pinyin: Suīrán zuótiān tiānqì bù tài hǎo, dànshì wǒmen háishì qùle gōngyuán.
English: "Although the weather wasn't very good yesterday, we still went to the park."
(from Google AI)Sample HSK3 reading text
Sample HSK4 reading text
- with pinyin, key vocabulary and grammar structures generated by Google Gemini AISuggested Topic: TBD
Event Language(s):
As much Mandarin as possible. Some English when discussing and explaining vocabulary.Attendance
Previous Evening Online Mandarin Practice event: 5Leaving before the end
Participants can leave any time they like. The main thing is for everyone to try and take part in the Mandarin conversation, and make an effort to express themselves and communicate with others in Mandarin.No-shows:
If you sign up for an event, please show up. If you have a schedule change and can't make it, please change your RSVP to "Not going". No-shows will be marked as such, so that attendee lists can accurately reflect attendance.Webcams:
Participants will be asked to turn on their webcams so we can interact with each other just like we're in a face to face meetup. Please make sure your webcam and microphone are working before you log on.
Usage of Zoom and Tips for a better online meetup
No participant has the right to restrict how and when another participant uses the chat window. The host has overall control over how the meetup is conducted.- Zoom recording by participants is disabled and is not permitted throughout the course of the meetup session.
- Taking photos and videos of participants and posting them online without permission is not allowed.
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Banner graphic:
Image generated by Google Gemini AI.2 attendees
Mandarin English Conversation Practice - Saturday Afternoon Online
·OnlineOnlineTopic:
耿耿于怀
Bearing a grudge / Dwelling on the past
Para. 2
对于杨卫宁给予叶文洁的信任，雷志成一直耿耿于怀...
Commissar Lei never forgot that it was Chief Yang who first trusted Ye...
----孔子曰：三人行，则必有我师。是故弟子不必不如师，师不必贤于弟子，闻道有先后，术业有专攻，如是而已。
- 师说 · 韩愈Mandarin Learners, let's get together online for an afternoon of Mandarin conversation practice for all levels. When we run out of vocabulary, we continue to chat in English, but we write down the words we want to learn how to say in Chinese, and we ask our Mandarin speaking friends to help.
我们在线上聚会，练习中文会话。当遇到难题，不知道用中文该如何表达，我们用英语记下来，找说中文的朋友来帮忙。欢迎不同水平的中文学习者参与。
To get an idea of the sort of topics and vocabulary we cover in our online converation practice meetups, please have a look at our Event Notes page. Best viewed with a web browser on a computer.
Attendance at previous Saturday morning conversation event: 7
This will be an intergroup meetup event. We'll join members of the London Mandarin Learners group for this meetup.Start time: 3:00 PM London time (Saturday, August 22nd, 2026)
Zoom meeting room will open at 2:50 PM
RSVPs close at 2:00 PM3:00 PM - Introductions in Mandarin and English, Housekeeping announcements
3:30 PM - Topic of the day in breakout rooms- Participants will be asked to suggest a topic. We'll vote to decide.
- Mandarin only rooms for intermediate and advanced Mandarin speakers
- Mandarin English mixed conversation rooms for language exchange
- Chinese text and vocabulary reading practice - New!
- Zoom session will be set up to allow participants to move between rooms and take part in different conversations
- 30-40 minutes per session.
5:00 PM - End. Anyone who wants to chat in English can stay on for another half an hour.
Topic:
耿耿于怀
Bearing a grudge / Dwelling on the past
Para. 2
对于杨卫宁给予叶文洁的信任，雷志成一直耿耿于怀...
Commissar Lei never forgot that it was Chief Yang who first trusted Ye...Please note that topics are icebreaker suggestions, you can talk about anything you like in the breakout rooms, just try to do it in Mandarin.
Reading room:
The Three Body Problem - Ch. 22 - Red Coast V
by Liu Cixin
三体 - 22 - 红岸之五（节录）
作者：刘慈欣Reading text
Chinese text with pinyin and selected vocabulary and explanations provided in Google Sheets. Best viewed on Chrome or Firefox browsers.
053-A|Red Coast V - reading page with pinyin (beginners)
t-053-B - the original article (advanced)
t-053-C - vocabulary with pinyin and definitions (from Google, with corrections)
t-053-D - Chinese text with pinyin and definitions (beginners)Further Reading
The Three Body Problem on Wikipedia
三体 - 维基百科Leaving before the end
Participants can leave any time they like. The main thing is for everyone to try and take part in the Mandarin conversation, and make an effort to express themselves and communicate with others in Mandarin.No-shows:
If you sign up for an event, please show up. If you have a schedule change and can't make it, please change your RSVP to "Not going". No-shows will be marked as such, so that attendee lists can accurately reflect attendance.Webcams:
Participants will be asked to turn on their webcams so we can interact with each other just like we're in a face to face meetup. Please make sure your webcam and microphone are working before you log on.Who should take part in this event?
- Intermediate learners.
- Beginners who would like to try something more difficult.
- Advanced learners who would like to help other learners.
- Native speakers of Mandarin with good command of English who would like to help.
Who should not take part in this event?
- People who just decided last week they wanted to start learning Mandarin.
- If you can't read basic Chinese characters in Pinyin, you're not a beginner. You need to spend a few months with a Mandarin teacher or a language learning App.
- Native speakers of Mandarin who only want to practice English.
Required:
- A computer with Zoom installed.
- A reliable internet connection.
- A working webcam.
- Web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
- A Gmail account for sharing Google sheets and docs.
Zoom link and password:
Please do not post Zoom login information on social media or on public pages of the Meetup website.Before logging in, please read the following page:
Usage of Zoom and Tips for a better online meetup
*** No participant has the right to restrict how and when another participant uses the chat window. The host has overall control over how the meetup is conducted.*
- Zoom recording by participants is disabled and is not permitted throughout the course of the meetup session. If for some reason part of the session needs to be recorded, this will be done by the host, and participants will be given forewarning.
- Taking photos and videos of participants and posting them online without permission is not allowed.
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Banner graphic:
Generated by Google AI - Gemini1 attendee
All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
·OnlineOnline各位高阶的中文学习者，在这个网上聚会里，让我们挑战自己，只用中文（普通话）来交流。大家不要说英语！遇到难题可以在聊天窗里用英语做笔记，我们一起去探究中文该如何说。大家互相帮忙，一起学习。
若人数太少，很难进行交流。如聚会前一天参加人数仍不足四人（主持人以外），此聚会将可能延后一周在同一时间段举行。届时将通过 Meetup 通讯公告参加者。
上次聚会参加者总数：3
本活动与伦敦中文学士聚会组联合举办建议话题：
门当户对
Marrying someone of equal social standing
- 木门对木门 竹门对竹门
破冰话题（试算表）自选话题
时事新闻 娱乐八卦 体育运动 音乐艺术
生活旅游 政治宗教 吃喝玩乐 烹饪家政
科技科学 诗词文学 历史哲学 地理文明聚会时间
二零二六年八月二十六日，伦敦时间周三中午十二点开始（美东时间周三早上七点 - 美国在本月第二个星期天开始实施夏令时间）
伦敦时间周三早上十一点终止报名聚会方式
人多分组，人少不分。一边谈话，一边研讨。只说中文，不说外语。遇到疑难，互相帮助。话题
能说流利的中文，当能天南地北，风花雪月，无需事先准备，随便点个话题，即可举一反三，出口成章。大家即兴想说什么就说什么，话到穷时可以聊最近忙些什么。注："风花雪月" 原指旧时诗文里经常描写的自然景物。（见百度百科解释）
提前下线
参加者什么时候都可以下线，聚会期间请尽量说中文，积极参与交流。缺席
报了名参加聚会的会员请尽量出席。如若不能，请把 RSVP 改为 "Not going"，或通过 Meetup 通讯告知主持人，或在本页留言。缺席（no-show）是对自己不尊重，也对聚会不尊重，为认真求学者所不取。摄像头
参加者需要打开摄像头，让大家可以看见对方，如同面对面的聚会，这样有利于交流。谁该参加这个聚会？
非中文母语的高阶中文学习者。请打开我们最近的阅读文章档案，若可以不看拼音而能够轻易朗读出其中文字，加上能与别人用纯中文交谈，不用加插外语，阁下便是高阶学习者。欢迎来参加聚会。
阅读文章：霉霉的纽约大学毕业演讲已经能说流利中文，为何还要参加聚会？
登高博见，见贤思齐。熟能生巧，业精于勤。（荀子，论语，韩愈）
只要求学心诚，天地虽大，却到处都是同道和朋友。中文母语的会员可否参加？
中文母语的朋友最好参加伦敦时间周六下午的聚会，这个活动就留给非中文母语的朋友自己奋斗吧。Zoom 的使用守则
- 请注意，聚会中任何参加者不得干预其他参加者如何使用 Zoom 的聊天窗。若有特殊事情发生，主持人会处理。
- Zoom 的录像功能将全程关闭，若出现特殊情况需要录像，将由主持人进行，并会预先通知参加者。
- 参加者不得在未经其他参加者同意的情况下拍照、录像，并上载到网上。
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页顶横幅:
二十个推荐
伦敦中文学士会员敏华上载 - 二零一四年二月二十三日
阅读活动：伦敦中文学士组照片库2 attendees
Late Night Event - Learning Mandarin Online through Song Sharing
·OnlineOnlineSuggested theme for this month:
Songs about sports
有关运动的歌曲----
We'll join the Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup at midnight London time for their monthly Online Language Learning through Song Sharing. This will be an international meetup event. Note the different Zoom Link!
This event is for members now living in the US and members in the UK who don't sleep at night.
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Words set to music give us the songs we know and love. Listen to a song, listen to it again, learn the words and the music. Find out what the song means. Memorize, and make it your own. Then share it with others, and pass it on.
歌词加上音乐，谱成了我们喜爱的歌曲。 好歌可以一听再听，学习歌词和曲调，挖掘出它的意义。把歌曲记到心里去，使它变成属于你自己的，然后跟大家分享。
We can learn language through song sharing. Let's get together online for an evening of song sharing and language learning. Each participant brings a song to share, and tells the group where and when they first heard the song, what it's about, who wrote it, and how it continues to inspire them.
我们通过分享歌曲能够学习语言。诚意邀请你来参加我们分享歌曲，学习语言的晚会。每位参与者选择一首想要分享的歌曲，给大家介绍一下自己如何接触到这首歌，以及歌词的意义，歌手是谁，歌曲带来什么启示。
This will be an intergroup meetup event. We'll join members of the Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup Group for this online Mandarin Learners conversation practice meetup. This is a monthly event.
Attendance at the last Song Sharing event: 10
Start time:
11:59 PM London time (Wednesday, August 26th, 2026)
7:00 PM US Eastern Time (Wednesday, August 26th, 2026)Please submit your song before 11:59 PM London time the day before - Tuesday July 28th. You can do so by including a YouTube link in your RSVP, editing your RSVP, posting a message on the event page, or messaging the event host.
Note: Follows start time of the online Song Sharing event of the Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup group.
Suggested theme for this month:
Songs about sports
有关运动的歌曲Event:
Zoom meeting room will open at 11:50 PM
RSVPs close at 11:00 PM
11:59 PM - Gathering song titles, Youtube links, lyrics.
12:15 AM - Song sharing- We will play songs on Watch2Gether. The W2G link will be provided once the Zoom meeting starts.
- After each song, the person who suggested it tells the group about the song in the language they want to practice - English or Mandarin.
- Songs can be in any language, but we'll talk about them in English and Mandarin.
- Songs can be submitted at the beginning of the meetup, or by messaging the host.
- We should be able to do 7-8 songs over 2 hours. If more people show up we'll ask them to do their songs at the next song sharing event. We will hold one of these events each month.
- Please don't wait until the last minute to sign up and provide the Youtube link to your song. This makes it difficult to finalize the playlist and the lyrics file.
2:00 AM - End. Anyone who wants to chat in English can stay on for another half an hour.
Leaving before the end:
Participants can leave any time they like. The main thing is for everyone to listen to the songs, ask questions if they don't understand the lyrics, and share the learning experience together.No-shows:
If you sign up for an event, please show up. If you have a schedule change and can't make it, please change your RSVP to "Not going". No-shows will be marked so that attendee lists can accurately reflect attendance.Playlists:
Song sharing playlists from previous meetups.Lyrics spreadsheets
Song Sharing Lyrics, Vocabulary and Notes - Google sheets format- August 20th, 2025
- September 24th, 2025
- October 29th, 2025
- November 26th, 2025
- December 17th, 2025
- January 21st, 2026
- February 18th, 2026
- March 18th, 2026
- April 22nd, 2026
- May 27th, 2026
- July 29th, 2026
Who should take part in this event?
- Mandarin Beginners
- Intermediate Mandarin learners
- Advanced Mandarin learners who would like to help other learners
- Native speakers of Mandarin who would like to help, and also practice English
Who should not take part in this event?
- People who just decided last week they wanted to start learning Mandarin.
- If you can't read basic Chinese characters in Pinyin, you're not a beginner. You need to spend a few months with a Mandarin teacher or a language learning App.
- Native speakers of Mandarin who only want to practice English.
Required:
- A computer with Zoom installed and updated.
- A reliable internet connection.
- A working webcam.
- Web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
- Logging in on a computer/laptop is strongly recommended
Zoom link and password:
Please do not post Zoom login information on social media or on public pages of the Meetup website.Webcams and Zoom usage
Participants will be asked to turn on their webcams so we can interact with each other just like we're in a face to face meetup. Please make sure your webcam and microphone are working before you log on.
Before logging in, please read the following regarding the usage of Zoom and how to have a better online meetup experience.Usage of Zoom and Tips for a better online meetup
- *** No participant has the right to restrict how and when another participant uses the chat window. The host has overall control over how the meetup is conducted.
- Zoom recording by participants is disabled and is not permitted throughout the course of the meetup session. If for some reason part of the session needs to be recorded, this will be done by the host, and participants will be given forewarning.
- Taking photos and videos of participants and posting them online without permission is not allowed.
1 attendee
Past events
310
