About us
Language learning is a life long endeavour.
Never give up. Never stop moving.
语言学习，一生之计。永不放弃，永不停步。
The BMCL Meetup Group was founded on May 5, 2003. We are a Mandarin Chinese conversation practice group, for all levels. The group is open and self-led. When we run out of vocabulary, we chat about China in English :) Welcome native speakers who would like to meet conversation partners, or lead activities.
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 new members joining after May 2022. For all members of the group, please do not use AI generated photos and photos of other people. Also, please join the group with your actual name and in your personal capacity, not as a company or organization. Please have a look at recent event descriptions. Join if you feel that these are the types of events you would like to take part in.
Member information
As from June 2024, regular Meetup members (without an organizer subscription)
- Can view the information on the home page and event pages of public meetup groups.
- Can view names but not profile pictures on attendee lists for events.
- Cannot view the full members list.
- Can view the list of organizers.
May 2026 Reading Text
Stories of the Sahara - Ch. 18 - Crying Camels
撒哈拉的故事 - 17 - 哑奴（节录）
作者：三毛
The Three Body Problem - Ch. 19 - Three Body: Einstein, the Pendulum Monument, and the Great Rip
三体 - 19 - 三体、爱因斯坦、单摆、大撕裂（节录）
作者：刘慈欣
June 2026 Reading Text
Stories of the Sahara - Ch. 19 - Lonesome Land
撒哈拉的故事 - 19 - 寂地（节录）
作者：三毛
Links to all reading text files
Chinese text with pinyin and selected vocabulary and explanations provided in Google Sheets. Best viewed on Chrome or Firefox browsers.
May 2026 Topics
May 30 - Online Mandarin Learners Practice - Saturday Morning
Paranormal experiences
超自然经历
(suggested by Domi)
- our own experiences and stories we've heard
June 2026 Topics
Jun 3 - All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
Stories about adventures or traveling.
有关旅游或探险的故事
(inspired by Audrey's Song Sharing theme)
Jun 3 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
Stories about adventures or traveling
有关旅游或探险的故事
(inspired by Audrey's Song Sharing theme)
Jun 24 - Online Language Learning through Song Sharing
Favorite karaoke song.
你最喜欢的卡拉OK歌曲
(from Audrey)
Attending our meetups
We organize meetups to help people practice Mandarin Chinese and English language. A crucial part of the language learning process is interacting with other people. Books and computers and apps cannot take the place of real, live human interaction.
Please come prepared to practice and receive feedback on your target language: either Mandarin or English. Native speakers of each will be in attendance to help us learn. Each attendee is invited to bring an icebreaker question to help spark conversation.
Icebreaker topics
It's always difficult to start a conversation with a stranger, even more so in a foreign language. Here are a few topics we've recently used in our various online conversation events. This page is configured for easy viewing on a smartphone. Many thanks to Ashley for suggesting this.
Member Profiles
Returning members please log in to your member profile on a computer by going to our Group page. Look for the "Manage membership" drop down menu on the right - "Membership details, Group notifications..." Please update your information and tell us where you are currently based, which time periods on which days of the week you are likely to be able to attend events, and what kind of meetups you would like us to organize.
Members
Many of our members live in Massachusetts. Some live in other parts of the US. Some are in the Boston area for brief periods. In the age of Online Meetups, you do not need to physically be in Boston to take part in our events. Once you have joined our meetup group and taken part in our events, you're always welcome to pop in and catch up with your friends, be it online, or at in-person meetups. Please remember to visit the group meetup page occasionally and update your profile details. Members will not be deleted just because they are not residing in MA.
Zoom meetings
Please note that in our Zoom meetings, participants are encouraged to use the Zoom chat window to write down words and expressions to help each other learn. No participant has the right to restrict how and when another participant uses the chat window. The host has overall responsibility for how the meetup is conducted. Where there is anti-social behaviour, such should be reported to the host.
Event Cancellation
Some groups cancel events at the last minute because there are too few signups. We will not do this. If an event is announced, it will be held. Unless there is inclement weather, a natural disaster or a serious transport strike, there will not be a cancellation.
If an event can only be held if a certain number of members sign up, this will be stated on the event page when the event is announced.
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 when we RSVP.
- ‘People feel they don’t owe anyone anything’: the rise in ‘flaking’ out of social plans - The Guardian
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". All no-shows in all online meetups since April 20th, 2022 have been marked as such, so the attendee lists all reflect actual attendance. For in-person meetups, no-shows will be recorded when and where it is practical to do so.
Links:
- Original About the Group piece by Reece
- Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup Group Pages previously uploaded by our Organizers and Members. Best viewed with a web browser on a PC or Mac.
- Text format - Google Sheets workbook.
- Screenshots of all the pages - Google Docs file.
- Rich Keane's list of Chinese Language Learning Sites
- 9 Essential Chinese Words without Direct English Translations - by Audrey
- 泰文和中文相似之处 - by Sumit
- Never Stop Moving: Luigi's Legacy - YouTube
- Luigi - The Man - Within a deep coma, an inner voice told Luigi, "Never stop moving kid, if you stop you're dead."
Event Notes - Google sheets format (view on Chrome or Firefox)
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
- June 24th, 2026
- July 29th, 2026
- Song sharing playlists on YouTube.
Classical Music Sharing - info, vocabulary and notes - Google sheets format
Archives
- Group Message Board - Archive - feature removed by Meetup in July 2024
- Group Mailing List - Archive - feature removed by Meetup in July 2024
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page contributors: Reece, Ken, Rich, Audrey, Ingrid, Ashley... and Luigi.
Banner photo:
4th Mondays @ 6:30p: Mandarin Meetup- chat & then dinner - Hosted By Chih-wei - Monday, September 22, 2014
- from BMCL photo album
Upcoming events
3
Online Reading Meetup for all levels
·OnlineOnlineText from:
Stories of the Sahara - Ch. 21 - Señorita, this is impossible
by Sanmao
撒哈拉的故事 - 21 - 军团司令浇冷水（节录）
作者：三毛Reading text
Chinese text with pinyin and selected vocabulary and explanations provided in Google Sheets. Best viewed on Chrome or Firefox browsers.
039-A|Señorita, this is impossible - reading page with pinyin (beginners)
t-039-B - the original article (advanced)
t-039-C - vocabulary with pinyin and definitions (from Google, with corrections)
t-039-D - Chinese text with pinyin and definitions (beginners)Further Reading
三毛 - 维基百科
撒哈拉的故事 - 百度百科
Sanmao - Wikipedia
Stories of the Sahara - Wikipedia
Sahara Stories
"Stories of the Sahara" by SanmaoAbout the event
The purpose of this series of reading meetups is not to handhold participants through reading Chinese text, but to introduce written material that can readily be applied to one's learning of the language.Attendance at previous Saturday morning reading event: 6
This will be an international meetup event. Note the different Zoom Link! We'll join members of the London Mandarin Learners group for this international online reading meetup. Start time follows London time.
Start time: 10:00 AM Eastern Time - (Saturday, August 1st, 2026 - 3PM London time)
Zoom meeting room will open at 9:50 AM Eastern Time
RSVPs close at 9:00 AM Eastern Time10:00 AM - Introductions in Mandarin and English, Housekeeping announcements
10:15 AM - Reading in breakout rooms- We'll go into breakout rooms and learn the pinyin and vocabulary in the spreadsheet
- We take turns to read the text out loud and help each other get the pinyin and tones correct
11:15 PM - Sharing and discussion in the main room
- We'll share what we learnt in the breakout rooms.
- Ask questions about interesting vocabulary and sentence structures.
- Share background material about the text.
12:00 PM - End.
- Beginners can stay and read the text again.
- Advanced learners can stay to help if they have time.
- We'll try and help everyone taking part to read at least a paragraph of the text based on the characters and pinyin.
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 so that attendee lists can accurately reflect attendance.Who should take part in this event?
- Beginners.
- Intermediate learners are also welcome.
- Advanced learners who would like to help other learners.
- Native speakers of Mandarin 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.
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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.
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.
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Banner photo:
Stories of the Sahara (Cover)
- from Wikipedia2 attendees
International 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: 3:00 PM Eastern Time (Wednesday, August 5th, 2026)
- 8 PM London Time
- (follows BST time in the UK)
Zoom meeting room will open at 2:50 PM
This is an international meetup event. Note the Zoom Link! 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:
Icebreaker topics (from recent meetups)Event Language(s):
As much Mandarin as possible. Some English when discussing and explaining vocabulary.Attendance
Previous Evening Online Mandarin Practice event: 8Leaving 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.3 attendees
Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
·OnlineOnlineThis week's topic:
The most unexpected opportunity you've ever had
最意想不到的机缘----
Members of the Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup Group, let's get together online for an evening 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. To see how this happens in practice, please have a look at the Event Notes page.
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。
Attendance at previous Wednesday Evening Online conversation event: 7
Start time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time (Wednesday, August 5th, 2025)
Zoom meeting room will open at 6:50 PM.
RSVPs close at 6:00 PM7:00 PM - Introductions in Mandarin and English, Housekeeping announcements
7:15 PM - Topic of the day in breakout rooms- This week's topic:
The most unexpected opportunity you've ever had
最意想不到的纪元 - Mandarin only rooms for intermediate and advanced Mandarin speakers
- Mandarin English mixed conversation rooms for language exchange
- Chinese text and vocabulary reading practice
- Zoom session will be set up to allow participants to move between rooms and take part in different conversations
- 30-40 minutes per session.
9:00 PM - 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 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 so that attendee lists can accurately reflect attendance.Who should take part in this event?
- Beginners.
- Intermediate learners are also welcome.
- Advanced learners who would like to help other learners.
- Native speakers of Mandarin 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 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.
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Banner photo:
4th Mondays @ 6:30p: Mandarin Meetup- chat & then dinner - Hosted By Chih-wei - Monday, September 22, 2014
- from BMCL photo album3 attendees- This week's topic:
Past events
1186
