Mandarin Chinese with Abby Y.

Dear students and friends, I am thrilled to be part of your Mandarin learning journey. My passion for Chinese language and culture has led me to this site. I was born in Chongqing and raised in Chengdu, China. I went to undergrad in Chongqing, majored in law and minored in English. I started my legal career in Beijing with a law firm and practiced Chinese law in various areas. Later on I went to U.S. for a Master of Law program and was admitted to New York Bar. I then practiced Chinese law both in Mandarin Chinese and English several years in China before I moved to the U.S. I also worked in a law firm in Frankfurt, Germany for six months as a young lawyer representative of Sichuan Lawyer Association. My legal life has not only enabled me to understand the law, business and society better, but also made me a better communicator, and a good learner (there is always new thing to learn as a business lawyer). My passion for Chinese language and culture initially comes from my family. My grandfather is a well-known Classic Chinese teacher and poet. My grandfather's brother (who I also call grandpa) is an expert on Tibetan Language and culture. My dad is a scholar on minority culture and religion. Also my mom was a Chinese teacher for several years. I was fascinated by the joy, beauty and satisfactions my family has showed and shared with me regarding Chinese language and culture while growing up. Luckily, on the path of learning, I also met several great teachers who guided me and inspired me. Besides the knowledge, most importantly, they taught me compassion and wisdom ( I am deeply grateful for that). It is my wish to help others in the same way. Abby