I really enjoyed this class. I took it for fun since I needed and elective. I'm not sure if it's the language or the class but I learned an insane amount in just 10 weeks. I did not expect to be able to speak as much Mandarin as I can from this short class.
Despite that, this class is def an intense class and not a laid back few hours a week of work class. However, if you could P/NP you could be able to learn Mandarin at an easier pace if you wanted.
Breakdown of the class:
2 lectures a week, SO much grammar and vocab gone over in each class. You have to participate, you will get called on randomly a ton and there will be pair work. However, its not the same as getting called on in a math class or something. Since its a language class its quite clear that the prof is just trying to provide a practice opportunity and not trying to on the spot test you or anything.
2 discussion sections a week. Most of the days we would have a quiz which are actually pretty hard but the lowest ones are dropped. I would cram study the characters and make my boyfriend do practice runs with me (the format of the quiz requires someone to speak out loud) and averaged an A for the quizzes. The lessons move really fast so make sure you arent slacking on studying since you will need to know past stuff for future assignments since its a language course.
There were lots of workbook homework (a character and question based workbook assignment for each chapter). These would take me a few hours total per chapter. I chose to do traditional characters (most did simplified) and my hand would be hurting so bad, so I would spread out the work of these more if you have time. For the character workbook you would scan with ur phone and upload, but the question workbook you would have to print a lot of pages out and upload (I think you could use an ipad instead but you need to handwrite).
The midterm and final was super fair, study and you will do fine.
There was also a skit project you do with your discussion peers, which required a lot of prep time outside of class/disc. Its not worth too much of the grade and isn't graded too hard, but you kinda have to practice a lot or you will publicly embarrass yourself and disappoint your group lol since its a live performance.
Some other notes:
-The format is a little confusing since it isn't synced with bruinlearn (grades are on myucla), but we would still use bruinlearn pretty much the same amount of any course. So as someone really used to Canvas/bruinlearn it was kinda weird to have the grades and due dates not syned onto it. There's a really convenient assignment syllabus on a calendar format so that made things a lot easier.
-This class takes a bit of a physical toll on you. The textbooks and workbooks are heavy and you have to bring them to class. Kinda sucked as someone who walks from westwood everyday. You could use an ipad instead to avoid this but not prob not a laptop since you need to handwrite. Also, the amount of writing is a LOT, but that just comes with Chinese bc of the characters/writing system.
-You'll prob have to print a lot if you dont have an ipad (quizzes and HW need to be handwritten), so keep that in mind.

I liked this class, I think the professor is nice and puts effort into making the materials and the slides relevant and funny. He uses lots of celebrities and anime images and references. The workload is kind of tough but you're supposed to pace yourself and not do it last minute like I did, whoops. I think the class is only hard due to the difficulties of the language but he is super helpful. The TAs were nice too.

Chief lao shi's classes come with a very lenient grading structure, so getting a good grade is very easy. As long as you keep up with the material and utilize the textbook, it is no problem getting at least an A in this class. Chief laoshi will also answer any questions and is usually pretty helpful in his answers.

Professor Chief was pretty good. His lectures were mostly engaging and sometimes funny. This class was hard virtually because of the emphasis placed on participation, but I was still able to learn a decent amount and get an A. Definitely don't put off the HW assignments for this class though they take way longer than you would expect because there aren't that many.

If you want to learn Chinese, definitely take this class. Chief Laoshi is a great professor and I learned so much in this class. The stuff you learn is a good foundation if you plan on taking more Chinese classes. Although the lectures were pretty dry and boring, he does care about you learning the language and practicing. Discussions were easy, but you do have to participate and there is also a quiz every week, but it's easy as long as you just practice your characters. The midterm and final were fair, basically just everything we had learned in the class and nothing more or less. You also learn about the culture, not only the language which I really enjoyed as well. If you're thinking about taking Chinese, definitely take it with Chief.

Coming from a background of a little bit of Chinese from high school, this class was a breeze. The professor gives about one homework assignment a week, and it is very easy, the hardest part is remembering to do it. The midterm and final are not hard, if you review the vocabulary a day in advance then you should get an A. The professor is funny and he gives extra credit, too. You must go to discussion as there are quizzes and homework is turned in during discussion. The quizzes and tests are purely vocabulary-based so if you know the definitions of the 10-15 characters a week, you will be fine. Easy A, learn Chinese!

This class was one of the best I've taken at UCLA. I took CHIN 1A-3A with Chief and he made the material very accessible to learn for students of all levels and all backgrounds. Definitely recommend this class if you are interested in learning Chinese, he's funny and great and teaching..also is not hard to approach at all if you have questions!

I have all the materials you need for this class (workbook, textbook, character workbook) in BOTH traditional and simplified versions -- please email me ************* or text me at ********** if you're interested!

Professor Chief is an excellent teacher. Here is a little outline on the course for Chinese 1:

Textbook: You NEED to buy the textbooks and the workbooks. There is a Textbook, Workbook, and Character Workbook.

Lecture: The lectures are really interesting, and Professor Chief's powerpoints included pictures of celebrities which was a crack up. Have a coffee before class though, because you have GOT to be mentally present during lecture because he moves pretty quickly. He posts the slides online.

Homework: For each chapter, there is a workbook homework assignment and a character workbook assignment. The answers to the workbook assignment are posted online.

Quizzes and Tests: Expect a weekly quiz, testing your knowledge of anywhere between 10-30 new Chinese characters and their pinying. You are only quizzed on 5 of the 10-30, but you've got to know them all.
Oral tests, Midterm, and Final are very straight forward. My TA sent us the outline of the test format, which was super helpful so nothing came as a surprise.

Participation: Everyday Professor Chief (or a TA) would ask us questions in Chinese, so you really have to study the language everyday.

Chi laoshi is awesome... always loved watching the video clips he showed in class.

Definitely doable to get As in his classes, but you'll need some effort. Lot of memorizing pinyin and character strokes, and some grammar points can be difficult to understand. Quizzes every week, but not bad as long as you memorize the vocab. Tests were very straightforward, but you'll need to do translations between English/Chinese/pinyin for the writing portion.

I thought Chi laoshi really tried to get students to be fluent in speaking Chinese during lecture; he always corrects you if you make a mistake in pronunciation. Lots of conversation exercises in lecture/discussion (and I've made lots of friends through this class because through these exercises haha).

Only annoying part of this class is the group skit you have to do every quarter, so there is some outside work involved since you have to write the skit/practice on your own time. However, I will say that some skits were quite funny, so skit writing can be enjoyable. Pick your group members wisely and hope that they really memorize their skit lines well.

If you've have any interest in learning Chinese/just want to complete your language requirement, I definitely recommend taking Chinese 1-3 with Chi laoshi!

Chief definitely cares about your learning. Did pretty bad on the first midterm in Chin1, went to his office hours, and did well for the rest of the quarter. Chinese classes or any classes in general definitely take a lot of time, but in the end, you usually end up with that A that you want as long as you study.

If anyone of you needs chinese 1, 2, 3 textbooks, let me know! email: ************* !!! Trying to get rid of them since I will never need them again!