Challenges of the Chinese language teaching in the university context

The following article derives from the author’s doctoral dissertation concerning teaching Chinese as a foreign language (ChFL). It aims at investigating and assessing the challenges Chinese teachers encounter in the process of ChFL teaching to the beginner students. First, the theoretical background of ChFL teaching is provided, with emphasis on the specificity of Chinese. Then, the issues and challenges of ChFL teaching are examined, especially in terms of the syllabus and coursebook choice and teaching methods. In the final part of the article, the teaching and learning implications are presented