Beijing Language and Culture University Q&A (2014): Chelsey Mark

It's not often that The BLCU Blog gets to interview a high-profile Chinese presenter from national TV channels and shows. Chelsey Mark (麦小龙) is none other. A Canadian student at the Beijing Language and Culture University over 10 years ago, Chelsey has gone on to lead a highly successful career in Chinese showbiz.

His achievements are numberless, but include being "the first foreign TV presenter to host long term programmes on China's biggest platforms" (CCTV, Music and English Channel, Hunan TV, Shandong TV, The Travel Channel, Beijing TV, and Tianjin TV), according to his professional resume.

He has also hosted live events for international brands such as Microsoft, Volkswagen, BMW, Nikes, Jordan, MTV, Red Bull, Pepsi, Men's Health, NBA, The North Face, Acer, and many more.

Between 2007-2010, Chelsey was the official presenter of the Chinese TV show NBA "Made in China", interviewing some of the greats of the game that included Darryl Dawkins and Lebron James.

Impressed yet? Read on to find out what Chelsey had to share with The BLCU Blog in this exclusive interview. Remember, you can find all our previous Q&As here.

What lead you to study Chinese at BLCU, and what had you been doing up till that point?

Between 1996-2000 I had been at Brandon University in Canada studying Sociology (major) and Psychology with Drama (minor). During that time I was playing on the university men's basketball B team, DJ'ing at the biggest club in Brandon, coaching basketball, volunteering as a commentator on Basketball games, being the president of the co-ed residence, as well as shooting and editing videos for the local public TV station.

In 2000-2001 I had been teaching in Zhangjia Gang (a junior school in Jiangsu Province) as an English teacher, and then received a year scholarship to study Chinese at BLCU, where I eventually enrolled in 2001!

How did your time at BLCU help you to grow and integrate into the Chinese culture, and what were some of the most important lessons you took away when you left?

The most important lesson I had was the Chinese people which lived and worked inside the school and around it. They were used to interacting with students and so were willing to take the time to understand what you were "trying" to say. Thinking back, learning a new language from scratch does take a lot of courage and energy, so BLCU was a really welcoming environment to start in.

It was different for me because I had already had one year of being thrown into the sea of living in a town where no one spoke English, making the transition to BLCU really easy. When I had to try new things (i.e. language) I could always just take a walk around the block and bump into someone whom I could talk to. Bargaining for a lower price on a Great Wall shirt at the market or just buying fruit was always a useful way of practicing Chinese.

Did you meet anyone or make any contacts during your time at BLCU that you benefited from down the road (for example, they later helped you out in some aspect of your career, or simply remained good friends)? Essentially, did the people you met at BLCU have any lasting affect on you?

I have several friends which I still see often here around the city and that am still in contact with today. My career is in entertainment, so unfortunately for me this career has nothing to do with my friends' careers here in Beijing, but the silver lining is that we are all good friends and continue to support each other in our different life and career paths.

Are you in any way involved with BLCU or the community of foreign students there these days?

It's been more than 10 years since I've been in BLCU so I'm not really involved in the community, although I would love to go back to speak to the kids as a "motivational" speaker. I also live in downtown Beijing so it's a bit of a trip to BLCU.

As a student at BLCU, which bars/clubs/restaurants did you regular and love the best?

When I was at BLCU we would always frequent the school bars and restaurants because that's where everyone was -- it was really convenient (although I can't remember any of the names of the bars). You have to remember that back then it wasn't as developed as it is now in the year 2014. That part of the city is now basically it's own little metropolis, but when I was there it was like a village by comparison.

What advice can you share with current or prospective BLCU students about how to get the best out of coming to China, and how to start a successful career in China if they choose to stay?

The advice I can give to the students coming to study at BLCU is to prepare as little as possible when it comes to brushing up on studying the Chinese culture and other things people tell you to be prepared for. Now the area where BLCU is located has all the amenities of a global city.

Chinese culture these days in that part of the city is also totally different from 10 years ago or since the Tang Dynasty. My personal quote really applies to this situation: "If you were going to study for a driver's licence test, would you learn how to make a wheel?" Not sure if you understand the reference...

If you want a successful career in China it's pretty simple: be prepared to stay here for at least five years, then we will talk, rookie... :)

You can connect with Chelsey through his official website, on Sina Weibo, Facebook and Twitter.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

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