Certificate in Advanced Putonghua for Professional Communication

Aims

The aim of this course is to provide in-depth training for learners to communicate in Putonghua across various business environments. Students will learn situational dialogues, enabling them to use standardized Putonghua in business activities such as interviews, oral presentations, discussions, and speeches. This course also analyzes professional business terminology and authentic spoken language, equipping students with the Putonghua skills required for professional administrative roles.

Intended Learning Outcomes 

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

1. Effectively apply vocabulary and conversation in business settings.
2. Use appropriate Putonghua expressions and communication skills in various business scenarios.
3. Communicate in Putonghua using knowledge of the Chinese business environment, business etiquette, and language usage habits.
4. Distinguish the differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar between Cantonese, written Chinese, and standard Mandarin.

Target Students 

- Teachers and educators

- Customer service professionals

- Hospitality and tourism professionals

- Government and non-governmental organisation (NGO) staff

- Sales and marketing executives

- Professionals interested in seizing development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area

  This course is recognized under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF) at Level 5 and is now available on Qualifications Register (QR) (QR Registration No.: 25/001437/L5; Validity period from 21 Aug 2025 to On-going). For details of the HKQF, please visit the QR website: https://www.hkqr.gov.hk.

Course Outline

(a) Oral Expression
Colloquial Putonghua idioms; language used in mainland work contexts.

(b) Practical Training
Utilizing Putonghua for speeches, negotiations, interviews, complaints, and chairing meetings; dialogue in business scenarios.

(c) Practical Skills
Listening comprehension and understanding; semantic analysis.
  
(d) Pragmatic Context
An overview of the reform and opening-up policies; the evolution of business Putonghua. 

Applicants should:

• Have taken the National Language Committee’s Putonghua Proficiency Test (Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi 普通話水平測試) and achieved a grade of  “Level 3B” or above; OR
• Have completed a minimum of 150 hours of Putonghua training; OR
• Have passed the entrance assessment test.

Students who have completed all assessments with an overall pass and attended at least 70% of the classes will be presented with a Certificate awarded by PolyU SPEED.

Upon successful completion of this course (equivalent to 3 credits), students are eligible to apply for credit transfer to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Language Studies with Technology-assisted Applications, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Language and Professional Communication (Digital Media) or Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Language and Culture under the LC (Hons) Scheme at PolyU SPEED. Each credit transfer application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The final decision on credit transfer rests with the relevant programme offering unit.

Applicants for academic award programmes must also satisfy all the programme requirements before being considered for admission.

1. Application form can be downloaded from this website.  Before completing the application form, please read carefully the "Guide for Applicants" on the form.
2. Please submit one application form and settle the course fee by bank draft/ crossed cheque/ On-line Card Payment System for each course applied. For details of payment methods, please refer to Section 4 of the application form or this webpage.
3. Non-permanent residents of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) holding
   (i) work visa/ entry permit; OR
   (ii) visa/ entry permit under the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) (except those from Mainland, Macao and Taiwan); OR
   (iii) dependent visa/ entry permit (except those from Mainland, Macao and Taiwan), issued by the Director of Immigration of HKSAR Government may enroll in short-term courses in SPEED without seeking prior approval from the Director of Immigration.
   
   These applicants are required to attach a copy of their identity document(s) and the valid visa/ entry permit to their application.  On admission, they will be required to provide the original identity document(s) and visa/ entry permit for verification. Throughout the course of study, it is the responsibility of individual students to ensure that their identity documents and visas/ entry permits are valid. Other non-local applicants can neither be registered as students nor commence their studies on the short-term courses in SPEED.
4. Applications should be submitted on or before the application deadline via one of the following means -
   (a) By post:
   Send the completed application form, supporting documents (if applicable) and a copy of your valid visa/ entry permit (if applicable) together with the bank draft/ crossed cheque/ payment confirmation page (for online payment) to CPCE Academic Registry - Continuing Education, Room N301, 3/F, North Tower, PolyU West Kowloon Campus, 9 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
   
   (b) By e-mail (only for application with payment settled via online system):
   Submit the completed application form, supporting documents (if applicable) and a copy of your valid visa/ entry permit (if applicable) together with the payment confirmation page by e-mail to ce.car@speed-polyu.edu.hk
   
   Applicants will be notified of their application results via email by the School after the application is closed.  Please contact the School if you do not receive any notification 1 week before course commencement.

Please choose either one of the following payment methods for course fee: 

(1)  Bank Draft/ Crossed Cheque
You could submit a bank draft/ crossed cheque (made payable to "The Hong Kong Polytechnic University")  by post or by hand.  Please write your name, the course code and class code at the back of the bank draft/ crossed cheque.  Post-dated cheque will not be accepted.
 
(2)  On-line Card Payment System (by Visa/ Master/ China UnionPay card or FPS/ AlipayHK/ WeChat Pay HK)
You could settle the course fee via On-line Card Payment Systemby Visa/ Master/ China UnionPay card, or FPS/ AlipayHK/ WeChat Pay HK. For successful payment, please print the payment confirmation page for record and quote the invoice number (as shown on the payment confirmation page) on Section 4 of the application form. No separate payment receipt will be issued to you.
 
According to the School's Refund Policy, course fees paid are normally not refundable, except for cases of unsuccessful applications/ course cancellation.  Fees paid and places allocated are not transferrable.

Free Webinar on “Professional Putonghua for Career Advancement”

Date: 7 December 2026, Monday
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Medium: Putonghua
Speaker: Dr Hong Ying, Senior Lecturer, Division of Languages and Communication
Registration: Click this link to register (Registration deadline: 3:00pm, 7 December 2026)