By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-22 07:39

It's not easy to get the HSBC Group chairman to sit in a classroom for an hour to learn spoken and written Chinese - without getting bored.

But that's what Lu Hong, who has taught tailor-made courses to business tycoons based in London since last September, does.

But "it is a challenging job", she admits.

Lu Hong

The Confucius Institute for Business London based at London School of Economics and Political Science, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, reportedly teaches the world's first business Chinese program.

As the academic and administrative director of the institute, Lu is paid 150 pounds ($293) an hour - one of the most expensive language courses in London.

Her students include Baroness Lydia Dunn - executive director of John Swire and Sons Ltd - and senior management staff from the Royal Mail.

The institute's 150 sq m offices in the city center are decorated with traditional Chinese arts and a wall of Chinese language books.

A native of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Lu likes to don traditional Chinese clothes and wears her hair shoulder-length.

But once she talks, she is modern, passionate and energetic.

Lu earlier conducted cross-culture studies and taught Chinese at Brighton University.

Her current job opens a new horizon, she says, because with business leaders, "their time for you is limited".

"You have to give them exactly what they need," Lu said. "And you have to make the course enjoyable and efficient."

Lu once spent days researching a company's annual report to prepare a Chinese speech for a student making a business trip to China.

And she even learnt to practice tai chi (shadow boxing) to teach students how to count numbers in Chinese.

In class, she asks students to practice with her while reciting the numbers in Chinese.

"It also helps them relax after their stressful work schedule."

As for one-on-one classes, it's horses for courses. For example, during a one-hour class with HSBC Group Chairman Stephen Green, they spend 20 minutes on discussion or role-play, 20 minutes on business culture in China, and the rest on learning Chinese characters.

Green shows great interest in Chinese characters and has a very good memory, Lu says.

"He can remember the characters. He is very curious about the origin of the characters."

After a short visit to Shanghai, one of her students, Baroness Lydia Dunn, sent Lu an email: "I was able to practice my Putonghua. You have definitely made me more confident."

Lu has been approached by China's National Office For Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language to share her experience with other Chinese tutors in Confucius institutes worldwide.

"The most important quality of a business-Chinese teacher is to be always ready to learn," she says.