Over a decade in Taiwan and mainland China. Near-native level Mandarin Chinese fluency. Have worked for the British government in Shanghai and for many of Taiwan’s top hardware and software companies.

All Blog Posts

I Passed TOCFL Listening Level 5 (Chinese CEFR C1)

July 18th, 2025

Late last month I took the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Listening & Reading exam for the fifth time. Very happy to say I finally got Level 5/CEFR C1 (equiv. to HSK 7) on the exam's listening section.

My Best TOCFL Score Yet

June 20th, 2025

Last month I took the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Listening & Reading exam for the fourth time. Unlike my previous attempt, there were no malfunctions in the exam software this time.

I Passed TOCFL Reading Level 4 (Chinese CEFR B2)

May 23rd, 2025

Last month I took the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Listening & Reading exam once again. Going into it for the third time, but the first time in 11 months, I was feeling very confident, having boosted my reading ability.

I Passed TOCFL Speaking Level 4 (Chinese CEFR B2)

Dec 22nd, 2024

On November 11th, I took the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Speaking exam. The TOCFL is Taiwan's Mandarin Chinese proficiency exam for non-native speakers.

I Passed TOCFL Listening Level 4 (Chinese CEFR B2)

May 18th, 2024

On May 18th, I again took the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Listening & Reading exam at the Chinese Culture University in Da’an, Taipei City. TOCFL is a Mandarin Chinese exam administered by the Taiwanese authorities.

My First Attempt at Taiwan's TOCFL Exam

April 17th, 2024

On April 13th I took the TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Listening & Reading exam at the Chinese Culture University in Da’an, Taipei City. The TOCFL is a Mandarin Chinese exam administered by the Taiwan authorities.