There's really not much to say about the professor, except that she's really good at teaching and that the grade distribution really is that good.

Of course, Chinese is a memorization-heavy language, and there's no getting out of that. That said, the workload isn't too bad: about 4 hours a week of outside study should be more than enough. It's really intimidating at first, but just push through during the first 2 weeks and study for the class.

In terms of course logistics, you will need THREE textbooks: the Textbook, the Workbook, and the CHARACTER Workbook. Homework is graded on effort, and in-class assignments are basically graded on effort, although if you repeat the same mistakes you will be docked points. You will have to pick either Simplified or Traditional and stick with it. Lecture and Discussion attendance are MANDATORY, but if you show up to them, they're free points. If you don't, you'll hurt your grade pretty badly. Also, as a heads up, lectures routinely go overtime, so keep that in mind when planning coursework

Quizzes form the bulk of your grade, and generally involve you transcribing what Yao Laoshi says into Chinese-both into characters and pinyin. They're graded very generously. Exams are actually decently difficult as they're purely written and you have to memorize many radicals, but they're not worth that much of your grade (like 30% total).

By the way, the cutoff for an A appears to range from 93 to 95%. 93% is reasonable, but 95% is actually much harder to get than it seems.

Basically, show up, care about the class, do your work (it's really clear what you're assigned to do), and you should do fine

Professor Yao is a really nice teacher. She keeps lectures intersting with her sense of humor and energetic presence. She is more than willing to help you through her office hours and is very helpful. The only thing i have to say is a word of caution about the A series. I believe that the description of the 1A class does not fit the students that take the class and the grueling rate at which it is taught. I personally struggled a great great deal and felt that i was nowhere near the level. Many students i was in the clas with had even lived in China for years or had been in Chinese school for 8 years...be careful when selecting the advanced versus regular course.

I JUST CAME HERE TO SAY THAT I LOVE YAO LAOSHI SHE IS SO FUNNY AND SO ENGAGING. BEST PROFESSOR EVER LOVE THAT WOMAN!

The other reviews for Professor Yao all say it already: she's incredible, definitely one of the most efficient, funny and engaging teachers I've ever had. I P/NP'ed this class because it wasn't a requirement for my degree, but had it been a letter grade it would've been an A-. The emphasis in her classes is not getting everything right but rather trying your best, and it shows in how she doesn't grade assignments punitively. She even canceled a couple of assignments this quarter to take it easier on us. I'm going to be honest, this class does have a heavy workload but it 100% pays off because it's excelent practice. Her sense of humor kept me going this quarter and I'm sad I probably won't get to take another class with her again.

About the grading:
> 15% participation
> 20% homework assignments
> 10% quizzes
> 35% exams (one on week 5 and another on finals week)
> 20% oral exams

Professor Yao's is one of the best professors here at UCLA. She demands excellence from her students but also at the same time motivate her students to master and learn the material well. She always engages the students in her discussions and lectures with her wonderful sense of humor. She is a very caring mentor, an energetic teacher, and a wonderful friend. I give her my highest recommendation.

What can I say? I had a great time in Chinese 6! Yao Laoshi had so much energy and was constantly making the class laugh. Everything she did in class contributed to making the class more enjoyable. Her slides with pictures will entertain you for hours! And of course, she teaches Chinese as well :)

Chinese 6 with Yao Laoshi was BY FAR the most enjoyable class I've ever taken. It really made it worth for me to go to campus everyday! I highly recommend her if you're up for lots of Chinese fun!