I worked in China for five years (2009 to 2014) and in that time studied Chinese in my spare time using some BLCU books: the 汉语阅读速成 series, the 汉语口语速成 series, the 汉语听力速成 series and 习惯用语教程, all of which were very useful and all of which I have continued to use now that I work in France. I also have some friends who have studied at BLCU and they have told me a lot of positive things about it, especially the teachers and the campus. I've never lived in Beijing but it's a city I've visited many times and I've liked it each time, so I would enjoy the chance to live and study there for a year, especially as studying Chinese has been my main hobby over the last seven years.