Xperia X8 :: Can  Install Multiling Keyboard

I am in China for 6 months (September to February). It seems everyone here uses mobile phones on which they text in pinyin (this is a way of writing Chinese characters in Roman letters) and then Chinese characters (Hanzi) are displayed on the screen & sent as texts. (For each syllable you get offered a choice of possible characters & you pick the correct one.) My Xperia 8 can receive such texts & forward them, but cannot write them. Everyone here seems surprised that it doesn't do it. I managed to download an app called multiling keyboard which is supposed to work on Android phones, I installed it, but it still doesn't work. Even the cheapest phones here have this system. It was hard work to download it. I tried to download to my laptop so I could transfer it by cable but I couldn't find any sites that let me download an apk file; I tried from my internet at home but it's not wireless, & it seems the phone has to have a wi-fi, so I finally managed it in a café yesterday. The phone now gives me lots of language choices, but clicking and ticking them seems to have no effect. When I have the keyboard out, the only languages available do not include Chinese. I tried turning the phone off & starting again, & also installed a programme called Google input.

Does anyone know if it's possible to have a Chinese character/pinyin input on my Xperia 8? By the way I managed to get Linda file manager, it was an apk file, so I downloaded it to my pc. But PC Companion doesn't allow Bluetooth connection to xperia 8, so I had to Bluetooth it to my (dirt cheap) nokia, then from that to the xperia, then I could install it from the Bluetooth notification bar. Very complicated.Some folk here also have an app where they can draw characters on the screen & the phone recognizes them. It may be an i-phone or Galaxy, 'm not sure. Does anyone know if this is available for my phone?