LTL Beihai is an immersion gem! The teachers are exceptional—patient, skilled, and genuinely invested in your progress. They tailor lessons to your goals and correct every mistake with kindness. The director goes above and beyond, organizing amazing weekend trips to beaches, night markets, and nearby villages, plus fun activities like martial arts and Mandarin Corner with locals. With very few foreigners in town, you're forced to speak Chinese daily—my listening and speaking skyrocketed in weeks. The homestay option adds deep cultural immersion; my host family was incredibly warm. Small classes, strong community, affordable pricing. If you want rapid progress away from expat bubbles, this is it!

In May I took two weeks of Chinese full immersion courses in Chengde, China, through LTL. This has been an absolutely great experience to test and boost my Mandarin language skills and to get the opportunity to live with a Chinese family and experience their everyday life. For two weeks I did not see or speak to to any western person. In my home stay family I shared the common meals, learned to cook Chinese dishes and to talk about myself and my experiences during my time there. No language other than Mandarin was used except the odd translation of some words.
I took six hours of 1:1 lessons every day. In the two weeks I was there my teacher never spoke a sentence in English with me. Typically we had first ca 1 hour of me telling what I had done the previous day, then reviewing homework, reading and building sentences with the vocabulary and exercises for the new lesson. After lunch we sometimes watched a video sequence and then I had to retell the story. The teacher was patient but also demanding. Really good.
Outside the classes the home stay family invited me to family events with friends and also organised visits to markets, museum, Ping Pong lessons, tea ceremony and to the famous world heritage sites in Chengde.
All of these provided opportunities to practice my Chinese and to get a better view of life in Chengde.
Two weeks were really too short, but that is how I wanted it and for me it has really fulfilled my main objective: I started to use my Mandarin with people. In the lessons, at the home stay and on the streets, restaurants or with the cab driver.
Chengde is a wonderful place to experience China and practice Mandarin. I would always recommend it.

I spent 6 weeks at LTL Beihai. My teacher, Summer, was very good. Every day we started on time and used all of the time. She speaks Mandarin very clearly and her explanations for various grammar points are also very clear and in Mandarin. There are frequent activities that are related to the area - near the sea. Many students participate in these activities The city itself is smaller and less expensive than many in China. This makes living expenses more economical than others. I strongly reccommend LTL Beihai!

The program was tailored for me. I was available during the new year’s holiday, the school understood my request and found the perfect teacher for me. They were careful since the moment I step out of the airplane. I was having the intensive individual’s class.

Despite the long hours the class was always interesting. I really recommend LTL Beihai. I hope I can come back soon. Also I found Beihai the perfect place to come. The winter is not so cold. The sky is clear and beautiful. The people in Beihai are so nice and welcoming. The food is amazing. The city is easy to walk and go around.

I had a great experience at LTL Beihai - the city is great for Chinese immersion as there are very few foreigners. And the city has great weather, a laid back vibe yet has all the amenities. My teacher was great and very flexibly adjusted to my needs. I already have a somewhat substantial level, so being able to work on communication was great. The School is small so has a very familial feel and the staff is willing to help out with anything they can. Travel to Weizhou and Guilin while you are there!

Hello,

I am currently doing the LTL Chengde immersion program after successfully completing two months of LTL classes in Beijing. It has has been a month since I joined this course and I have to say that I am completely satisfied with it and here are the reasons why:

Home stay:

I am currently staying with a lovely family of four (parents and two kids). The children love to play and enthusiastically help you practice your speaking skills. Two meals a day are offered. Everything is delicious nourishing and a deep dive into Chinese cuisine. Most of the home stays are located in the very centre of Chengde, so you will be at the popular hangout spots and bustling areas in no time!

Classes:

I currently have four hours of class, five times a week. They alternate between morning and afternoon class and therefore offer a lot of variety regarding time management. Classes are also completely customisable. You will generally follow the book that LTL will provide you with (said book is split into chapters each containing listening speaking and writing parts), but you can always make suggestions to your teacher if you want to make changes. You will have 1-on-1 class, therefore everything is super flexible. You are also not limited to a traditional classroom. As the Chengde program does not have a central school. In theory any place can turn into a study space. Coffee shops are most popularly used, but I have also experienced parks, supermarkets, shopping malls, a roof terrace and strolls around the city. Also at this point a shout out to my lovely teacher Ida, who is so patient with me every day and inspires me to continue to study hard. Thank you!

Immersion:

The program offers a lot of different extracurricular activities. Throughout the week there will be calligraphy and tea classes, badminton, swimming, cat cafe hangouts… the list goes on way too long for me to count all of them. That’s all thanks to Chengde’s School coordinator Zhongwen (中文), who is not only super creative when it comes to planning and organizing an unforgettable experience, but will also help you with and minor and major issue that you might encounter. So you will be in absolutely capable hands here ;) Regarding the weekend you can explore famous places with a language partner all day long!

As for the daily life here you will find that, in fact rarely anybody can speak English. So you will be pushed out of your comfort zone daily. But, I find that my Chinese has improved more rapidly in this past month here in Chengde, than it has in those two months I spent in Beijing. As for the people here I can say that everybody I have met so far is friendly but more so very curious. You can also prepare yourself to have some pictures taken. Food is widely available. From small stalls along the road to full blown restaurants offering all kinds of delicacies.

All in all a one in a lifetime experience, which I can recommend to basically anybody who wants to try something new and exciting. As I am currently doing a gap year in between Highschool and University, I can especially recommend this option for other fellow students. Chengde is a great spot for young people to visit!

Very well prepared lessons, patient teachers, all the staff is very friendly and helps if there is any question, small very personal school, students and teacher can meet during the lunchtime together and sometimes play games, convenient location of the school

Cours très bien préparés, professeurs patients, tout le personnel est très sympathique et aide en cas de question, petite école très personnelle, les élèves et les professeurs peuvent se rencontrer pendant la pause déjeuner et parfois jouer à des jeux, emplacement pratique de l'école

Both your teacher and the administrator can attend to your learning needs personally here and you can help setup the program. My teacher, Summer, is knowledgeable, has a great attitude, and is easy to work with. The weather in Beihai is great. For those looking to get out of the huge cities this is an excellent option. They have a lounge and activities to make the experience more than just a class. The homestay has been very good as well, giving me a chance to sample Chinese home meals and discuss things with my host.