I was very grateful to my au pair family for hosting me in their wonderful home. I was very lucky that I was able to live with a very bright young boy and two very hard-working parents.
At first, I was very shy. My Chinese was very poor, through classes at Xmandarin my Chinese improved, especially when talking with the parents that I lived with. The little boy was very kind, and I wish him the best in the future. I hope to come back to China someday and see how everyone is doing and what they are up to.

i have had people tell me that because i am from korea it is easier for me to learn chinese. while it may be easier for me to learn than someone from the u.s. or europe, it is still a foreign language for me. the beginner classes at xmandarin are taught in english, and so not only did my chinese improve but so did my understanding of english. i had to ask clarifying questions in english and after class i would get coffee or milk tea with some class mates and we would speak in english with each other. classes were fun and i liked qingdao city.

I have been blessed to attend both group and private lessons on the Qingdao campus since August. The staff are amazing and very helpful. Ray has helped in so many ways from recommending where to get phone service, banking card, and even helped me negotiate for a nice apartment near the school. Teachers Haley and Jessie are very knowledgeable and guide our lessons based on student needs. Fairy, Clara and other office staff create a positive office atmosphere as well as set up monthly events for students to join. The last event was rock climbing! Right now they are actively planning a wonderful Christmas dinner. If your goal is to learn mandarin and get to appreciate Chinese culture, consider visiting the XMandarin Qingdao campus.

I have a lot of really kind things to say about the family who hosted me in my 4-month homestay. XMandarin Chinese Language School was able to hook me up with a homestay in Qingdao. Most studio apartments here want at least 6-months or 1 year of rent (sometimes up front) and since I wanted to take off and do some solo traveling for a few months before I started University I didn't want to have to pay for 6-months when I would only use 4, and 4 months is a long time to be staying in a hotel-style accommodation. I was skeptical about the homestay at first because my Chinese level was very very basic and I was worried about feeling alone and isolated. The family, especially 奶奶, made me feel at home with her cooking. Even if I had a long day of studying, working my online job, or just having a rough day, she could tell and without saying anything she would just give me a small bowl of food. Dumplings, corn, yams, or whatever. Sometimes I wasn't hungry so I hid the food in my room until I was so she wouldn't feel bad. Sometimes we had our communication and cultural issues. But I will miss them and will continue to stay on WeChat to check the family updates.

As a German student from Rhode Island College, I came to China mostly focused on improving my Mandarin and experiencing a new culture. I never imagined I’d leave with a new hobby. I already have too many. And now I have 2 badminton rackets in my suitcase.

My classes at XMandarin were small, lively, and supportive. The teachers were patient with my grammar struggles. I went to almost every activity the school organized. During one event, a group of friends I’d met—along with one of the interns working at XMandarin—invited me to play badminton with them. I had seen people play before, but I never thought it was something I would enjoy. I was so wrong.

That first evening turned into a weekly ritual. Every Wednesday night we played indoors. On warm weekends, we played outside at a nearby park, and in the summer months we even took our rackets to the beach. Playing badminton became the highlight of my week and made me feel fully at home in Qingdao.

If I had to suggest improvements, maybe more weekend excursions would have been nice, especially to explore more hidden parts of the city. But overall, the experience was incredible.

I can’t wait to teach my family in Germany over Christmas. Hopefully they will like it as much as I do. If not, I'll have to go back to Qingdao.

I had so many questions before applying. Would I make friends? Would the classes be too difficult? What would my daily life look like and would I like it? I went into the exchange to Qingdao very nervous, expecting to get weird looks on the street. Now, I am trying to figure out a way to come back after I graduate for an internship.

From the first week, I met friends who shared my curiosity and passions—people who loved late-night study sessions, café exploring, and spontaneous weekend trips to take the train to surrounding cities in the province or even some flights to cities like Chengdu, Xi'an, and Guangzhou.

The staff at XMandarin Chinese Language School in Qingdao always checked on me to make sure I was comfortable. I met some other Japanese people who helped me navigate homesickness and find some restaurants that served my comfort foods. Even though some of the staff at XMandarin spoke Japanese, and if I really needed to be able to communicate in Japanese they would, they always spoke Chinese or English and that really helped me improve.

Through the weekend events I was able to make friends and I left Qingdao feeling braver, more independent, and surrounded by friends I know I’ll have for life. If you’re considering studying abroad, I genuinely recommend this program.

I have been working at a Chinese logistics company in Qingdao for the past few months, and I started private business Chinese classes at XMandarin to improve my communication at work.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I really needed lessons, my coworkers mostly speak some English, but once meetings and emails got more serious, I realized how important it is to understand the language and business culture here. XMandarin really helped me with that.

The lessons were focused on what I actually needed: common phrases for meetings, polite ways to disagree or make suggestions, and how to write short formal messages in Chinese. My teacher also explained cultural things like how hierarchy works in communication, or what kind of tone is expected in different situations. That was super helpful.

We met twice a week, and the schedule was flexible around my work hours. The materials were good, but what really helped was that the teacher made the class feel relevant, we even practiced with real examples from my emails or work conversations.

After a couple of months, I definitely feel more confident in meetings, and I can follow more of what’s going on. Still a long way to go, but this was a good investment. If you’re working in China and want to improve your professional communication, I’d recommend the private business Chinese classes here.

I’ve been taking private classes at XMandarin while working in Qingdao, and honestly, it’s been a great experience. I came in with some basic Mandarin skills, but I really wanted to get more confident speaking and understanding everyday Chinese and the private classes helped me do exactly that. My teacher was super friendly and patient. She took the time to understand what I wanted to work on, and every lesson felt really personal. Sometimes we’d focus on grammar or vocabulary from the textbook, but other times we’d just chat about life in China or cultural stuff, which made it way more interesting and relevant. One of the best parts was how flexible everything was. If my schedule changed because of work, it wasn’t a big deal they were always understanding and helped me move my class time. Plus, the location is super convenient, and the vibe at the school is really relaxed. Everyone there is friendly and speaks good English, so it never felt intimidating. Overall, I’ve learned a lot and actually looked forward to the lessons (which says a lot when it comes to language classes!