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Omeida Chinese Academy

Why choose Omeida Chinese Academy?

Omeida Chinese Academy provides quality Chinese language tuition to students from all over the world. We are located in the beautiful town of Yangshuo, China where you can experience the Chinese culture and spend your free time exploring the rivers and mountains.

At Omeida, we offer Chinese language programs that meet the needs and goals of students at all levels while providing you with the flexibility to study when you choose. Whether you are joining us for an intensive spoken Chinese program, enjoying a one-on-one tailor made course, or working together with us in the volunteer program and take advantage of discounts, you will find that Omeida provides the perfect opportunity to be immersed in the Chinese language and culture. Moreover, you have the opportunity to study, eat, and hang out together with Chinese natives at our English school next door!

Founded
2001

Reviews

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Brian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Come to Omeida

I couldn’t be happier with my month at Omeida and plan to return in the near future.

The staff is super helpful, accommodations are clean and quiet. Instruction is top-notch. Social activities really generate a sense of community. My teacher in a class of four was quite demanding, but I appreciated it because we are often not demanding enough on ourselves. The month gave me insight into my weak spots. And the beautiful setting of Yangshuo was perfect for study breaks. Work hard. Play hard. Fun. Definitely will return at the first opportunity.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Come prepared to study but also to participate in the language partner and volunteering with the adjoining English school for those learning English. It enriches your cultural experience.
Pros
  • Comfortable environment
  • Fun activities
  • A chance to quickly improve your Mandarin
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Joe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great learning experience

I haven’t been in a classroom in decades and was a little apprehensive. But from the moment I contacted the staff at Omeida they took care to ensure there were no bumps in my language and culture learning experience. The faculty are very knowledgeable about the challenges of language learning. The classes I was in were very small — 2–4 students. Individual attention is the norm. If you get stuck the teacher has the flexibility to stop and ensure that your problem is resolved. I’m celebrating my growth in Mandarin fluency. Hooray for Omeida Chinese Academy!

Pros
  • Staff
  • Faculty
  • Technical expertise
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Maike
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Very good school, with little disadvantages

Very good school! I would definitely recommend it! One thing that I would keep in mind is there is (normally) no rotation of the teachers. This can be great or not. Another thing is that they have a bit of bureaucracy if you want to change levels. So you cannot just go a level higher or lower if you want.
Yangshuo is a great place to study. For China, it’s a small town but still has Adidas and Nike… But they are awesome at helping you with any issues so I would 100% recommend it! It’s a 10/10. :)

Pros
  • Small classes
  • Full immersion
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Dorian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Efficient lessons, good people, amazing place

I’ve been there 5 months, and I had the best time. The teachers are very professional but they do not forget to makes Chinese fun and easy. The lessons are pretty complete, we followed the book and thanks to that, I had new words, new grammar points. And we did some 听写 to improve our listening and recognize the characters. Chinese is hard, and I felt like I was not making any progress but believe me, if you study hard and talk a lot, you’ll be able to speak Chinese in few months thanks to this school. The strength of Omeida is also to show us the Chinese Culture and often show us the beautiful part of Yangshuo. They could help me for the visa and so many other things, they are really supportive. I 100% recommend!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Chinese is hard, just let’s be patient, practice a bit everyday and the results will come. No pressure.
Pros
  • Teachers
  • The office
  • The activities
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Andy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great learning support in a relaxed environment

The learning atmosphere at Omeida is awesome - relaxed yet effective. The teachers are not only knowledgeable but also very personable, always patient and engaging in their teaching approach.

Oemida is a one-step shop for relaxed learning, safe accomodation and reasonable food choices. All of this on an affordable budget.

Being in Yangshuo, a beautiful and vibrant town, you’re constantly surrounded by opportunities to practice Chinese in real-life situations.

Overall, if you’re looking for a supportive and immersive environment to learn Chinese, I highly recommend Omeida!

Pros
  • Affordability
  • Relaxed learning environment
  • Located in an beautiful city

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Michael Schuss

I am an English as a 2nd language teacher and was working at Wuzhou University in Guangxi Province, China, when I signed up for a month of Chinese language training at Omeida during my spring break. I have also worked briefly in Spain and am currently teaching online for a company named Cambly.
Michael Schuss standing on steps

Why did you choose this program?

Yangshuo (Omeida) is about a 4-hour bus ride from where I was living in Wuzhou. Guilin/Yangshuo is a famous part of China, and I was looking forward to seeing the famous Karst hills there. Omeida is also competitively priced compared to some other Chinese language schools in China. Omeida offers a lot of extra-curricular activities such as spelunking, raft trips, and calligraphy.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

I organized the whole trip on my own. I signed up for Omeida online. I asked one of my students to call Omeida, and they were very good about arranging for a taxi to pick me up at the bus drop-off in Yangshuo. Cecily met me at Omeida, and she was very helpful in getting me checked in and acculturated to life in Yangshuo.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

If you ever get the opportunity to visit China, go for it! It is a wonderful country! I remember asking someone for directions, and this person actually walked with me to the building I was looking for. I particularly developed a taste for Luo Si Fen (Guilin noodles) when I was there. You can get them "wei la (not too spicy)" or "chao la (lots of spice)." Make sure you visit Xi Jie (West Street) in Yangshuo. It is an amazing place, and you can find some incredible bargains there.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

I was on the half-day program, so I would study for 3 hours in the morning and then have lunch in the cafeteria. I would then go to Xi Jie or for a bike ride to Moon Hill or walk-in Yangshuo Park. The scenery is breathtaking! It's hard to believe that some of the Karst hill formations actually exist. Omeida also gave us a lot of extra-curricular activities, such as lessons on how to make Chinese dumplings and how to write some Chinese characters.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Well, I was very fortunate in that I was in China, working as an English teacher, so I always seemed to have native Chinese speakers helping me. My language partner at Omeida told me that, when she arrived in China, she was picked up at the airport by a bogus cab driver. He drove her around for a while and then demanded 100 yuan before he would take her back to the airport.

How much did your Chinese improve while you were in China?

I lived in China for five years, and I got to the point where I could buy a bus or train ticket, speak in Chinese, or order food in a restaurant, but as far as having a good conversation with a native Chinese speaker, I never got to that level. 6 of us from Omeida, climbed an old tower in Yangshuo Park, one morning to watch the sunrise. Wow!

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Ieva Bukelskyte

Job Title
Marketing Manager
Ieva Bukelskyte comes from a tiny country called Lithuania and at the moment is working in Omeida Chinese Academy as a Marketing Manager. She is a child of nature who loves adventure and everything related with outdoors. She is very excited to be in Yangshuo as it is a perfect place for that, especially for rock-climbing and biking! Her duties at Omeida include welcoming students and making them feel at home as well as spreading the word about Omeida Chinese Academy to the rest of the world.
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What about the future of the industry? How do you think study abroad and international education will change over the next 10 years?

I believe there is a bright future for this industry! It’s becoming more and more popular to study abroad and it’s not a surprise as there are so many benefits of living and learning in another country. This experience expands our minds and in general positively changes lives of people.

When you study abroad everyday is a new adventure full of discoveries! I wish everyone could live and study in another country at least once in their lives, even for a short time and I am guaranteed- magic will happen.

What does the future hold for Omeida Chinese Academy - any exciting new programs to share?

The list of activities to do in Yangshuo is endless. Therefore we decided to combine learning Chinese language with Tai Chi practice or rock-climbing for example. We believe it will be a very fulfilling experience for our students: not only to learn Chinese but also develop and improve their skills of Tai Chi or rock-climbing.

For example, did you know that Yangshuo is fast becoming the rock climbing Mecca of Asia?

What was your favorite traveling experience?

It is very hard to choose one, as the list is endless. But one of the most favorite would be hitch-hiking to Morocco from Spain and meeting a local student in Tanger, who then invited us to visit and stay with his family in another town called Tetouen. We spent a night in his place and it was unbelievable.

His family opened not only their arms, but their hearts to us, strangers from another part of the world. We cooked food together, drank tea, shared stories with each other. His family trusted us; wanted to share everything they have, even though they did not have a lot themselves. They even gave us gifts! Moroccan hospitality at its best! World IS a beautiful place, let’s just not be afraid to embrace it.

What unique qualities does your company possess?

Omeida Chinese Academy is like a big family. There is this very warm and positive atmosphere around the school, everyone is smiley and happy, willing to help each other, share stories and laughs. Students tell me that they never feel alone here!

We (Chinese teachers and other staff) do many outdoor activities together with students. Last weekend for example we went camping to this huge cave that has a mind blowing view to the Limestone Mountains, we made a fire, sang songs and cooked food. Unforgettable memories for sure!