Keats Chinese School Reviews

I really enjoyed the classes and the teachers. Every day I learned something new, with lessons that were well prepared in advance. The teachers were also very patient and always happy to explain additional topics whenever I showed interest. After each class, they sent a summary of the lesson so I could review the content.
The classrooms are organized by student level, and all the staff at the school are extremely friendly, kind, and always willing to help with any questions.
The facilities are very practical and well organized. The dormitory, cafeteria, and classrooms are all in the same building, which makes daily life much easier. The location is excellent, close to public transportation, shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants, cafés, and a hospital.
In addition, the school offers extra activities in the evenings and on weekends, such as trips to nearby cities, visiting local attractions, trying regional food, sports, and classes about Chinese culture (like tea ceremony and dance).
Kunming is an excellent city, the weather is really good, people are friendly and there are plenty of entertainment.
I truly enjoyed my time at Keats and highly recommend this school. I would love to return and study at Keats again in the future.

My husband and I came to Keats in Kunming for the first week of our travels in China. It was our first time in China and starting at the language school was a great way to learn some Chinese and get settled in China. Our teacher Ash was kind, patient and taught us in a way that was engaging and informative. Our room was very nice and exactly what we needed and the food during the week was delicious! We were so impressed by Keats and would 10/10 recommend it as a way to start your trip in China! Our week flew by!

Travelling in Yunnan and attending Keats Mandarin course was a very rewarding experience. From day one everything was well organized and went smoothly. the hotels were good choices, and the classrooms were conveniently located in the same hotels we were staying in. The language instruction was well structured, and our teacher, Du, was a skillful educator who recognized and addressed our weaknesses.

Xishuanbanna was our first stop. The night market was enchanting! the hotel was located near a lovely walk along the riverfront.

Heshun was a beautiful example of an ancient town that still feels old-world, with it's rustic buildings and narrow stone streets. We enjoyed some fantastic meals there at what are described as "private kitchens". The Western Yunnan War Museum, and hot springs were highlights.

The next stop was Dali, also an ancient town but it has a more modern feel to it. It is a wonderful place to walk around at night, and just about every venue has it's own live music. Saturday's tour around the lake was great.

Last but certainly not least was Lijiang. Wonderful hotel with very friendly hosts, and a truly picturesque town with snow covered mountains in the background.

Throughout the trip Du organised all the tours and transportation, and acted as our tour guide in the afternoons. She was very helpful and easy to get along with, as well as being a great teacher.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in a language/cultural experience.

Our time at Keats Chinese Language School in Kunming was absolutely incredible. The people and staff were so amazing and friendly, they went above and beyond to help us in every way. Lovely, comfortable room and great food. As complete beginners in Chinese, we had a lot to learn. Our teacher Ms. Du was fantastic, tailoring the lessons to our needs and skill level, patiently working with us, keeping things fun, light and interesting. We highly recommend this to anyone and everyone of all levels!

This was a very successful experience for me! On the whole, the teaching was well designed, and it clearly focused on my needs and specific knowledge.

I had a strong background in Chinese, but have long since forgotten most of it, so I opted for one-on-one lessons for the maximum of 6 hours per day. I mixed up the month by doing 2 weeks at the main campus, 1 week at Xishuangbanna, and 1 week in Chengdu.

The teaching: very good. Six hours a day is not for the faint of heart and if you are new to Chinese you may want to go for four hours a day, but for me it was perfect. Both of my teachers (Ms. Su and Ms. Zhou) were extremely professional and taught to my personal knowledge base while still maintaining a clear structure with active advancement. They provided a good balance of letting me do my best with the language I had and also not letting me develop bad linguistic habits. They provided homework, lesson plans, and focused feedback every day, and they both genuinely seemed to enjoy their jobs and the classroom conversations. While I recognize this is of course their job, it's very motivating to have an enthusiastic teacher.

Locations: The Kunming campus was the liveliest of the three places I stayed, with up to 15-20 students at times during the two weeks I was there. It was very social and there were a lot of activities the school organized. At Xishuangbanna I was the only one at that site at the time, though there are reportedly often multiple students there; one of my teachers traveled with me and we stayed in a nice hotel and did activities every day. It was a great intensive experience and the place itself was very different and interesting. Chengdu is a fantastic tourist city and was a fun week to cap it all off. In my week there the volume of students was up and down, from 5-7 to a very big group; I had someone come visit me at the time and we had plenty of time and support to do our own activities -- the teachers and life advisors were great in helping us figure out how best to organize our own activities.

My experience at Keats during these four weeks was excellent. I'm very happy with the teacher I had during my one to one 4 hour classes. The teaching method was very enjoyable and it’s a very casual and conversational way of learning Chinese. It literally helped me to improve a lot my fluency and listening in daily Chinese conversations. During Friday’s me and my teacher went out of class, she brought me to new places, such as coffee shops with lots of cats, or to local restaurants. We even took the public e-bikes to get to the places, and that was so fun!

Teachers and staff also helped us to enjoy many activities, so every day in the evening we had immersive pastimes such as going to food markets such as Panjiawan, along with cultural activities, such as painting flowers with ink, tea ceremony and even a karaoke! Also during these 4 weeks I joined the activities that are arranged by teachers every Sunday, such as a trip to Fuxian Lake and the beautiful Jianshui Ancient city at south of Yunnan.

I also enjoyed a lot Kunming atmosphere! The city is big, people are nice, prices are in my opinion very affordable, it's safe and there’s lot of places to see, such as street markets like Birds and Flower Market at Wuyi Road or those beautiful temples at Cuihui park, and these insane futuristic malls like Spring City or Baiyun Road, etc. It’s difficult to get bored in Kunming... Also I love the cuisine of Yunnan.

Overall, the service is very good and teachers were all very helpful and friendly with the students. The facilities are convenient, there’s breakfast, lunch and dinner and the bedrooms are quite comfortable!
Friendly staff and teachers, is highly recommended if you want to practice Putonghua in an immersive environment!

Studying Chinese at Keats is a great way to learn/improve your Chinese. Accommodation is basic yet clean and comfortable, and joining the evening activities was fun!
The teachers are really professional and experienced and help you find the right class for your level. Lessons were always professionally planned, also according to our individual language levels. So at the end my Chinese actually improved a lot.
Kunming is a great city to study: great weather, friendly people, good food! I loved it

Overview: When I was planning my travel to China and to Keats school I was excited to see Wuzhen was one of the locations where Keats offered their Intensive one on one program.
This was a location I wanted to visit, famed as one of the top ancient towns in China. The ability to undertake study plus have your teacher/language partner accompany you in sightseeing is the compelling reason I have chosen to visit and study at 3 different locations with Keats.
Location: Wuzhen is a fascinating place and has not disappointed, the township is easy to get around and offers a mixture of experiences, with the township divided into 4 distinct areas. The school provided a sightseeing plan for each afternoon and for the Saturday.
My teacher made some slight adjustments to the plan once in the location and had fully prepared so each trip was seamless.
Lessons: Keats offer is for personalised lessons based on one’s needs. When I arrived I discussed with my teacher that I would like to focus on conversational skills. I have some knowledge and need help to get to a stage I can listen, understand and be understood . My teacher was very accomplished in quickly picking up what I knew and developed lessons flowing from my existing knowledge. The lessons used prompt cards written as we went by my teacher to teach me words and sentence structures and she challenged me to think out and practice conversational sentences.
My teacher: Pany was my teacher this week, and I commend Keats on employing such a great ambassador for their school. She has been fantastic. From the pick up at the train station, to her careful explanation about the plan for the week and her care in introducing me to the hotel staff and making sure I was comfortable I knew I was going to be in good hands for the week. Pany has accompanied me for breakfast , lunch and dinner , to assist me in finding food I enjoy and also encouraged me to try local delicacy’s, like “stinky tofu”’ .
Our sightseeing trips have been well planned with the right amount of flexibility when the need has arisen. Pany has made the trips fun with her engaging personality and I have appreciated the little extra lessons in posing for and taking photos!
I have also enjoyed Pany’s teaching style, she developed the lessons along the way based around the words and phrases I would naturally use in English. She taught me patiently particularly when it came to my pronunciation. After each lesson she quickly provided class notes for the day, giving me the opportunity to review what we had covered. Her review of my learning along with highlighted areas to focus on is well thought out and accurate. Whilst I have a very long way to go in my learning my confidence has increased after this week of classes.
Thanks Keats I look forward to my 3rd and final week, which is some time away.

Excellent teachers! I enjoyed every minute in the classroom. The teacher was always well prepared, focused on the agreed learning goals and I could feel my progress day by day. The atmosphere among teachers and students is highly motivating.

The location of the school is excellent, in a central area with many shops and restaurants, very close to a Metro station, and also close to old street and sightseeing spots.

The activities and excursions organised by the school are always interesting and entertaining. And the school offers great support for any questions.

I will definitely come back to KEATS.

Ho scelto la Keats School per riprendere il mio cinese, che avevo abbandonato da qualche anno, e non potevo fare scelta migliore. Ho trascorso alcuni mesi lì e, al mio ritorno a casa, ho deciso di continuare anche con le lezioni online. Il percorso è totalmente personalizzato, in base al livello e alle esigenze dello studente, e nel mio caso lo abbiamo rimodellato più volte. Con l’insegnante che mi ha seguito abbiamo anche deciso di preparare l’esame di certificazione, nonostante inizialmente non fosse nei miei piani, e sono riuscita a superarlo. Ho continuato con loro anche la preparazione del mio esame universitario. Sempre preparata, gentile e disponibile, mi ha fatto sentire a mio agio, lavorando sui miei punti di forza e sulle mie insicurezze. Mi hanno fatto tornare l’amore per la Cina e per il cinese.

English:
I chose Keats School to renew my Chinese, which I had abandoned a few years ago, and I couldn't have made a better choice. I spent a few months there and, upon returning home, I decided to continue with online lessons. The program is completely personalized, based on the student's level and needs, and in my case we reworked it several times. My teacher and I also decided to prepare for the certification exam, even though it wasn't initially part of my plan, and I managed to pass. I also continued to prepare for my university exam with them. Always prepared, kind, and available, she made me feel at ease, working on my strengths and insecurities. They rekindled my love for China and the Chinese language.