Keats Chinese School Reviews

I got the idea of learning Chinese more than a year ago, but only a few weeks ago I finally decided to do it.

Since I hate organizing anything, I just tried to find the best all-inclusive option, and it looks like I did. It was easy to pay, and I received all the necessary instructions. Unfortunately, I missed my flight and arrived in Kunming later than I had planned, but they met me, and I easily rescheduled all the missed lessons as if nothing had happened. I mean, all the issues were resolved—this is truly a service-oriented place.

The main part—the classes—was well-structured, interesting, and adapted to my weakest skills. The school also offers a variety of activities, such as karaoke and walking tours, most of which are free. I also really liked the international atmosphere at mealtimes.

So, thanks to Peng Laoshi (my teacher)! I’m definitely planning to come back to Keats for one or two months next year.

I’m honestly learned a lot in a short time (2 weeks). You can tell the teacher likes to teach and the quality of the classes are really high. All three meals per day contain a big variety of fresh vegetables (and meat), and the private rooms are very convenient. Besides the classes there are really fun activities organised and there is plenty of time to meet fellow students. The school is near the subway station so it’s easy to explore Kunming, which has a good variety of culture, food and nature

I had one to one intensive class with professor Su at Keats School. I had a very positive experience at Keats. My professor Su was dedicated to my learning. I learned so much and I was able to reach my goal within 2 weeks. My professor adjusted study materials based on my level. At school, Keats provided facilities and activities to promote learning ; library and evening activities.

I like Kunming. The city is not too big, easy to navigate and safe to travel solo. The weather is not too cold and is not too hot. I would say the weather in Kunming is comfortable all year round.

At Keats school in Kunming learning is carried on in a very well organized structure, teachers are very skilled, environment very amicable and helpful and highly professional. The city is beautiful and clean and well served by public transport services. Furthermore the school is very near to city center. I underline that Chinese people very polite and available. Bank and hospital are in sight of school building, so are metro stations. Good library/bookshops in Chinese style (mix of library/bookshop/cafeteria) nearby.

I am retired and was never a fast language learner. I decided to study Mandarin as an intellectual challenge, and because I have recently discovered China as a travel destination and wanted to be able to communicate with people better.

Keats offered an individualized program that responded to my learning needs. The staff was helpful and pleasant, and my teacher, Malaoshi was flexible, thorough and patient. The fact that the campus offered accommodation, meals, and classroom space in the same building and in a central location, meant that the experience was seamless, and I was able to interact with other students coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and during the many optional activities offered.

Kunming is a vibrant city with lots of park space, restaurants, international connections and a great transit system. It provides easy access to the rest of Yunnan which is one of the most interesting and beautiful provinces in China. The climate is pleasant and sunny in the winter which is great for Canadians escaping our freezing weather.

I come from a Chinese Caribbean family, but before arriving at Keats I had only a few words of Cantonese and three weeks of Mandarin classes in Taiwan. After just five weeks of instruction, I feel I have a much stronger grasp of the language. Pinyin comes naturally, I recognize more and more characters on the street and I can carry out basic communication at shops and restaurants. I still have difficulty with some of the consonants and remembering tones, but one marker of my growing ability is that the translation apps can understand when I speak in Chinese.

I am completely happy with having chosen Keats. Our teacher, Maloashi, has been excellent. As a retired professor myself I can say she has outstanding pedagogical skills: knowledgeable, patient, flexible while structured, and attentive to strengths and weaknesses. I’m also happy to have stayed at Keats. The location is ideal: metro close but walking distance to the downtown, near a luxury mall with mid-and upscale restaurants but surrounded by many quaint streets filled with shops and restaurants of all kinds. It’s a great area to wander around. The lodging is pleasant and staying here I’ve enjoyed meeting many interesting students of all ages and backgrounds from around the world. I’ve also enjoyed many of the activities which are available every evening and on weekends. I hope to return to Keats to continue learning Chinese.

My wife and I are both over 65 years old. We have two Mandarin-speaking daughters-in-law. We wanted to improve our Mandarin so we chose the Keats one-on-one, 4 hour per day program. We spent one week in each of 4 locations in Yunnan. We found the Keats program very helpful in terms of improving our oral comprehension and our proficiency in speaking, and we also made a lot of progress in reading. Our teacher, Du, was able to pick out our weaknesses quickly and work effectively with us to help us achieve our goals.

Our first week was spent in Xishuangbanna. Our accommodation was comfortable and was conveniently located across the street from a long public walking trail alongside a river. The city's night market was spectacular. The visit to Dai Village was very interesting.

The second week was in Tengchong. We stayed in a friendly hotel in the Heshun Ancient Village. It was an enchanting place, and not as crowded as some of the other 'old towns'. There are some really good private dining restaurants in Heshun. Afternoon highlights included the Beihai Wetland Park, the Rehai Hot Springs (Spa), and for those interested in history, the Western Yunnan War Memorial Hall—one of the most well laid out museums we have visited in China.

The third week was in Dali. The hotel was located in the old town and was very nice. They had a very spacious place for our classroom sessions. Dali's old town is very busy with tourists, and there was a lot of live musical entertainment and some very good restaurants. The afternoon highlights for us were the Fengyangyi Ancient Village, (where you can walk on a section of the Ancient Tea Horse Road), and the spectacular Three Pagodas site.

Our last week was in Lijiang, a city nestled in the mountains two hours north of Dali by train. We stayed at the edge of the Shuhe Ancient Town in a very comfortable hotel run by exceptionally friendly people. The Shuhe Village in Lijiang is breathtaking, one of the finest we've seen anywhere. The Black Dragon Pool was a very pleasant afternoon activity.

It should be noted that our teacher, Du, met us at the airport on our first day and looked after all of the arrangements. She accompanied us to each successive city. All classes were held in our hotels, which was very convenient. Du was very friendly and was a great teacher.

We highly recommend Keats to anyone interested in the language and culture of China.

It was organized extremely well from start to finish. I was picked up by a taxi and given an explanation of my private bedroom. I arrived in the evening. That same evening, I met my teacher and fellow student. That was a warm welcome. From then on, there were always delicious meals and good lessons during the week. By lunch the teachers eating together with the studenten thats a good time thing.

Daily activities were organized to get to know the country, the place itself, and/or other fellow students. You meet people from all over the world, and that is very interesting and fun. New people arrived every week, so there were new conversations.

I received a study plan and could always go to a teacher with feedback about the lesson. In this way, the lessons remained personal despite the group setting. Afterwards, I always received a PDF file of what we had worked on that day. There was also an advisor who was present every day. You could go to them with all kinds of questions. That was very nice. They are very proactive and eager to help you.

The room is also cleaned often enough, and there is fresh bedding! The surroundings are also ideal. Close to a metro, and many nice restaurants and neighborhoods within walking distance. I was also dropped off at the airport again.

I loved my stay in Chengdu. The academy was lovely, everything was clean and tidy, the food was amazing and on time, and the staff lovely, friendly and helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed my 1to1 lessons with 王老师 and I feel like learned a lot with her. I am sure I will pass the hsk3 exam now! I think I will definitely try to come back and will recommend to anyone thinking about coming to study Chinese in China.

The whole service is great and very convenient, although a bit pricey. Maybe next time I will go to Kunming, since it is more affordable and still gorgeous!
谢谢！

My experience with Keats School has been very positive. I was at Kunming campus. The campus provides facilities to support a good learning environment. There are a library and a common area that opens to students everyday.

I had a one-to-one class with professor Su. She was professional and dedicated to my learning. She adjusted study materials to match my ability and created a study plan to reach my goal. I was able to finish HSK1 in two weeks. I would not be able to reach this level without Keats and Professor Su.

Kunming is safe. I like that it is not a big city, but it has everything that big cities offer. There are plenty of activities to do in Kunming.

I highly recommend Keats School.