Program Reviews

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.

Kunming is probably one of the most pleasant cities in China to live in and improve your Mandarin.The climate is pleasant year round ,people are fairly easy going, and there are plenty of easily accessible places of interest to visit in the surrounding region of Yunnan. Mandarin is widely and commonly spoken so from the point of view of exposure to the language to assist your learning it provides all that you need.

Keats itself is a very professionally run school with a nice balance of professional and structured teaching on the one hand and extracurricular activities on the other.

The most important aspect of a school clearly is the quality of its teachers. From my experience Keats pays attention to this. I was very satisfied with the quality of the teaching. The teacher, Willow, had a nice balance of informality and focus on learning, making the classes both enjoyable and challenging .She prepared each days lesson well ,identifying previous issues or difficulties and incorporating them into the next class. Post class ‘homework’ was also well prepared to reinforce that days lesson.

Additionally she readily offered support and recommendations regarding living in Kunming, restaurants etc.

All in all I would thoroughly recommend both Keats and my teacher Willow.
Hope to return

J’ai passé trois semaines à Keats School à Kunming. 4 heures de cours par jour, nourri logé pour 500€ par semaine. Les profs sont très efficaces et bienveillants (en particulier la mienne Ma Laoshi) et ils s’adaptent à chacun. Nous étions de deux à cinq par classe. J’ai super progressé, je reviendrai sûrement. Le climat ici est super, je suis venu en mars, il faisait entre 20 et 25 tous les jours. Et là vie ici est très facile, d’autant que nous sommes près du centre. À mon sens, le rapport qualité prix est imbattable. Bref, je recommande absolument 👍

English:
I spent three weeks at Keats School in Kunming. Four hours of classes a day, room and board included, for €500 per week. The teachers are very effective and kind (especially mine, Ma Laoshi), and they adapt to each student's needs. There were two to five of us in each class. I made great progress, and I'll definitely be back. The weather here is fantastic; I came in March, and it was between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius every day. Life here is very easy, especially since we're close to the city center. In my opinion, the value for money is unbeatable. In short, I absolutely recommend it! 👍

Durante il mio primo viaggio in Cina sono andata a Chengdu, una città molto tradizionale e piena di cultura. Abbiamo visitato molti posti, ad esempio la riserva dei panda, penso sia stato il luogo più bello, e tanti altri posti come le tipiche stradine cinesi. Per quanto riguarda il cibo tutto molto buono anche se un po’ troppo piccante, ma nel complesso buono. Le lezioni la mattina a scuola sono state molto utili, mi ha aiutato a sbloccarmi un po’ con la lingua. Come prima esperienza in Cina mi sono divertita moltissimo.

English:
On my first trip to China, I went to Chengdu, a very traditional city full of culture. We visited many places, such as the panda reserve, which I think was the most beautiful, and many other places, such as the typical Chinese streets. As for the food, everything was very good, even if a little too spicy, but overall good. The morning classes at school were very useful; they helped me learn the language a little. For my first experience in China, I had a great time.

La mia esperienza a Chengdu è stata semplicemente fantastica e merita sicuramente 5 stelle. Durante il mio soggiorno ho avuto l’opportunità di frequentare lezioni molto interessanti, dove ho imparato non solo la lingua ma anche aspetti importanti della cultura cinese. Gli insegnanti erano gentili, pazienti e sempre disponibili ad aiutare, rendendo ogni lezione coinvolgente.

Oltre allo studio, ho visitato diversi luoghi della città, che mi hanno colpito per la loro bellezza e autenticità. Chengdu è una città vivace ma allo stesso tempo rilassata, famosa per i suoi panda e per i parchi pieni di persone che praticano attività tradizionali. Mi è piaciuto molto osservare la vita quotidiana delle persone locali, sempre cordiali e accoglienti.

Il cibo è stato un’altra parte indimenticabile dell’esperienza: ho assaggiato piatti tipici come l’hot pot, ricco di sapori intensi e speziati. All’inizio era molto piccante, ma poi mi sono abituato e ho iniziato ad apprezzarlo davvero!

In generale, questa esperienza mi ha arricchito molto, sia a livello personale che culturale. Consiglio vivamente a tutti di vivere un’esperienza simile!

English:
My experience in Chengdu was simply fantastic and definitely deserves 5 stars. During my stay, I had the opportunity to attend very interesting classes, where I learned not only the language but also important aspects of Chinese culture. The teachers were kind, patient, and always available to help, making each class engaging.

Beyond studying, I visited several places in the city, which struck me with their beauty and authenticity. Chengdu is a vibrant yet relaxed city, famous for its pandas and parks filled with people practicing traditional activities. I loved observing the daily lives of the locals, who were always friendly and welcoming.

The food was another unforgettable part of the experience: I tried typical dishes like hot pot, rich in intense and spicy flavors. It was very spicy at first, but then I got used to it and really began to appreciate it!

Overall, this experience enriched me greatly, both personally and culturally. I highly recommend everyone to have a similar experience!

Ho avuto l'opportunità di partecipare a un campus di 10 giorni in Cina e posso dire che è stata un'esperienza estremamente positiva sotto ogni punto di vista.

L'organizzazione è stata eccellente: tutto era pianificato nei minimi dettagli, dagli orari delle lezioni alle attività pomeridiane, senza mai risultare rigido o stressante. Al mattino seguivamo lezioni interessanti e ben strutturate, tenute da insegnanti preparati, disponibili e sempre pronti a coinvolgerci attivamente. Le lezioni erano dinamiche e interattive, il che ha reso l'apprendimento piacevole ed efficace.

Nel pomeriggio, invece, avevamo la possibilità di esplorare la città, un aspetto che ho particolarmente apprezzato perché ci ha permesso di immergerci nella cultura locale. Le attività erano varie e ben organizzate: visite a luoghi caratteristici, momenti di svago e occasioni per conoscere meglio le tradizioni e lo stile di vita del posto.

Anche lo staff del campus si è dimostrato sempre disponibile, attento e pronto ad aiutarci in qualsiasi momento. L'atmosfera era accogliente e internazionale, favorendo la socializzazione tra studenti provenienti da diversi paesi. Consiglio vivamente questa esperienza a chiunque voglia unire studio, scoperta e crescita personale in un contesto stimolante e ben organizzato.

English:
I had the opportunity to participate in a 10-day campus in China, and I can say it was an extremely positive experience in every way.

The organization was excellent: everything was planned down to the smallest detail, from class schedules to afternoon activities, without ever feeling rigid or stressful. In the mornings, we attended interesting and well-structured classes, taught by knowledgeable, helpful teachers who were always ready to actively engage us. The lessons were dynamic and interactive, which made learning enjoyable and effective.

In the afternoons, we had the opportunity to explore the city, an aspect I particularly appreciated because it allowed us to immerse ourselves in the local culture. The activities were varied and well-organized: visits to characteristic sites,
leisure activities, and opportunities to learn more about the local traditions and lifestyle.

The campus staff were also always available, attentive, and ready to help us at any time. The atmosphere was welcoming and international, encouraging socialization among students from different countries. I highly recommend this experience to anyone who wants to combine study, discovery, and personal growth in a stimulating and well-organized environment.

La mia esperienza a Chengdu é stata fantastica. Innanzitutto, partendo dalle lezioni, molto ben strutturate, con argomenti non troppo difficili e nemmeno troppo facili, il giusto per rafforzare la lingua.Le visite anche sono state molto divertenti . Abbiamo visitato molti posti diversi ognuno super interessante ,come il Tempio Wunshu, o Jinli Ancient Street, people's park, luoghi che ti fanno entrare a pieno nella cultura e la lingua cinese. Il cibo tipico anche molto buono,come l hot pot. bellissimo.

English:
My experience in Chengdu was fantastic. First of all, the lessons were very well structured, with topics that weren't too difficult or too easy, just right for strengthening the language. The visits were also a lot of fun. We visited many different places, each super interesting, like the Wunshu Temple, Jinli Ancient Street, and People's Park—places that immerse you fully in Chinese culture and the language. The traditional food was also very good, like the hot pot. It was beautiful.