Program Reviews

I have been studying Chinese for a while, first at university and then at different schools by myself.
I did the Chengde Full Immersion Program with LTL and have to say it was probably the best Chinese study experience I have had.
For me the problem was always that I spoke too much English even when studying in China and was looking for a full immersion experience.
The program was great for that, I lived with a retired lady who had a lot of time on her hands, so we spent a lot of time making food together and talk. She is a real "Chengdenese" and has lived there her whole life and obviously enjoyed showing the city to a foreigner.
She did not speak any English, which was what I was looking for, but I guess for a complete beginner that would have been difficult.
The classes were good too, but I have had similar experiences at other schools. What really made the program great was my host mother and living in Chengde, which feels much more like a "real" Chinese city than Shanghai or Beijing.
For LTL, the thing that mostly stood out was the organisation, from the course organisation to the airport pick up everything worked perfectly.

Would definitely recommend for someone who wants to see real China and have a full immersion program.

I had studied mandarin for a semester at a university in Beijing and while it was fun, we really did not learn a lot in terms of language and had very little contact with other non-foreign students. I heard similar stuff from other students at universities in China so chose a private school for my three months course this time.
I cannot compare them to other private schools, but I would say I learned in those three months a lot more there than I did in a full semester before. The organisation was a lot better, the teachers more motivated and the environment far more pleasant.

I studied at ltl in 2011 for a month and it was fantastic. Especially liked the social program and our teacher was great, even though I probably wasnt the best student always....
I would recommend the homestay option.
Hope to be back in China soon.

I have been studying at LTL for three months so far and will continue to do so for another six months.
The teaching quality has been excellent, but what I like most is the individual attention given to each student. You are not treated like a number but like an individual. This can be quite important in a country with a culture as different from Switzerland as China.

I staid at a homestay family for the first three months and this has been a great experience. Moving into an apartment of my own for the rest of the course now.