Program Reviews

I started from zero Chinese level and had low expectations on the possibility to progress in short time, but after having completed the HSK1 I can say it is a very effective approach. It is required high effort, to be honest. I have studied 2-3h per week for two months approx. This methodology based on preview (study before the class) and review (after the class) truly works in consolidating the learnings. I had Jane as teacher and I can highly recommend her. She is professional and easy going at the same time. Always willing to address my doubts and curiosity, not only on the language but also on the Chinese culture in general. Very positive experience!

After looking for several schools in SH i decided to go for SilkMandarin, first i had a session with Coco who explained me all the content of the course and the different modalities, then i started the HSK1 with Jane, at this point i never had any contact with the chinese language, so the first classes were very cool and interesting with Jane, i think 4 clases just concentrating on pronuntiation and hearing the tones 😂which in chinese is the difficult part for me, what i really liked is that Jane saw which words or tones we were speaking wrong and knew which mistakes we do so that we can focus on that. She is very patient so for us with zero knowledge is a great start also to get confident speaking in chinese. I almost finish hsk1 now but definitely will enroll for the level 2 - with Jane of course 😉
If you want to learn chinese in a fun way - definitely go for silk mandarin 😎

Silk mandarin is the best place so far to learn Chinese. They give you too many learning materials to study. As I’ve mentioned it to them before, “It is almost impossible to not learn from Silk Mandarin”. The way they teach Chinese is very good, very practical. The teachers are very professional and make it easy to learn. They make a study plan for their students and help their students to reach their goals in learning. All the staff are very nice and caring. They also have social activities, they are very friendly and very fun.

My first time experience with Silk Mandarin was great. I was concerned about the online platform and it's effectiveness, but my concerns were quickly eliminated. The platform provided all the necessary resources to help me to learn. The teacher was very knowledgeable and helpful, there was strong administrative support, and the classes were flexible to suit my schedule. All that was left up to me was to commit to attending the classes, doing assignments, and practising. I would recommend to anyone serious about learning Mandarin.

I was excited to have lessons in this school, even if I live in France, the lessons of SilkMandarin was pretty good, in a few months I learned how to say so many things that was really important when I was in China. My teacher was really good and prepared every lesson.Silk Mandarin was a good choice to learn Chinese, I have access to so many things like, lessons pre recorded, books, grammar, and expressions in real life. Even if I need to take the lessons in videocall, every class was important and I will recommend SilkMandarin

My love for Mandarin started at the end of 2022, when one of my colleagues introduced me to the marvellous world of Chinese drama, which I started watching endlessly. I very soon decided to also take up a one-on-one Mandarin course. To my disappointment the method used in class was not engaging enough, too reliant on the textbook, and the teacher would speak English to explain the rules as I was a beginner. Since I was not fully satisfied, I started searching online for alternatives. Luckily enough, I came across Silk Mandarin Instagram page and checked out some reels and content that they had shared. I found it very appealing, as they would explain everyday language in an easy and fun way, all accompanied by short slides showing Chinese characters, pīnyīn and an English translation of each phrase/sentence. I was intrigued, so I contacted the school and had a quick call with one of the PRs to preliminary assess my Chinese level. Soon thereafter, I had a demo class and was introduced to my awesome teacher, 思思. During the demo, I noticed that 思思 was well prepared, and I was positively impressed by the “Slow Motion Technique” as it quickly gave me a clear idea of how Chinese sentences are constructed. I thus decided to enrol in a one-on-one online course. I started in July 2023 with HSK 2, and now, in August 2024, we are almost halfway through HSK 4 上. I think 思思 is a great teacher as she is totally adaptable to my needs. Additionally, while she gave me space to use English to communicate, since day one she would use Mandarin to speak to me, and switch to English only if she noticed that I was really struggling to understand her. I also appreciate that she always sets the bar a little higher for me to challenge myself and improve my level, but not too high to lose confidence in my abilities. Finally, we always have a lot of fun learning new aspects of China and its culture. Silk Mandarin provides very useful slides together with the textbook with extra examples that set each new word in context, which helps a lot with the learning process without becoming boring. I highly recommend embarking on this learning journey with Silk Mandarin; everyone is committed to helping students succeed by offering high-level professionalism and engaging methods to make you feel at ease and progress fast.

I have been studying Chinese for a while. I recently became quite frustrated with my lack of progress and decided to travel from Australia to Shanghai to try a more immersive experience with Silk. I chose Silk as they had excellent online reviews, reasonable pricing and a great location.

The experience was exceptionally good and I plan to return in future at least once a year.

The course organisers were extremely flexible and allowed me to spend one week reviewing HSK3 in individual/private lessons (to refresh my memory) and then one week studying HSK4 in group lessons.

Here is a list of things I really liked:
*Prior to starting, the course organiser was able to accurately assess my level and place me in the correct class.
*The online learning platform was very easy to install/use to prepare for the face-to-face lessons.
*The lessons were very organised and the videos were kept short and succinct.
*The grammar/new word explanations were very easy to understand with many examples to demonstrate different use cases.
*New words were deliberately repeated throughout example sentences throughout the course to help memorise them. There were also specific videos made for words that are similar, to demonstrate how they are different
*The teachers were completely fluent in English&Chinese and they were patient, energised and friendly.
*They were willing to assist me with course queries, as well as issues/queries regarding Shanghai daily life/sightseeing.
*The course was very well paced and I never felt rushed/overwhelmed or bored.
*The course content was extensive with daily classes focusing on the core concepts, but allowing students to review as much as they like after class.
*The facilities were very good- air conditioning was good and classes were tidy and clean. Small refreshments were served during breaks.
*Some grammar points were explained using ‘Slow motion technique’ which helped me better understand things I previously learned but never quite understood
*As well as online videos/flashcards/activities, textbooks and workbooks were supplied for review after class
*The face-to-face classes were engaging and fun. We all had a good laugh!

The reason why I chose this school is because I want to build my speaking skills.
I studied Chinese at a university before I came to Silk mandarin, and what I learned is almost for HSK exam. That was very helpful when I was in beginner level, but I felt it would be less practical in higher level. Also there were about 20 people in a one class, so there is not enough time to practice speaking during the class for each person.
The class in Silk mandarin is small groups, so I feel it’s much better environment to practice speaking skills.

It was a great choice to face the challenge learning Chinese with Silk Mandarin. In HSK1 I learned the basics, which help me a lot in my daily life. This made it possible for me to settle into my new life in Shanghai as quickly as possible. The lessons are well structured and are supplemented by learning videos. Hannah is a wonderful and patient teacher. In addition to classes, various events are offered where you can socialize with others who have the same goal of learning Chinese. This includes everything from sporting to cultural excursions.

Learning Chinese is not easy and I have to say thanks to silk mandarin Team that is helping me in this long road. Online and offline efficient method. Courtesy and professional teachers.
The school is in the center of Jing A Shanghai, very easy to reach. The classes are very flexible. I really like the online and offline method, the teachers are very patient. I recommend to try the first free lesson and evaluate with the teacher the right path to follow.
Learning Chinese is not easy and I have to say thanks to silk mandarin Team that is helping me in this long road. Online and offline efficient method. Courtesy and professional teachers.
The school is in the center of Jing A Shanghai, very easy to reach. The classes are very flexible. I really like the online and offline method, the teachers are very patient. I recommend to try the first free lesson and evaluate with the teacher the right path to follow.