Program Reviews

I started my course in Suzhou, China. It was 2019 and I chose one on one classes. The school offered lessons with experienced teachers in a landmark location (Dongfang Mall). Not only was it possible to daily arrange the classes according to my ever-changing schedule, but also all the teachers ware available and helpful during their off time. One can always message them while having some doubts about Chinese language and even ask about other Chinese culture-related stuff. They are always happy to help. The school provides their own books, and they allow you to practice listening too. You can always mention what your goal or troubling issues are, for example exam preparation, speaking, writing etc. This way you can customize your lessons. I chose to go with comprehensive HSK3 course where I asked my teacher to put particular attention to speaking and tones. I am very satisfied with the results. I think that my speaking improved significantly after one year. My teacher recommended me relevant Chinese movies and music apps to practice my listening and she asked me if there are specific things that I want to practice as well. Online classes during COVID-19 pandemic were organized proficiently too and it was even more easy to change and adjust it. One can cancel or reschedule lessons one day before and you can rarely be to late to change it. Emergencies were understood and it was possible to bend this one-day rule as well. Even lessons separated be different time zones were possible to be arranged. The school was recommended to me by my university friend and it is quite popular around foreign students in China and appreciated by them. As I have heard form them, small group classes are equally as good as one-on-one classes, and their teachers are available to students off-classes too. It is important to mention that teachers offer you access to various online sources, both organized by schoolteachers (e.g. quizlet) and otherwise (e.g. books to memorize Chinese characters by association). Useful information about how to use characters on daily life are provided by them as well. All teachers are native speakers, and they are well versed in informal speech used by Chinese teachers and you can always consult them about it. What I think is the most important asset of this school is that they use good presentations that use as little pinyin as possible (during HSH3). At the same time, it is to the point that you can understand everything clearly and small difficulties push you to learn more characters. They also prepare you for more difficult HSK4 classes. I would sincerely recommend this language classes for those who have busy schedule and seek to improve their level despite other personal obligations. Additionally, I want to recommend my teacher (Hailey) to you. She is great at explaining things and she can always make the classes funny. If you hesitate, you should go there, and they will offer you a lesson for free so that you can decide if you like it. At first, after the trial lesson, I was afraid that it would be to easy, but you can always adjust your level to talking to them. They have additional surveys/tests to examine your level too. Even if you have troubles with characters, they will know your real level after a few lessons well..

I'm now on Chinese HSK3 Level just after a bit more than one year in this language school. They offer various course plans. I opted for the one with small groupd. That was really fun. Now i'm preparing for Exam and will take some more private lessons in order to prepare effectively. Teachers are very nice and the school organizes some side activities such as open mic night, christmas party, etc..
The location is in jing an district very close to jing an temple. This is one of the most prestegious areas of shanghai.
But they also offer online teaching. Due to the 2020 pandemic parts of the course were delivered remotely with a cool teaching platform named ClassIn.

I really enjoyed the Tailored Chinese course at Silk Mandarin. My teacher helped me to prepare for the HSK5 exam. We practiced the skills I needed to approve. Everyone at the school was kind and helpful. I enjoyed going there.
My teacher took me to some nice places in Suzhou, she showed me some great places to eat local food. The school organized a lot of activities such as cooking, movie nights, competitions etc. I learned a lot about Chinese culture and society. I highly recommend SilkMandarin School.

My husband and I really enjoy our Silk Mandarin classes. It is nice to have a private teacher face to face who can help you with pronunciation and help support you learning this fascinating language. I like that we are able to learn at our own rhythm. Christina our teacher, has a fun and clear way of explaining things. She has a lot of patience and also teaches us about the culture here. It’s great! We definitely recommend Silk Mandarin to whoever would like to learn Mandarin in a fun, supportive way!

It is well-tailored and comprehensive course. Teachers are well-versed in their jobs and they are always patient. The atmosphere is great and there is a lot of laughing during learning process. Sadly, students cannot access PPT presentations, but the school provides other materials. All sources provided are high-quality too. I quite recommend it to those who want to tailor their lessons to their specific needs.

The school expands and it currently offers their courses outside of Shanghai too. They have their branch in Suzhou and this is where I embarked on this course. The teachers are every bit as qualified as those at Shanghai and they often the same as they travel from one city to the next.

After 6 years spent in China, trying to learn by myself and failing ... I started the HSK classes with silk Mandarin, in intensive for HSK2 and semi intensive for HSK 3. Learned a lot in short time and got deeper insight in chinese characters, which also helps in daily life being at restaurant, metro or various useful app in Chinese.
Always had a great atmosphere in class with small motivated group, emulating each other’s, helped by knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers.
Very professional team, from assessment to

I started to learn Chinese 2,5 years ago. First I had simple online classes, which failed totally - it just wasn’t my style of learning. For me the best way to learn is the face to face classes with a teacher privately. This is also what Silk Mandarin can offer and I like very much! Flexibility and independent learning in my own way, own rhythm, own speed as it is the best for me. My teacher is Christina, in Suzhou. She has a good feeling on how to explain the things and when to practice more certain grammar points and when we can move on to the next point. I pretty like learning with her and her teaching style! Great to be in good hands and see the result of our efforts in using Chinese in daily life. Things are getting pretty much easier!!

I have been studying Chinese for 1 year. Although I live in China, it is not easy to have a self-motivation to study Chinese as a foreigner especially in the international city, Shanghai. Nevertheless, Silk Mandarin makes me study the new language and culture. With Silk Mandarin, I could learn how to speak, read and write Chinese in such a short time. When I tried to take the HSK exam, my teacher, Gemini, helped me a lot. She gave me a lot of advice on the exam. Thanks to my teacher and Silk Mandarin, I could improve my Chinese quickly and understand more about China. I would recommend Silk Mandarin someone if they are interested in learning a new language.

My experience at Silk Mandarin has been nothing short of excellent thus far. The small class sizes make for a much more intimate learning environment where you are free to practise your speech and ask questions. Our teacher not only has extensive knowledge of Mandarin, but of English as well. He is able to anticipate where we will have misconceptions in our learning and helps teach and guide us towards understanding. One thing that has really impressed me in our classes is that we’re not only learning the language, but we’re also learning about Chinese history and culture as well. It is a very comprehensive way to learn and I highly recommend it! – Laurie MacNaughton

The classes at Silk Mandarin are engaging, fun and provide a wonderful insight into the Chinese Language. It's been great experience to understand how the Chinese language is structured and the stories behind the characters.Our teacher provides clear explanations in an enthusiastic manner to the time fly by. Overall I would highly recommend Silk Mandarin to people who is interested in learning Chinese. I look forward to continuing to learn Chinese to understand the local culture better and enjoy my life in Shanghai more!