Program Reviews

I can happily recommend studying Mandarin at Silk Mandarin school in Shanghai.
I am currently preparing to take the HSK 6 exam. I have a deadline for passing the HSK 6 exam. Before deciding on a Mandarin school, I contacted several different Mandarin schools, met with their HSK 6 teachers and even attended several trial classes. I chose Silk Mandarin. Silk Mandarin's professionalism was the thing that won me over. They quickly matched me with an actual professional teacher (not someone who does Chinese lessons on the side of their real job) that suits my level, who is able to personalize the curriculum and teaching style for me. It is great to attend classes that are student centered instead of the usual teacher centered classes like I have attended over the years I have lived in Shanghai. In the campus the atmosphere is light and happy, the staff are friendly, approachable and ready to help.
I look forward to my classes and would like to say a big thank you to my teacher Liwen老师 and the Silk Mandarin team.

My 2 months doing the intensive HSK 3 class at Silk Mandarin has finally come to an end! I can say that the school has truly helped me to improve my mandarin level by quite a bit! I remember my progress over the weeks, with my 听力 and 语法 improving bit by bit. I was initially unable to grasp what most people said, especially within a contextual environment. But with my very patient teachers: Yanqin, David, Gemini and Jessica , my level has improved. For this, I am really satisfied with the quality of teaching that I have received over here. Most other classmates are also really motivated to learn and I was lucky to meet some great friends here at SM! I’d highly recommend their teaching and if you really do have the time, try investing a longer period of time here. Some students who have spent 7 months (starting from scratch) at this school, are already speaking fluently. The prolonged period in China, and at SM, has been one of the best Mandarin teaching I’ve ever received. 加油！

Some tips for newcomers: If you’re new here in China, register at a police station as soon as you arrive! (Especially if you’re staying at an airbnb)

I improved from HSK 3 to 4 within 3 months (part time 9 hours a week) and had an amazing time doing it! Highly recommend Silk for the teachers and friendly atmosphere. They care for their students and value your education - not to mention everyone at Silk is super nice too. I was taught by Masae who is one the best teachers I've ever had. Every lesson was fun, engaging and productive in improving my Chinese and understanding of Chinese culture that is hard to learn from anyone other than someone who is born and raised in the culture. The atmosphere of Silk and my teacher made learning Chinese a joy which definitely helped me improve quickly.

Silk Shanghai is also in Jing An which is very central and likely won't be more than an hour away from most of Shanghai.

I have been learning Chinese for about 3 months and would like to continue more.

Here are my two reasons why Silk Mandarine is worthy.
First of all is they know how to care for students. I registered classes through Silvia, she has organized and proposed the fittest class for me considering my Chinese level and time schedule. It’s easier to focus on studying itself because there is a manager who is in charge of each student.
I feel very cared for and can say it’s because Silk Mandarin has much experience and know-how to manage students and classes in a very professional way.

The second reason and the biggest reason why I learn here is because of Teacher, Liwen.
This is my first Chinese learning experience, but comparing to any other language schools I have experienced so far, Liwen is a very professional and skillful educator.
From the storytelling of the character to the slow-motion technique, she teaches logically and interestingly to ‘understand’ Chinese itself.
If you have any experience learning something, u will definitely think this person is born to be teaching something very well. She always motivates me with her bright energy, and I can feel she is enjoying teaching. Her Chinese class is very helpful, professional, practical, and fun.

Aside from that, u can also experience the Chinese culture, and meet new people through some activities.

Silk Mandarin has a professional Chinese education system, if you wanna learn it more seriously and intensively, it’s the best choice!

저는 굉장히 만족스럽게 다니고 있으며, 앞으로도 이 곳에서 수업을 들을 의향이 있는데요.
첫째는 학생을 최우선으로 케어한다는 느낌입니다.
실비아를 통해 처음 학원에 등록하게 되었고, 그때부터 지금까지
저의 중국어 레벨, 스케쥴 등을 조정하고 공유해가면서 저에게 가장 맞는 수업을 제안합니다.
저를 담당하는 수업매니저가 따로 있기 때문에, 수업 이외에 저의 스케쥴이나 방향 등을 언제나 마음놓고 케어받는 느낌이 있어, 뭐랄까 고급중국어학원을 다니고 있는 느낌이 듭니다. ㅎㅎ 그만큼, 전문적으로 학생과 수업을 관리하는 경험과 노하우가 있다는 것이겠지요.

둘째는 제가 학원에 다니는 가장 큰 이유인 리웬 선생님입니다.
중국어 학원은 처음다녀봤지만, 현재까지 다녀온 다른 랭귀지 스쿨과 비교하였을 때 리웬 선생님은 매우 전문적으로 학생을 지도하는 분이라고 생각합니다.
처음 한자의 생김새부터 Slow Motion Technique까지, 중국어를 ‘이해’할 수 있게 논리적으로 그리고 재미있게 가르쳐주시고,
제게 언제나 기분 좋은 동기부여와 에너지를 주십니다.
전문적이면서도 성격이 매우 좋으셔서 매순간 수업이 재미있습니다!
제가 경험한 바로는, 리웬은 중국어를 ‘가르치는 것’에 타고나신 분인 것 같습니다.
어떤 학원을 가도, 아, 이 선생님은 정말 잘 가르친다! 하는 분들을 종종 만날 수가 있는데요, 리웬 선생님도 그런 분이라고 할 수 있습니다.
그만큼 가르치는 일을 정말 좋아하시는 것을 느낄 수 있습니다.
그렇기 때문에, 리웬과 함께하는 중국어 수업은 언제나 활기있고, 유용하며, 재밌습니다.

이 이외에도 종종 있는 외부 액티비티를 통해 친구들 또한 만날 수 있고, 중국 문화를 경험할 수 있어서 좋았습니다.

제가 느낀 바로는 실크 만다린은 액티비티 중심의 흥미 위주의 중국어가 아닌
전문적으로 중국어 교육 시스템과 조금은 더 진지하고, 밀도 있고, 에너지 있게 중국어를 배울 수 있는 학원이라고 생각해요. 추천쓰~

I am strongly recommending Silk Mandarin for your Chinese.
When I arrived to Shanghai, people told me that reaching a very good level of Chinese required full-time learning. However, after trying several private teachers, I arrived at Silk. Within 10 months, I reached a strong HSK3 level while studying full-time at the university and keeps aiming for more!
The classes are not more than 6 students, all of them with the same motivation, really helps you to build confidence and to help each other to improve even more.
I had HSK1 and HSK2 classes with Christina. She aims the best for you, giving you challenging homework but she's adapting to your pace and you get to improve so quickly! Then I switched to HSK3 classes with Jessica. Jessica is the best to teach you the logic of characters, once she explained you one word you know it for good.
Furthermore, the atmosphere you find at Silk is so friendly that you feel you discovered a new family, and that's something no other school in Shanghai has!

I have been living in China for six years and took classes in different Mandarin schools. I usually changed one school per year what didn't help to make much progress. It's my third year at Silk Mandarin , I joined when I was at HSK4 book, now I am learning HSK6 book.
The best thing at school are people. I guess this school has best teachers in Shanghai who become your friends with time. I am lucky to have Jasmine as my teacher for three years, I guess just thanks to her easy-going and funny way of teaching I managed to pass HSK5 and striving to learn HSK6. This school feels like my second home after these years. They have many other activities like Christmas party or weekend trips , what can help you to make new friends too.
Silk Mandarin is in the center of Shanghai at Jing'an temple station ( and I still remember two previous locations) and has all the facilities you need : equipped classrooms, TVs , and even a computer with VPN.
I can recommend this school to anyone who thinks about learning Chinese, wants to make new friends and learn about Chinese culture. I will definitely get back to classes after my summer vacation.

I have been learning Chinese for a long time but I always have found that my level was stagnating. I was lacking methodology and grammatical knowledge and was not implicated enough. This was until I came to Silk Mandarin where I have made huge progress in only a few months. I love their ways of teaching and their ability to make chinese interesting. Whenever we discover a new character, my teacher often tells me a story about where it comes from and why it looks the way it looks. It has made the whole learning process a lot more fun. Living in China, I am also able to apply what I am learning to my everyday life, which is a great way to learn too. I have a private teacher and the lessons can be quite expensive. I however think that they are worth the money!

My experience of Silk Mandarin has thus far been a very positive one. All of the staff there are extremely friendly and helpful in a way that is sincere. This friendliness is coupled with a modern and bright facility in the heart of Jing’an making for a brilliant atmosphere, perfect for taking on the challenge of learning Mandarin.

I take one on one classes with a friendly, patient, fun and thorough teacher. I have had around 5 lessons (approx 2 hours each time ) and am more than pleased with the results so far. Silk Mandarin seem to have a simple but effective formula for helping foreigners such as myself improve their Chinese (and quickly so). Such is clearly demonstrated by the progress I have made with my pronunciation , ability to read characters and improved knowledge of correct grammar and sentence structure. Each week there is plenty of reviewing and homework to complete before the next class which I find gives structure and direction to my everyday learning. What is more my teacher is always willing to answer questions and provide extra help via WeChat.

Considering the price I am paying and the quality of the teaching I think it is great value for money. Before arriving in China I took lessons in England which covered far less and cost more.

So a big thumbs up for Silk Mandarin. I would highly recommend it for anyone keen to learn Mandarin or improve on what they already have ! :)

I would like to thank Silk Mandarin a lot!! In 3 weeks, with the « Intensive courses » option, I have validated my HSK 2.
I will start the HSK 3 this Monday, and I am really happy to pursue these courses here!
I really have the feeling my level has improved quickly during this time because I came the first day with an only dim memory of my HSK 1 and I did not know anything about the «Hanzi» things (Chinese characters).

Today, I am able to:
- Have a discussion in Chinese and structure my sentences.
- Write some texts with the characters.
- Read and understand not only pinyin but especially many characters.
I have taken these courses during the morning while I was working in a company in the afternoon (so if you have free time in the afternoon, you could even more improve your level !)
The premises are very nice and the large windows light up the rooms, with a magnificent view of Shanghai.
I deeply appreciate this warm and friendly atmosphere at Silk Mandarin! People are all amazing!
Within this program, we are very few students in the classrooms (we were 3 in my class), which allows us to quickly improve our level!
Finally, I would like to give a big thank to my professor Andy, for her patience and the perfect way she teaches, I would never be at this level without her.
谢谢🙏🏼

J’aimerais remercier infiniment Silk Mandarin pour ce qu’ils ont pu m’apporter.
En 3 semaines avec l’option « Cours Intensif » j’ai pu valider mon HSK 2 !
Je commence dès lundi le HSK 3.
J’ai réellement sentie une énorme progression durant cette période de temps, je suis arrivée sans connaître 1 seul caractère et en ayant de vague souvenirs du HSK 1, aujourd’hui je peux désormais:
- Tenir une conversion et bien savoir m’exprimer.
- Écrire des textes avec les caractères « Hanzi » à l’aide du pinyin (ex: nǐ hǎo -> 你好）
- Savoir lire et comprendre des textes non seulement en pinyin, mais surtout avec les caractères.

J’ai pris les cours le matin et je travaillais dans une entreprise l’après-midi.
Les locaux sont très agréables et les salles de classes illuminées avec une vue imprenable sur Shanghai.
J’apprécie sincèrement cette ambiance familiale et chaleureuse au sein de Silk Mandarin, et de pouvoir échanger avec d’autres étudiants (de tout niveaux et tout âges) pendant la pause est très agréable.
Les classes sont constituées de peu d’étudiants, dans la mienne nous étions 3, c’est un réel avantage puisqu’on progressive plus rapidement !
Je voudrais finalement remercier ma prof Andy, pour sa patience et son excellente manière d’enseigner, sans qui, je n’aurais pu atteindre ce niveau.
谢谢🙏🏼

我很高兴能在 Silk Mandarin 学习中文课程，如果你想快速提高你的水平，我绝对推荐这个地方！

Over 6 months I attended the HSK4 group class at Silk Mandarin.
Before the course began, the school were very accommodating with my tight schedule and ensuring that I was at the right level to start the course. My level was somewhere between HSK2 and 3 before the course started and the school gave me some make up lessons to cover the parts of HSK3 that I didn't know.
The teachers in Silk Mandarin are all excellent, with their own individual teaching styles. My teacher for the group class was great at making sure that everyone spoke equal amounts and she was very good at dealing with the students' different levels of Chinese (although we were all quite similar).
The teachers are all very helpful, supportive and always made the classes interesting and fun. The school has a nice atmosphere, where everyone is very friendly. It wasn't always easy to go to class after working all day but once I was in class, the time flew by and I was always glad that I went.
The group class had a maximum of 6 people, although it worked best when there were around 3 people in a class. Regardless of how many students attended a class, there were plenty of opportunities to speak.
If I was not about to leave China, then I would definitely continue to have classes with Silk Mandarin. My Chinese has significantly improved since I joined the school and I am sad to be leaving them.
I would highly recommend if you are serious about improving your Chinese.