Silk Mandarin Language School Reviews

I have done Chinese at Silk during HSK2 level twice per week.

The materials are useful, and there are many videos that explain the grammar points and the new vocabulary. I did the course with Qiying, and she is a great teacher. Qiying is really patient during the classes and give us many examples and activities to practice everything.

I would recommend the course to anyone who wants to start learning Chinese or to those who already know some but want to improve it.

So far everything has been good.

When I arrived in China last September I knew only a few words of Chinese and was an absolute beginner. I had had a couple of lessons with a native speaker but was unable to express even the most basic of sentences in a supermarket, coffee shop or at the market.
Silk Mandarin's course has made a difference because it gave me an overview of the basic structure of the language which meant I was quickly able to make myself understood in short exchanges.
Perhaps, more importantly, their online materials are always available so the learner can pace their revision and have a handy reference point to check when doubts arise.
The most surprising aspect of these were the 'real-life' dialogue videos which gave insight into daily life and tendencies in Shanghai.
The course was recommended to me by a colleague who had previously tried other schools and had found, above all, Silk Mandarin's approach to tones very helpful.
I was also pleased with how the school reacted when I needed to change the timetable due to work commitments. The 1-to-1 course I was offered was highly beneficial in increasing my confidence. Qiying is an extremely thoughtful teacher who is always available with feedback and help!
All in all, I would recommend it to those who are 100% committed to learning and want to move quickly.

Prior to starting Silk Mandarin’s Blended Learning Course, my learning experience consisted of the hundreds of hours spent on a few of the popular language apps on my cellphone. When we moved overseas to China this past August, I learned quickly that this method is not going to be enough for me to carry out a relatable sentence, yet alone, a conversation with someone local.
I found out about Silk Mandarin through a Chinese New Year ad on social media. CoCo has been a pleasure to work with. She explains the program courses in detail, listens to your wants/needs, any concerns/feedback, & always follows-up. In just a couple of months, 3 hours per week, I’ve learned so much more and have a deeper understanding of the Chinese language & culture. This course has given me a strong foundation to build upon. I just completed the HSK 2 private 1:1 course with my teacher, Yanqin. She is amazing & well-spoken! She knows more about the English speech structure better than I do. Her teaching-style, patience, & humor makes learning Chinese fun. I always look forward to our classes, so-much-so, that I’ve enrolled in & will soon start our HSK 3 lessons.

After not having spoken Chinese for a long time, I was very insecure about my speaking skills so I decided to book 20 online one-on-one lessons. After four classes my fluency and confidence were already improving thanks to my wonderful teacher who made me feel comfortable enough to speak and with whom I had a lot of fun during the classes. Everyone was super flexible adapting to my schedule as well as my current Chinese level and fully accomodated my expectations from the classes and personal goals. Would highly recommend!

Prior to Silk Mandarin I had no knowledge of Mandarin, but I had strong desire to learn.

I came to Shanghai for work in the beginning of 2023, and since I planned to stay in China for a while (more than 3 years), then of course learning Mandarin was a necessity as one cannot rely on phone translators forever. My first experience was with another school, however they lacked enough structure for my taste and the lessons felt very disorganised and structureless. However, my work colleague told me of another school nearby that they and their friend have had great experience with: quicker learning, structured lessons, friendly staff - the full package.

Firstly, the pricing and flexibility of Silk Mandarin gave a very positive first impression and it made the cumbersome non-language-learning part of the process much easier: easy to pay, to plan classes, a lot of flexibility and guidance. Additionally, if I had an emergency or preoccupied with work, switching to an online lesson was incredibly easy, although I preferred offline classes overall.

Secondly, I finally felt an astronomical increase in my perception of the Chinese language and characters. Mainly, the structure and professionalism of the lessons ignited an actual desire to practice outside of class, either with downloading Pleco to practice han-zi, or using DuChinese to practice listening and comprehension. However you feel about "studying by the book", sometimes it is warranted, and the last thing you want in your language learning is a lack of structure. Although Silk Mandarin don't go strictly by the book, i.e. chapter by chapter, they are able to streamline and compress the HSK books into a digestible, easy-to-revise format.

Thirdly, the main methods of revising/homework/practice provided by Silk Mandarin (ClassIn) proved to be the most efficient and easy to use. My only other experience with a Chinese learning school was lacklustre as it only provided a web portal. Having an application like ClassIn on my android phone and Mac made it so much easier to practice on the train/car/office/etc. without the difficulties of websites that sometimes glitch out on the phone.

Lastly, the positive vibes are paramount to a good learning experience. I have difficulties balancing my work obligations with extracurricular activities, being it language learning or just going out, but the positive atmosphere and personal contact from the teaching staff made me *want* to learn to balance these things and actually improve my Mandarin. It's one thing to translate on your phone, but a whole other feeling to speak the language of the land you are a guest in and fully immerse yourself.

I plan to not only continue studying at Silk Mandarin (after 2 months), but hope to return the favour by speaking fluently and fully appreciating their country and culture. Would recommend whole-heartedly.

Yanqin is WONDERFUL! She is a well-prepared teacher and is patient. I always leave the lessons with really useful language to practice and to use. Excellent Mandarin class. Much appreciated! :)

Yanqin ist eine sehr tolle Lehrerin. Sie ist immer sehr gut vorbereitet und hat wirklich viel Geduld. Man lernt in jeder Unterrichtsstunde hilfreiche Redewendungen und Begriffe für den Alltag. Der Mandarin Unterricht macht einfach Spaß. Danke für die Unterstützung und schöne gemeinsame Zeit beim Lernen. :)

Learning with Silk has been fantastic. Sisi (teacher) and Coco (sales) have been incredibly easy to work with and very helpful. Coco has been very thorough in explaining the different instructions options/pricing and consistently follows up. Sisi is great at clearly explaining language points I may be struggling with and is fun to work with.

My language skills have increased dramatically since beginning my study with Silk. When I speak with Chinese natives, they are frequently surprised at my progression and how much I have in such a short time.

I elected for 1-on-1 teaching sessions, which turned out to be a very good choice. The instruction that I receive is tailored to my specific needs (i.e. less pronunciation, more vocabulary). Also, the flexibility that the 1:1 sessions offer allows me to reschedule as conflicts come up.

Overall, the instruction is high quality and priced fairly.

It was pure accident that I ran into the website of Silk Mandarin. But our communication with CoCo was sooooo smooth that I decided to take a trip with my kids so that my 7 y.o. son could take classes with Silk Mandarin for 2 weeks on Suzhou. We've already had some learning experience but the problem is that having several 30-mins classes a week my son could understand Mandarin pretty well but speaking was a but of a problem.
We've spent 2 amazing weeks with the team, they did everything as agreed beforehand and it was just perfect! My son could show his knowledge and could gain a lot more, thanks to the teachers' efforts and the homework we had to do almost every day. The teacher even took him once to a local market to buy some souvenirs. My son was super excited about this opportunity！Now that we are back home my son keeps saying "next time we are in Suzhou, I will...", the way he makes plans for his future studies makes my heart melt.

During the Shanghai lockdown in 2022 I was searching for a qualified Chinese online school, and luckily I found Silkmandarin. I applied for the HSK1 course and it was an fantastic experience. The learning environment that Silkmandarin can provide on the platform includes very professional, structured online media components for the self learning, in additional the online classroom on the ClassIn platform. Overall, the course is very well designed with tools for a professional, interactive class session environment. Last but not least, a big applause to the professional teachers - they very well align individuals, which brings a very good, motivated atmosphere. The outcomes and results for the students are accordingly at the same high level of quality. I passed HSK2 and preparing now for HSK3. I highly can recommend Silkmandarin.

During Shanghai lockdown at 2022 I was searching for a qualified Chinese online school and luckily I found Silkmandarin. I applied for the HSK1 course and it was an fantastic experience what Silkmandarin can provide on the platform with very professional structured online media components for the self learning, additional the online classroom on the ClassIn platform very well designed with tools for an professional interactive class session environment. Last but not least a big applause to the professional teachers where they very well align individual to the students which brings a very good motivated atmosphere and the outcomes and results for the students are accordingly at this level what Silkmandarin offer. Meanwhile I passed HSK2 and preparing now for HSK3. I highly can recommend Silkmandarin and wish you have fun 🤩!!!