Program Reviews

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 🤩!!!

I've been studying at Silk Mandarin for approximately two months, and as my time here concludes, I want to share my positive experience.
Silk Mandarin has been instrumental in organizing my journey to China, and their welcoming and supportive approach made the transition seamless.

The staff is genuinely welcoming, and the teachers' dedication, coupled with a well-structured curriculum, fostered a positive and effective learning environment.

I highly recommend Silk Mandarin for anyone considering language studies in China. It has been a rewarding experience, and I am grateful for the support they provided.

I undertook Chinese classes for a period of three months, and the experience was incredibly beneficial. The classes were tailored to my specific needs, taking into consideration aspects related to my job. This personalized approach added a practical dimension to the learning process, making it directly applicable to my professional context.
A notable feature of the classes was their flexibility. My teacher, Christina, demonstrated a willingness to adapt the schedule and content to accommodate my learning pace and preferences.
I've found my classes at Silk Mandarin Language School really helpful for improving my Chinese. I highly recommend Silk Mandarin Language School to anyone who wants to learn Chinese effectively.

Mandarin Chinese is a very distant language from my mother tongue. After nearly two years of weekly classes, I struggled to construct long sentences. My writing and listening improved, but I needed help to express more complex and informative ideas.
I was looking for a school, and a friend recommended Silk Mandarin to me as she has been a student for the last two years at their school and praised the high standards and enthusiasm of the teachers. After contacting one of their staff members, I quickly understood that Silk Mandarin was a well-organised school with various teaching plans that could be rapidly adapted to my schedule. The one-on-one class perfectly matched my preferences, and the online platform provided all the material to study at my own pace outside of class hours.
Silk Mandarin made a massive difference in my daily learning of the Chinese language. The school provided me with listening, audio, and visual material beforehand to prepare for each lesson. Following the class, the teacher adapted each homework according to my progression with an efficient review for me to understand my mistakes. Furthermore, the teacher was always available to answer my questions and inquiries.
One of the most surprising experiences was the online teaching. I was initially sceptical about having one-on-one teaching lessons entirely online. On the contrary, the online platform allowed unique learning tools, which enhanced the overall quality of the teaching. Another aspect was the teaching methodology of the Slow-Motion Technique. As I always had difficulty in Chinese to organise sentences grammatically, the Slow-Motion Technique set the guidelines to establish the order of each character. With the excellent methodology provided by my teacher, it is far easier for me to learn and understand the Chinese language.
I strongly recommend Silk Mandarin for any student wishing to improve their language skills, succeed in standardised HSK examinations, or have their first experience with Mandarin Chinese. I guarantee it will open a whole new world of knowledge and opportunities.

I came into Silk Mandarin without knowing much Chinese. And after completing the course, I can definitely see improvements within a short amount of time. My teacher (Christina) answered all of my questions that I had and provided me even with external resources to aid in learning Mandarin. Classin (Teachable) is also a great platform that worked really well.
For an online school, it's very organized and the videos aided with the lessons. Hoping to continue my Mandarin learning journey with Silk Mandarin.