Program Reviews

I've learnt Chinese with Culture Yard in their intensive courses for 2 years and off and on for 4 years. The staff is experienced in a foreign environment and they have taught globally so they understand how foreigners think and question, that helps them break the language down and offer it to us in bitesize pieces! All of this in a gorgeous Hutong (open courtyard) environment. I started with survival Chinese and have now reached HSK Level 5, every bit of support they offered was honest and kind and not once did I feel out of place asking the silliest questions. The batch size is small and that built a fabulous camaraderie with everyone in the class! This school will teach you things you need in your daily life, and that was a lifesaver for me!

The school itself set around a bright Hutong courtyard is so welcoming, I immediately felt the friendly atmosphere as soon as I arrived.
The classes clearly outline the goals and targets for each lesson so that you know what you are working towards.
The classes are all quite small which is great as you all get lots of attention from the teacher; who often adapted the lessons to areas that were most relevant to the students.
Everything was clear, interactive and fun... Especially lessons where we went out together to practice our Chinese in the real world.
The administration at the school was also always very helpful, they are very well organised and quickly available if you have any queries, this made the whole experience run very smoothly.
I would highly recommend Culture yard to anyone wanting to learn Chinese in a professional but friendly environment.

It is an exceptional language course school. Their materials are based on spoken language mainly. The teachers are all Chinese and classes are held in Chinese as well. That is a nerve wracking experience at the beginning, but a necessary one.

Secondly, the school provides all the material for a tiny fee. The place itself is located in hutongs, tiny reservoirs of Chinese culture and architecture, and is easily found even by first time travelers. Thus, this location makes the learning even more authentic.

Then, the classes are held according to the level of students. They range from beginner to intermediate and above. ALso, there are crash courses as well, to get your Chinese kick started.
Lastly, everyone is given a chance to practice the language right away. In a restaurant, on the street or with a teacher. Highly recommended to anyone who is searching for a hands on experience and a real life language course.

Translation by Go Overseas team:

The Culture Yard is located near Kitashinbashi Station in the center of Beijing.
I think it is a language school that features an experienced teacher and very friendly staff.
If you do not understand, please teach me carefully and earnestly.
Very positive people, and the staff always greet me in a friendly manner, and I got enthusiasm here for my unfamiliar Chinese life.

The students were of different nationalities (US, UK, Australia, Israel, Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, France, etc.) and it was a very international atmosphere. Even during the class, I was able to learn different perspectives from myself, and everyone was very active speaking and personally that was also attractive. I was taking a group class, but I think that it was possible to learn points that I was not thinking by giving questions to other people, and to give each other a good stimulus. Also, my friend had a private lesson, but the friend was taught by the contents that aimed at the Chinese necessary for work, and it was an environment where I could ask questions more and more, so it will be misidentified in a few months Chinese had improved (especially speaking ability).
I felt again that it was the best of the private lessons.

As there were various options such as short-term introductory survival Chinese, long-term (one month?) Regular classes (by level), and time classes as morning class and night class, shift to night shift by Chinese beginners It was good that there was a place where I could easily go there.
So I think it's easy for people who are free, not to mention housewives, and people who work.
The event also had a chance to interact with everyone, such as pot racks and movie nights, so it was a lot of fun.
If you are considering a language school, we recommend that you visit us once.

Original review:

カルチャーヤードは北京の中心地にある北新橋駅の近くにあります。
経験を積んだ素晴らしい先生と、とてもフレンドリーなスタッフの方たちが特徴の語学スクールだと思います。
分からないところは、丁寧に熱心に教えてくださいます。
とてもポジティブな方たちで、スタッフの方たちもいつもフレンドリーに挨拶をしてくださって、慣れない中国生活もこちらで元気をもらえました。
生徒さんは色んな国籍（アメリカ、イギリス、オーストラリア、イスラエル、オランダ、トルコ、ドイツ、フランス…などなど）の方がいて、とてもインターナショナルな雰囲気でした。授業中も自分とは違う視点を知ることができて、皆さんとても活発に発言をされていて個人的にはそこも魅力的でした。私はグループ授業を受けていたのですが、他の方が質問してくれることで、自分が考えていなかったポイントも学ぶことができ、お互いにいい刺激を与えあうことができたと思います。また私の友人はプライベートレッスンを受けていたのですが、友人は、仕事で必要な中国語に的を絞った内容で教えてもらっていて、質問もどんどんできる環境だったので、数ヵ月後には見違えるほど中国語が上達していていました(特に話す力が)。
そこはプライベートレッスンの一番の良さだなと改めて感じました。
短期の入門的なサバイバル中国語や長期(1ヶ月ちょっと？)の通常の授業(レベル別)、時間帯も朝のクラスと夜のクラスなど色々選択肢があったので、中国語初心者で夜勤のシフトがあった私でも通いやすいところも良かったです。
ですので、フリーの方はもちろん、主婦の方でも、お仕事をしている方でも通いやすいと思います。

イベントもポットラックやムービーナイトなど、みんなと交流する機会もあり、とても楽しかったです。

語学スクールを検討中の方は、是非一度こちらへ見学に行かれることをおすすめします。

I attended Culture Yard's HSK6 course and was blown away by my teacher's ability to teach us characters. We take the time to let new characters and grammar structures sink in by using them in many examples so they're ingrained in our memories. But the teacher does it in a way that's not repetitive, dense or overwhelming. She introduces us to cultural and historical origins of the characters, shows us articles and tv shows where we see what we've learned in action, and gives us A LOT of opportunity to practice in class (we ONLY use Chinese in class..no English, people!!!) Two hours go by really, really quickly. I

It also really helps that Culture Yard hosts events to tie the language and culture together. I took an awesome calligraphy workshop, attended movie nights, joined dinners hosted by the school, hiked the wild Great Wall, and even went to a rice wine tasting!!! Not only are the classes amazingly effective, but the activities are plenty and so fun!
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I also love the staff who obviously love what they do, and they have so much knowledge about China and the Beijing area! Plus, they're super sweet and fun to talk to.

I really couldn't recommend Culture Yard enough. If you really want to learn Chinese, have fun doing so with really awesome, interesting classmates, and study in a really cool traditional Chinese courtyard, then this is for you.

I took a summer course in culture yard for HSK level 3. I came with a group of seven people and the staff of Culture Yard during all of our stay took very attentive care of us, recommended us the best places to eat, to visit, helped us with Sim card (which no way we could manage by ourselves), bank accounts and everything we needed. Also, we took an amazing electric bike tour around Beijing that was really fun and unusual experience!

Our teacher was absolutely fantastic not only that we enjoyed coming every day to study but our Chinese level improved very much and we were taught very useful every day Chinese and could manage on the streets. And the location of culture yard is in the center of the hutongs which is also very authentic and adds a lot to the overall experience. There are not enough words to describe how we enjoyed our stay with Culture yard! Super recommended and I'll come back again for sure!

Translation of review by Go Overseas team:

I've been in this school for two years and time has flown by, CY has become like my second home in Beijing. The atmosphere is very good, the place in the hutongs has a unique charm and the classes are helping me a lot. The teachers are very professional, and I am learning much faster than other Spanish colleagues who have private classes. Of all the academies that I have tried in different countries, it is my favorite without a doubt. The prices in comparison with other Beijing academies are better, in an expensive jobsale group and in addition the groups are usually of few people (3-6). The schedules also adapt well to my work even though I am a journalist and I have quite chaotic schedules. I recommend this academy without a doubt!

Original:

Llevo dos años en esta escuela y el tiempo ha pasado volando, CY se ha convertido como en mi segunda casa en Beijing. El ambiente es muy bueno, el lugar en los hutongs tiene un encanto inigualable y las clases me están ayudando un montón. Las profesoras son muy profesionales, y estoy aprendiendo mucho más rápido que otros compañeros españoles que tiene clases particulares. De todas las academias que he probado en distintos países está es mi preferida sin duda. Los precios en comparación con otras academias de Beijing son mejores, en grupo jobsale caro y además los grupos suelen ser de pocas personas (3-6). Los horarios también se adaptan bien a mi trabajo a pesar de que soy periodista y tengo unos horarios bastante caoticos. Recomiendo esta academia sin duda alguna!

Translation of review by Go Overseas Team:

I have studied several years in this school and I have loved the experience. I have learned a lot and even applied to the HSK exam and passed it without problems.
The school is located in an area of ​​the city that I like very much, the space is pleasant and the staff is super friendly and very professional. They are always willing to help you in everything you need.
Culture Yard also organizes activities outside school hours. I recommend them, it's a great way to get to know the city (and other students), to socialize with the teachers, to learn a lot about Chinese culture and also to have fun.
I want to thank my teachers for their sympathy and professionalism and the whole CY team for their support over the years.

Original:

He estudiado varios años en esta escuela y me ha encantado la experiencia. He aprendido muchísimo e incluso me presenté al examen HSK y lo aprobé sin problemas.
La escuela está situada en una zona de la ciudad que me gusta muchísimo, el espacio es agradable y el personal es súper amable y muy profesional. Siempre están dispuestos a ayudarte en todo lo que necesites.
Culture Yard organiza también actividades fuera del horario de clases. Las recomiendo, es una forma estupenda de conocer la ciudad (y a otros estudiantes), de socializar con los profesores, de aprender un montón sobre la cultura china y también de divertirse.
Quiero dar las gracias a mis profesores por simpatía y profesionalidad y a todo el equipo de CY por su apoyo estos años.

I came to Beijing knowning zero Chinese.
Unable to communicate with the locals at all.
Started at Culture Yard with a few private lessons then continued with a (small, 4 people) group class.

Each lesson proppelled my chinese forward and was very relevant to staying in China.
My teacher was perfect, and the staff were extremely friendly.

I enjoyed the many class options that suited my specific needs in regards to knowledge level, times of day and days of week.

I liked the diverse teaching methods, use of technology and enjoyed the extracarricular activities (Movies, food and more!)

I highly recommend visiting Culture Yard, whether if planning in being in China for a short period of time, and even more if planning on living in china.

I love how Culture Yard is professional. I owe my gratitude to Culture Yard for improving my Mandarin and actually teaching me from the basis. Also the environment is fun, teachers can handle distractions and go back to teaching environment if we get distracted and out of path because everyone is so nice! We even went together for a meal after class and studied together. Teachers are available to every question and Culture Yard encourages students to come back with offering discounts.

I was part of a one month program in which we studied 3 hours a day. With breaks and all it was 2.5 hours a day. Personally and because of my ability to study long I would change it and make it a 5 hour studying program per day. That would be better and perhaps will allow to focus extra and more on characters