The Chinese Language Institute (CLI)

Program Reviews

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Phillip
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great School

Had a great time at CLI, very nice people, teachers, and community. I thought that the curriculum and teachers were challenging, and improved my mandarin. I thought that my mandarin improved more during the month at CLI than in the last five years I had previously studied mandarin. It is also fun interacting with locals, for example ordering local food, playing soccer or basketball, and going shopping. I am excited to return soon.

What would you improve about this program?
it's great
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Dana
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

CLI summer 2018

I am 14 years old and have been studying Chinese for 4 years about 2 days per week. My written skills are far better than my spoken. I attended CLI this summer for two weeks and I am feeling more confident about speaking.
My sister was also with me and more experienced and she also had a great experience. The teachers are fun and teach well. They helped me with my tones and radicals and speaking.
Our room was nice, air conditioned which is needed, it’s really hot in Guilin. The other students were nice and the activities and weekend trips were fun and educational.
I hope to go back again next summer for a longer time and I would like to continue to work on my fluency.
We took a separate trip to Youngshuo to see the Impression Sanjie Liu and it was incredible.
I had a great experience and highly recommend.

What would you improve about this program?
Would like to see some weekly group classes in the evening.
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Amanda
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

3 Weeks at CLI

CLI is an absolutely wonderful place to improve your Mandarin! I was initially sceptical about how much I could learn in 3 weeks but CLI definitely surpassed my expectations. The teachers were lovely and tailored lessons to my learning speed so I could quickly complete chapters and move onto new material. Housing was clean and spacious, and very convenient as it's located directly above the classrooms. I really enjoyed the activities organised by CLI, especially the weekend trip: they were fun, affordable and well-structured. I had a great time in Guilin, thanks to the interesting people I met at CLI, my teachers and the welcoming locals. Would definitely recommend CLI to friends interested in learning Mandarin and looking forward to returning (hopefully soon!)

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Samuel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best place to get fluent in Mandarin

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Harry
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

2nd Time Attending, Still Amazing!

CLI is an amazing experience and is equally amazing in helping your language. This was my second experience ; once with my family for a 2 week stay in an apartment - this was a wonderful experience all round. I returned alone ( I am 14) for a 4 week stay with a homestay family. This experience was even better! My family were wonderful and included me in many activities. The 4 week immersion was really really helpful to language learning and I cannot wait to go back. CLI acivities and excursions are fun and the teachers and interns are so kind and helpful. They are there to ENSURE you learn Chinese, but in a really good and professional way.

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Agnes
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience in learning Chinese

I spent 2 months at CLI improving my Chinese. The support was fabulous from the beginning till the end, exact and prompt, providing proper answers to all my questions. The teaching was brilliant as I had three different one-on-one teachers who all had different styles and from whom I can learn different things. They were all really caring that I progress and used various methods. They were also very flexible - if I asked to change something, they were eager to follow, and I personally find them all very nice people. The programs CLI organized were all very diverse and quality programs from tea house visiting to weekend trips. The area where the school located is a bit out of the city center, but it is a very nice area with all facilities nearby. I can only recommend CLI to everyone, who wants to enjoy a personalized and flexible Chinese learning experience!

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Hanne
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great environment for studying

I went to study at CLI for 3 weeks. Previously I had been doing self study at home partly with a teacher for two hours a week. I thought that the CLI immersion program was great. I particularly enjoyed the one on one lessons but also liked having three different teachers. My aim was to improve my listening comprehension and my fluency in speaking. I really enjoyed studying at CLI. The teachers are great and very enthusiastic. I will I could have stayed longer.

What would you improve about this program?
I think that this is a great program. The only aspect I found disappointing was that the pengyou aspect couldn't get implemented. It was explained that the pengyou candidates were busy at university.
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Emily
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Incredible Experience

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Kit
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Immersive language course

I spent 4 weeks in Guilin at CLI, and cannot imagine a better experience for improving my Chinese. Having previously self studied Mandarin for 2 years, I was a potentially difficult student as I had a reading ability and vocabulary way above my speaking level. However, my teachers were extremely helpful and able to adapt to my needs so that my Chinese speaking progressed rapidly.

The service was very professional and the language school is a relaxing environment to study or relax. Particularly valuable were the many opportunities to speak to and make friends with native speakers, whether during lunch, activities, or talking to the language school's interns who are always around. Guilin is also a pleasant city with a relaxed environment, good air quality and relatively few locals who speak English, encouraging you to use your Chinese.

I genuinely would recommend CLI to anyone who wants to learn Mandarin and has the opportunity to do so in China.

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Dan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My two weeks in Guilin

I came to Guilin with the goal of getting a lot done in a very short span of time. I did not go away disappointed. CLI does a great job, even for those only staying for a short spell, of sweeping away most distractions so students can concentrate on improving language skills. As I said at my farewell dinner, I was most impressed at the dedication of the teachers, which ensured I came to class as well prepared as I could be. In my view, nothing substitutes for one-to-one engagement between student and teacher. On top of that, having three teachers gives real depth to the instruction. Well done CLI!

What would you improve about this program?
I didn't witness any obvious weak spots during my two weeks at CLI.