Program Reviews

Operating an export business means I spend a lot of time in Southern China. I needed a school in Guangzhou that could fit around my supplier meetings, and Sojourn Abroad's 'start any Monday' policy was exactly what I needed. I booked an intensive 6-week block.

The tuition is highly competitive. The daily layout of 3 small group classes ensures you get a solid 15 classes of rigorous training a week. Because classes never have more than 10 students, I was able to ask highly specific questions about trade terminology and local interactions.

For any business professional needing localized language skills without a rigid university timeline, this program is exceptional.

I wanted to learn Chinese in a city with real history. Xi'an is older than most British cities. My advisor, Zhouzhou, helped me find my apartment. Xi'an is famous for the Muslim Quarter. I ate yangrou paomo it’s lamb soup with bread. You tear the bread into tiny pieces. I tore for 20 minutes. My fingers hurt. Worth it. I also biked on the city wall. 14km. It took me 2 hours. My legs died. But seeing the city from above was incredible. My teacher, Mr. Liu, is a former archaeologist. He worked at the Terracotta Warriors site. He told us stories about digging up the soldiers. one time he found a clay horse. He was so excited. His teaching style is storytelling. Every grammar point came with a historical story. "了" (le) indicates a change. "After the Qin dynasty unified China, everything changed – use 了." I never forgot that. Sojourn Abroad organized a calligraphy class. I'm terrible at holding the brush. My characters looked like spiders. But the teacher said "you have spirit". For Brits: Xi'an is not as polished as Beijing. It's real, a bit dusty, and the food is amazing. Sojourn Abroad's advisors are like fixers. Anything goes wrong, they fix it. Top marks.

I thought I quite knew big cities. But Beijing is a different kind of big. My teacher Mr. Zhang is hilarious. He made the classes so interesting. My advisor, Li Na, she was extremely patient and answered all my questions.I chose to live in a hotel close to the school. Students from Japan, Mexico all sat together and practiced Chinese after class. The school has a very central lcoation, so it is easy to get to anywhere by metro. I went to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Less crowded than Badaling. I took the toboggan down. So fun. Also went to the Temple of Heaven. Saw old people doing tai chi. I joined them. Terrible at it. But they laughed and clapped. Sojourn Abroad also took us to a Peking duck restaurant. The duck skin was so crispy. I dream about it. My Chinese went from zero to being able to order food, take a Didi, and complain about the weather. Beijing is intense. But Sojourn Abroad's staff hold your hand through everything. Highly recommend.

I am Singaporean. I already speak some Mandarin but very Singlish style. I wanted to learn proper Mandarin with correct grammarm, so I took the program with Sojourn Abroad in Xiamen. My teacher Lin Laoshi is from Fujian. She speaks very proper Mandarin but also Hokkien. She corrected my "lah" and "lor". She is very patient and professional in teaching Chinese. We have a very small group class, around 2 to 3 students. My advisor Coco is very nice, helped me choose between homestay and hotel. I chose an apartment near the school because I want more privacy.

Xiamen is beautiful. I went to Gulangyu Island. No cars. Only walking. I saw a piano museum. Also visited Nanputuo Temple. Many turtles in the pond. I ate satay noodles. Different from Singapore satay. Spicier. Sojourn Abroad organized a tea ceremony class. I learned the proper way to pour tea. Seven parts full. Not full full. Xiamen people are very friendly. They smile a lot. My Chinese speaking improved because I had to use it every day. No English on the streets. At the end, my Mandarin is now "very standard". I was proud. Xiamen. It's like Singapore but slower and cheaper. Sojourn Abroad's advisors are very responsive on WeChat very nice.

If you are looking for a qualified Mandarin program in China, Sojourn Abroad is definitely one of the best.

I am Malaysian Chinese but I never learned Mandarin properly. My parents speak Hokkien at home. So I came to Kunming with Sojourn Abroad. My teacher Zhao Laoshi is from Yunnan. She speaks very clear Mandarin. She taught me the difference between "shi" and "si". In Malaysia we mix up. She used hand gestures. Finger up for shi, finger down for si. At first its really hard to distinguished,but know I remembered. My advisor Jasmine helped me when I lost my passport on a bus. He called the bus company. Found it in 2 hours. I almost cried. Kunming is turly worth to called Spring City. Weather is perfect its so comfortable. I went to Stone Forest. Rocks look like trees. Very weird but beautiful. Also went to Dianchi Lake. Big lake. I rode a bike around it. Took 3 hours. I have ate crossed-bridge noodles. Very tasty, fresh, I love it. Sojourn Abroad also took us to a flower market. I bought some roses, I also wore a flower garland on my head. it was very very cheap. My Chinese is now much better. I can order food. In Malaysia, I was afraid to speak Mandarin. Now I am not. Kunming is cheap and nice. Not too hot. Sojourn Abroad's service is so good. They even helped me buy a train ticket to Guilin after the program. Any help you need, just look for Soujoun Abroad.

I am from Tokyo. I chose Sojourn Abroad because my senpai used it. My teacher Li Laoshi is very patient. Japanese people are shy to speak, but she always says "don't worry, just try". Its very encourage me. My advisor Wang Jie helped me open Alipay. In China, you cannot live without it, its so so so improtent, She sat with me 1 hour. Shanghai is crazy big. I went to Yu Garden. So many people but pretty. I also took the Maglev train. It seem 430km per hour. Faster than Shinkansen. I lived in the school. Very quiet at night. My Chinese improved a lot, actually Japanese has many Chinese characters, which helps a little when I learn Chinese.Now I can say "这个多少钱" without thinking.I love shanghai, its a vary charming city. I fully recommend Sojourn Abroad.