Omeida Chinese Academy

Program Reviews

Default avatar
Omi
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Thanks Omeida team

The Omeida team is composed of a group of chinese teachers all very efficient and helpful. We had fun together (ride bycicle, go swimming, have meal, speak chinese and cook French dishes!). Each person brought me different experience and I learn from each of them about their culture. They are all devoted and passionated to their teaching. It was a pleasure to be part of their student.
Regarding the environment it's a great place if you like nature and sport or want to enjoy life far from big cities. Yangshuo is full of places to visit and things to do. I will remember for a long time my trip in Omeida.
Omi

What would you improve about this program?
More intensive program and a better organisation for student's level.
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Dear Omi,

It was OUR pleasure to have you as part of our Omeida family. We thoroughly enjoyed your presence and not forget to mention delicious French dishes.

Come back to Omeida! Our team misses you already!

Default avatar
Ellen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best time ever

After studying four weeks in Beijing, I came to Yangshuo. Beijing was too expensive and the school I went to, was too focused on money. I by accident found Omeida on the Internet and I immediately liked it. After a few emails back and forth I decided to book and fly to South china. I must say after the big city you need a bit of audjusting, but the school made feel very welcome. I got a welcome pack for free, including towel, cloth hangers and all sorts of maps. In Beijing they would have made you pay a 100 euros. First impression was already very good. I had a brilliant teacher Cindy and I notice my Chinese improve quickly. I booked an all inclusive package which ment housing and food twice a day. The food in the school canteen was not bad, but sometimes you would rather eat out and that was no problem. If you cancel a day before you get your money back. Every time I had a question, whether about Chinese SIM card, school activities or anything else all the staff would help immediately. After one month (too short) I felt part of the omeida family. The difference with Beijing is that the school here focusses on your experience and making it an unforgettable one, instead of focussing on money. I would say omeida you are doing in the right way, because I love to share my experiences with others and I cannot wait to come back!

Yangshuo it self is quite touristic, however you only need 5-10 min to cycle out of the crowd and you can see beautiful landscape, small villages, rivers, karst mountains, you can climb, you can hike, you can swim, you can eat! And be very satisfied with living in South china.

What would you improve about this program?
I was lucky to have an amazing language partner, we got a long as great friends, however I can imagine when you sign up for the language partner program you need some more guidance on how to set up the hour. To make sure it's an efficient hour instead of talking about the weather.
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Ellen! Thank you SO much for your awesome review. It means a lot to us that you had a best time ever.

Here at Omeida we have a mission that each and every student would have a super happy experience in Yangshuo; would feel comfortable and at ease and of course would improve their Chinese language skills to a very high level.

Your positive feedback means a lot to us. Thank you!

Default avatar
Dave
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

It was WONDERFUL time in my life

2015.02.01. I came to Omeida to improve my chinese language. And my teachers Becky and Cindy were very professional . Other Omeida staff also were excellent , very helpful (Anya, Twelve, Daisy, Wanda, Ieva, Abby, Kelly) . Yangshuo is also wonderful place, local people so friendly. When I was in OMEIDA, I really had wonderful life, enjoyed life's GOOD!
If I have some opportunities, I would be stay with OMEIDA in YANGSHUO. And I happily reccomend the OMEIDA to anyone who is like to improve their chinese level and chinese culture, enjoying Chinese life with foreign people and students.

What would you improve about this program?
In Omeida almost all the students come from EU,US or AUS. And a few people from Russia. But about Central Asia just only two or three people. I would like to say, in future, let's know about OMEIDA not only EU or US, and let's know another students whose mother tongue is not English language. Because, if in Omeida have a lot of students from another country, can communicate to each other another languages and culture.

I wish, in future, Omeida's students day by day getting more!
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Dave, thank you so much for such a WONDERFUL review. We are so happy to hear that you had a wonderful time of your life here in Yangshuo. It means a lot to us as we always want to make our students stay as best and happy as possible.
We wish you all the best of luck and really hope to see you again in China!

Our team is sending hi and hugs to you!

Default avatar
Tyler
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wonderful Place, Wonderful People, Wonderful Program

I have attended Omeida on two separate occasions now for a combined total of nine weeks study, and both were magical experiences that fostered a rapid and dramatic improvement in Chinese.

The setting of course is beautiful and unique, as its reputation would suggest, and there is no need for me to add here to the already plentiful enconia to the natural splendor in and around Yangshuo. The school and its attendant dormitories are about a twenty to thirty minute walk from the noisier and somewhat tourist infested downtown area, and the environs are somewhat sleepy with beautiful views of the karst mountains in all directions.

The teaching and administrative staff are excellent - professional, friendly and accessible, and contribute to a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

Particularly advantageous are the small class sizes - the maximum number of students in the classroom in my time at Omeida was four, and often there were only two of us. This means that you will have many hours of actual practice and conversation daily, and in my opinion will be able to progress much more quickly than is possible in a larger classroom.

I have also been very impressed by the teachers' ability to place students in a class appropriate to their level. Since students come and go over varying periods of time, I had the opportunity to see various classmates join the classroom and leave again, and I don't know that anyone ever felt as though the had been misplaced.

Finally, I would like to mention that the group of students the school attracts seems invariably to consist of warm, kind, interesting and adventuresome people from all around the world and all walks of life. The camaraderie around school and on the various outings and activities on offer is heartwarming.

I happily recommend Omeida highly to anyone who is interested in studying Chinese in a beautiful place and surrounded by wonderful people.

What would you improve about this program?
It would be wonderful if the school had some sort of 24-hour study space or lounge open after the office closes. Perhaps there is some concern that it might get trashed, but personally I trust the students to keep it clean responsibly and it would be a real asset for those of us who prefer not to study in our rooms.
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Tyler, thank you for your WONDERFUL and descriptive review!

I think we read your mind about the improvement of our facilities. Actually, at the moment we are expanding and renovating Omeida Chinese Academy facilities. We are building a study room/student lounge, which yes, will be open for 24 hours! Students will be able to use their student card to access the facilities whenever they want to. And the best news is that it will be finished by the beginning of May!

So, when you come to study at Omeida for your third time in the future, not only our staff, but new student lounge will be waiting for you.

See you!

Default avatar
Robert
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Simply the best - for me, at least!

I can't say this is the best school of its kind in China, because I haven't been to any other. But I'll be very surprised if there is a better all-round school - especially given the added attraction of its location. I carefully checked out options around the country and it ticked all the boxes for the kind of course, environment and overall experience I was seeking. I am happy to report that it did not disappoint. I can praise and criticise various aspects, but all these would be relative only to my preferences and expectations. Others would likely have a different opinion. The best endorsement I can give Omeida is that I am going back for more.

What would you improve about this program?
I hesitate to suggest changes for the sake of it. Enough to say that any worries, complaints etc that I had turned out to be temporary and easily dealt with. You're right, no program is perfect, but the Omeida staff and organisation seem to be adaptable and amenable to change. Customer comes first, and all that.
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Robert, thanks a lot for your review and for sharing the photos with us and others! In particular we really enjoyed to read the photo captions.

And of course, there could not be anything better for Omeida than a student who returns to study with us. It really means a lot for us! Thank you for being part of Omeida's family!

Default avatar
Clay
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An excellent Chinese school in scenic Yangshuo

I took classes at Omeida for four weeks this past February, and was very impressed. The school is located on a very quiet street with housing very close by, and it is just a 10-15 minute walk from the center of the city. The teachers at Omeida were excellent; all my teachers had been teaching Mandarin for several years and were quickly able to create a teaching plan suitable for my level in which I feel I made great progress. Classes are small, as most classes have just 2-4 students.

Not only is the quality of instruction very high, but there is a real sense of community at the school. I quickly became friends with several members of the staff, and would accompany them on weekend trips to surrounding villages, hikes to the top of the TV tower, and on multiple camping excursions. They helped to make my stay in Yangshuo truly memorable. I will definitely be returning to study at Omeida sometime in the future.

Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Clay, thank you very much for your positive review! We always really appreciate to hear feedback from our students.

We already miss you and your story telling skills!

Default avatar
Jose
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The best way to study Chinese and Chinese culture

You will always have more than 1 city to choose from if you want to come and study Chinese in China. After living in a few places in China such as Shanghai and Zhejiang, I consider Yangshuo to be the best option. Yangshuo's picturesque Chinese-paint scenery and laid-back local atmosphere will keep your motivation high. When you are in the process of learning Chinese language and culture, the more motivation you get, the more persistent you become, and the more likely you'll be able to not only learn the language, but also understand the culture. In my own experience in Yangshuo, Omeida was the perfect link to master these skills!

What would you improve about this program?
Omeida has cultural lessons that will get you closer to the way people from China understand the world. I believe they could add to these lessons, for example: introduction to Chinese ancient wisdom (Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism).
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Thanks a lot Jose for your review as well as interesting topic you suggested. Omeida will make sure to personally invite you to attend our cultural lesson of Ancient Chinese Wisdom in the near future!

Default avatar
Steven
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Everything worked out as planned

I came to Omeida to improve my Mandarin language abilities and my two teachers (Abby and Zhuge) were very helpful and professional. The staff always helped too, especially Daisy, Wanda and Leva. I had a great time there and there were plenty of opportunities to practice Chinese. I would even say that there were more opportunities and activities then they advertised. Their advertisements were also accurate about their offerings on the whole, so I have nothing to really complain about. I was also very fortunate to meet someone very special here too. Anything can happen at Omeida!

What would you improve about this program?
The canteen food. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Thank you very much Steven for your review! We are very happy to hear that you had a great time in Omeida. Everyone misses you already and hopes to see you in the near future!

And yes, magic happens here in Yangshuo :)

Default avatar
Daniel
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Omeida Experience

My experience in Omeida was very nice, everyone there was so friendly and helpful, besides the normal classes there are many cultural classes which is very important to understand the Chinese culture.
Another thing I like about Omeida is that they are not so rigid with the classes schedule, I had to change my classes more than once and there was no problem, they are open to do the best for the students.
I definitely recommend Omeida if you are looking to learn Chinese and experience China, not forgetting to mention that Omeida in located in Yangshuo, just google images for Yangshuo and it will blow your mind!

What would you improve about this program?
I think Omeida could have more online resources to help students, like a website with different learning tools.
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Yes, you are right, we try to be as flexible as possible as we want every student to be a very happy one.

Thanks a lot, Daniel, for your review and tips for on-line learning resources. We will definitely keep that in mind. All the best!!

Default avatar
Marion
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

So far so exellent

I've only been in Yangshuo for 1 month, but if the 5 next are as good as this one then i'm the luckiest girl on earth.
Omeida school is unbeliveable, you feel at home, you feel relax and safe. You know that they will take care of everything, they give you good tips and exellent chinese education. Studying here it's being at the same time at school and in holiday, how times in your life can you say these kind of thing ? You are exiting about going to school, you want to have a lots of homework and the longer your inside the school the better you feel.
Even if your chinese is not great it doesn't matter, there is always a way to understand people, these people are so hospitable it's impossible not to be friends with them !!!
So my advice is : if you want to have the time your life come here in yanshuo come to Omeida =-

What would you improve about this program?
To force english speaker stop talking in english during class !!! Chinese only
Response from Omeida Chinese Academy

Chen Lu! Thank you very much for your review, but most importantly thank YOU for being part of Omeida family. We are so delighted to have your warm smile and energy here with us. We know that many adventures await us in the near future too! More mountains to climb, more foods to cook and etc. All the best!