CLI: Chinese Immersion Program in Guilin, China

I spend 4 weeks over the summer learning Chinese at CLI, and it was a great experience! My Chinese improved a lot. My only regret is that I didn't have more time because I think if I could study there for a few months, I would be able able to speak Chinese very well my the end of it. I did 4 hours of Chinese classes per day, and I had 3 teachers. 1 comprehensive teacher I saw for 2 hours everyday, 1 writing and reading teacher I saw twice a week, and 1 speaking and listening teacher I saw 3 times a week. They are really willing to teach you what you request, so I decided to focus on speaking and listening.

The single best thing about CLI is that they prioritize flexibility above all else. If you want a hyper specific program, be it 4 hours a day, 8 hours a day, you want to only learn to speak, or you want to use traditional characters they can do everything.

In my program I wanted to learn traditional characters and with the teachers I was able to work with them to choose a good textbook that suited me. They provided me with a tailored environment that suited me specifically.

There were students who spoke no English during their time there and were doing really intense 1 on 1 classes. I for a time asked them to give me extra classes, where i would have 1 hour of free speaking, 2 hours of reading/writing, 4 hours of comprehensive (mostly grammar and new vocab), and 2 hours of calligraphy for 5 days of the week, for dinners, I made friends with the interns, and became very good friends with them. I was getting so much immersion I honestly felt exhausted and my brain hurt from how much I learned in a day. I went from beginning HSK 1 to starting HSK 5 from August to January.

Other students mostly wanted to just get around with Chinese and more just get a feeling for China, so the program also offered a lot of weekend excursions, and daily activities. So for those who did not want a super intense experience, a very leisurely experience is also provided. Teachers really try to understand student's desires. There are many different teachers available and it's really easy to switch. In my year I ended up having 6 teachers in total.

Guilin is really pretty with its mountains, it's food is on the spicier side in China but there are also non-spicy options available. There's homestays, private apartments, shared apartments with Chinese roommates, and also CLI's own dormitory available. There's rooms catered to couples, families, and individuals. Rooms can also include a kitchenette + refrigerator if requested.

I came to CLI, Guilin, for 2 weeks with an elementary Chinese level, and with the goal of improving my speaking. Although it was a short stay, it was enough time to feel myself making progress. I am very grateful to my teachers with whom I got along very well and provided me with a lot of opportunities to speak.
I also enjoyed Guilin's scenery.
In short, CLI is a great value program, no matter how long you stay! (Recommended: at least 3-4 weeks to explore Guilin and its surroundings)After CLI, my motivation to continue learning Chinese is stronger than ever.

CLI is the best combination of immersive Mandarin learning while experiencing day to day life in China. Living in Guilin, a small city in Guangxi province, you are able to truly focus on your studies while gaining an authentic experience of Chinese culture. From weekly activities to weekend outside excursions, CLI makes sure that every student is able to interact with the other students and see the beautiful scenery of Guilin and its surrounding areas. Truly an unforgettable experience in one of the most beautiful parts of China.

I came to CLI with some basic speaking/listening skills from my family environment, and very basic (HSK 4ish) reading skills. I stayed at CLI for 7 weeks, but if I went back in time, I would have liked to stay a couple weeks longer, as when it came time to leave, I was quite sad to leave the friends I made at CLI and in Guilin and for my classes to come to an end.

Before I came to CLI, I was pretty iffy on the cost, but I now feel like the cost was well worth how much I progressed in Chinese skills, and the general experience. The other option I was considering to learn Chinese before coming to CLI was taking a semester-long course at a Chinese university. However, I couldn't find any suitable scholarships for a college course, since those seemed to have disappeared after Covid and with worsening U.S.-China relations (this may be different for college students). Considering that taking a university course wouldn't be much cheaper, and given that CLI allows you to choose any learning timeframe you want, I ended up choosing CLI.

Looking back, I believe this was the right decision due how effective I found the 20 hours a week of 1-on-1 instruction, which you can't really get anywhere else. As mentioned by other students, the instruction hours are initially split 3:2:1 (comprehensive, speaking, reading+listening), but in reality you can customize lesson time to be however you find most helpful. Personally, at least half of my lessons were simply having discussions with my teachers on any topic I wanted (general life, social issues, politics, history, etc.). My teachers would help me find words I didn't know and structure more complex sentences, to express what I wanted to say. I found my speaking skills improved very rapidly this way, which was my primary goal. The immersive environment also allowed my reading abilities progress much faster than I though they would. By the time I left I was able to read/send texts in Chinese much more easily, navigate commonly used Chinese apps to do things like make online orders, order takeout, and (slowly and painfully) read some Chinese news :).

I think the 1-on-1 instruction is maybe the best way to learn for language-learners who already have a foundation and have a good idea of what skills they want to improve in. My experience was very self-directed, and if this how you like to learn, then CLI's environment is maybe the best place to do so. I personally found many times that the learning materials that my teachers provided weren't super interesting or helpful (most likely due to my particular interests). It was most productive for me to find topics I found interesting to talk about, and have teachers help me read through things I found useful, such as news articles from the Chairman's Bao and reading material within common apps like Wechat, Taobao, etc.

The CLI teachers, interns, and staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and made my stay much easier than I imagined. I didn't realize at first that the teachers and interns could help with getting a phone number, opening a bank account, or even helping you buy things from stores, so getting help on a lot of these things at the beginning really makes adjusting to life in China a lot easier. It also made life much easier that the school's housing provided sheets, towels, hand soap, and even small packets of shampoo/body wash for when you first come. I was very surprised that the cleaning staff even cleaned rooms and changed sheets/towels weekly. The building also had a kitchen for cooking and free washers/dryers. These were all aspects I was worried about, so it was a big relief to not have to figure these out.

One of the best parts of CLI were how well the social activities and trips were catered towards student interests. For example, another student and I expressed our interest in learning traditional Chinese dance towards the beginning of our stay, and I was pleasantly surprised the next week that the interns found a nearby dance school and organized a group lesson for traditional Chinese dance. They also helped us to figure out how to attend dance lessons at this school, which I did so for the remainder of my time at CLI. Another example is that I expressed interest in seeing the Longsheng rice terraces, and it ended up being a school weekend trip a couple weeks later.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about China in general was how convenient many daily life activities turned out to be. Calling a Didi taxi for a short trip was never very expensive (although if I went back in time, I would've learned how to use the shared electric scooters on the sidewalks). Ordering takeout through the Meituan or 饿了么 apps can be cheaper and faster than going out to get food. As a vegetarian, I wished I'd done so sooner to avoid cooking or wasting time trying to find vegetarian food in restaurants. Also, returning things on Taobao turned out to be way easier than I thought, as you can just schedule door-pickup for the item you want to return, so I'd definitely recommend using the opportunity to buy clothes or other things you might need on Taobao :).

I had never been to China before joining CLI. For me, it was difficult to adjust to China and Guilin in my first month. Although I had studied Mandarin for 6 years, I could not understand people's speaking. I did not know the social norms, and it felt like every restaurant had their own unique procedures. It was a gradual adjustment.

Fortunately, after one month, I felt comfortable, and I started to have fun with other students. After two months, I felt comfortable with the language, and I felt like I could handle any situation. After three months, at the end of my program, I had formed many meaningful connections with students and teachers, and I was very sad to leave.

Through 4 hours of class per day, my Chinese level improved dramatically. The teachers understand how to simplify sentences to your level of vocabulary, but they keep you talking and practicing until you're exhausted. Guilin forces you to use Chinese. People only speak Chinese, and they expect you to speak Chinese. After my program in Guilin, I traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, and I was disappointed to find that many people spoke English, so I felt a little uncomfortable practicing my Chinese with them. In Guilin, the environment is 100% Chinese. It's difficult, but it's a good learning environment.

If you want to focus on improving your Chinese, CLI is an amazing school. The city of Guilin does not have many Western comforts, but it's beautiful, safe, and comfortable. I'm happy I went to CLI, and I'd recommend it to other students with similar goals.

My partner and I can't recommend CLI enough! After taking online classes with CLI for about two years, I couldn't wait to do their immersion program and bring my partner (a true beginner) along. We spent about two months at CLI with four hours of individual classes each day and three different teachers focused on certain aspects of language learning. This is their standard practice, which is nice to mix up the classroom experience. Aside from the high-quality custom instruction, the experience living at CLI and participating in weeknight and weekend adventures only adds to it. We got ourselves into a routine of weekly badminton and adventuring around town. It was refreshing to meet other students from all walks of life - beginners to nearly fluent individuals, college students to middle-aged and retired friends, and solo travelers to couples and small families. CLI is a place for everyone and they really support your whole experience from applying, traveling to China and back, and continuing your education after the program.

As someone who studied Mandarin in school but forgot most of it, I’ve always wanted to give leaning it another shot. And this course was exactly what I needed - the one-on-one lessons with some incredible teachers and the general excitement for learning within CLI really helped to keep me motivated (something I struggle with), and kept my passion for the language alive. Another thing that greatly helped my rapid progression in the language was CLI’s location. Guilin is a city filled with friendly and approachable people who are very unlikely to know any English, giving you the perfect chance to practice your Mandarin in practical settings all the time, and never feeling judged when you stumble over your words a bit. It really helped to build my confidence, which in turn helped my passion for the subject grow. The atmosphere in and around CLI is truly an amazing one, and I would recommend this course extremely highly to anyone at any level trying to learn Mandarin - you’ll be amazed at how quickly you improve, trust me.