CLI: Chinese Immersion Program in Guilin, China

Translated by Go Overseas:

Hello everyone! Since they are almost all comments in English, I write for the public or students of Spanish.
It has been a great opportunity, a great experience. My time there has been short, only three weeks, but for work reasons, I have only been able to go during this time. I had been studying Chinese for quite a few years, although intermittently, I saw that I was not advancing and that is why I decided to reinforce it. I read very positive comments about CLI on many sites and websites I visited.
Everything is sensational, from the moment they pick you up at the airport and you feel that you are not alone. They help you to land and not feel the shock that comes from China.
The program is intense and fantastic.
In my case I feel that I have reinforced a lot. The Chinese language is a passion, 3 weeks has been very short, I hope I can come back soon.
I recommend CLI and its program and activities.

Original:

Hola a todos! ya que son casi todos los comentarios en Inglés, escribo para el público o estudiantes de Español.
Ha sido una gran oportunidad, una gran experiencia. Mi tiempo allí ha sido corto, sólo tres semanas, pero por motivos de trabajo, sólo he podido ir durante este tiempo. Estudiaba Chino desde hace bastantes años, aunque intermitentemente, veía que no avanzaba y por ello me decidí a reforzarlo. Leí comentarios muy positivos sobre CLI en muchos sitios y páginas webs que visité.
Todo es sensacional, desde el momento que te recogen en la aeropuerto y sientes que no estás solo. Te ayudan a aterrizar y no sentir el shock que supone llegara China.
El programa es intenso y fantástico.
En mi caso siento que he reforzado muchísimo. El idioma Chino es una pasión, 3 semanas ha sido muy corto, ojalá pueda volver pronto.
Recomiendo CLI y su programa y actividades.

There's a profound & rare opportunity to be amongst like-minded people who are committed to this language. You share chats about approaches to hanyui, gain ideas, see people's paths, understand their fascination and commitment, as well as their visions for the country and the country's role in the world. Ultimately, you are given the space to reflect on your own role, and your own paths to this language.
Further, most people I spoke with achieved a sense of consolidation of all the random bits of Chinese we had been studying over the years. This place, be it the charming guesthouse next door or the neighbourhood, is the most conducive to coalescing your whole historical relationship with the language into a sharpened tool ready to channel your mind through, and to develop one more personality.

I honestly didn't do much research before I went. I got lucky: everything was great.

My teachers were amazing, with my daily teacher (Anna) being one of the best teachers I've ever had for anything. Anna was able to use simple Chinese and body language to communicate everything with virtually no English, meaning I got a ton of actual Chinese practice. I was consistently impressed at how effective she was at using Chinese to teach despite my low Chinese level. The class adapted to my needs, and my teachers clearly communicated out of class because classes later in the day reinforced newly discovered weaknesses. The classes were the best part of the program, no doubt.

People in Guilin really don't speak English, so you quickly learn how to live in China. My Chinese was pretty bad when I first arrived, but was still able to make it day-to-day as I learned more phrases.

Housing was great - I recommend you live in CLI if you can. You can quickly get to classes, and you can make your own schedule. If you live in a homestay, you need to coordinate with your host family which can infringe on social events.

Guilin of course is beautiful - it's well known by all Chinese people for it's natural beauty and that reputation is well earned.

The activities were great to see the famous sites, but as time went on I made friends in Guilin and spent time with them instead - better to spend time with the locals instead of foreigners I figure.

Overall it was a great experience and I will always be trying to think of a way I can return in the future.

I did a 4 weeks immersion course at CLI in May 2019, and couldn't be happier with my experience. If I had had more time, I would probably have extended my stay by a couple of weeks. If you're considering doing an immersion course in China, CLI should definitely go on your shortlist.

First of all, I made great progress on my Chinese fluency in those 4 weeks, even though that is a relatively short time. Each week, you have 20 hours of completely tailored one-on-one lessons with three dedicated tutors (comprehensive, reading/writing and speaking/listening), moving at the pace that you need, focusing on the things you want to improve most. We used a textbook as a guide, but we did a lot of stuff outside of it, too. If you have a specific direction you want to take your Chinese in, or have a specific learning style, CLI is definitely really good at accommodating that. I arrived having studied a little Chinese beforehand, but there were also people there who arrived not speaking a word of Chinese, and people who were fairly fluent already, and they all seemed to be very happy with their individual programmes.

Outside of class, you're also in an environment where you can practice your Chinese all the time if you want. There are interns from the nearby university in the common area of the building at pretty much all hours, you can chat with them or ask them questions and they're really helpful if you're trying to do things like get a Chinese SIM-card or order things online.

Guilin is pretty laid back as a city, and because most people do not speak English, you really do get to practice "in the wild" every day. So even though it's not as vibrant as Shanghai, say, it's a better learning environment in my opinion.

Getting to know the other students was without a doubt my favourite part of the experience. Everybody's motivated, you get to meet people from all sorts of different backgrounds, and there's always people around to grab dinner with, have drinks on the roof with, or go places on the weekend.

So, definitely highly recommended, might even go again myself some time!

CLI provides a great learning experience. Classes are all one-on-one and are tailored to whatever the individual student needs/wants. Not only are the teachers willing to use whatever textbook the student wishes, but they are flexible as to how classroom time is spent. The faculty and staff are all friendly and helpful, making the student's time in and out of the classroom enjoyable. There are several optional programs a week, such as calligraphy or a visit to a tea house, that round out the experience of being in China. There is also the option to only speak and be spoken to in Mandarin, giving one the opportunity for a truly immersive experience. I've been a college professor for over 10 years and was a language instructor prior to that, and I wholeheartedly recommend CLI.

CLI has wonderful teachers. I may well go back again for this reason alone. They really do care and they really do try to provide students with what they need to improve their Mandarin. The down side is that this is not really an immersion program. Once class is over, the students almost all speak English. And some of the teachers seem to encourage this. Moreover, the staff are even worse. One staff member repeatedly spoke English with me while I spoke Mandarin. And this happened more than once. The result is that the school has intensive classes, but the overall experience is not as transformative as it could be. Some of this is natural, given the high numbers of native English speakers in the program, but the school could do more to combat it if it really wants to provide an immersion program. See below for some specific suggestions.

If you’re serious about learning to speak Chinese, you need to spend some time in China. CLI offers a great venue, a great one-on-one format, and great teachers, staff and fellow students to join you on your journey.

CLI has a picturesque location in the beautiful tourist destination of Guilin, with its mountains, lakes, temples, and the famous Li River. Even the air is good for a city in China. Try the 7:00 a.m. tai ji class on CLI’s 6th floor roof and soak up the scenery to start your day.

Your classes will give you solid training in all aspects of the language: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing. People of many ages, backgrounds and levels of proficiency in Chinese come to CLI from all over the world. You’ll make lots of new friends, and will have a lot of fun with the many different activities, the lunches, and the weekly welcoming and farewell dinners.

Then head out into the city and strike up conversations with local people. You’ll be so glad you did.

My two weeks at CLI flew by. My Chinese improved significantly. Next time I’ll stay longer.

I met so many wonderful people coming to CLI. I became so close to many students and teacher during the 6 weeks I was staying in CLI. Many of whom opened their lives up to me in such a short amount of time. For example, one of my teachers invited me to their house for Chinese New Years (because she knew I had never experienced a Chinese New Year). It was so much fun! I had one of the interns invite me to their house in Nanning, as well as meet some of her friends. My other teacher actually took me to the train station and made sure that I made it safely there. While my last teacher always bought me good food and took me to eat my favorite Chinese foods.

Everyone (teachers, staff, and fellow students) were all so kind to me and always there to support each other.

I feel like my Chinese improved so much more than when I was learning here in the States (5 years vs. 6 weeks). The teachers were always so patient and willing to correct any mistakes I or any other students made.

Sometimes, it didn't feel like student and teacher, the atmosphere is more friend and friend (both learning from each other). During free time we would play ping pong, go out to eat, or just hang out together. There is a good balance of when to be playful and when to be serious.

I still keep in touch with my teachers and friends. And they all still help me with my Chinese. I couldn't have improved so much without their help.

After attending CLI, it has helped me decide that I want to attend a school and live overseas. Currently, I am looking at universities in China and South Korea. Thanks to them and many friends I have made along the way. I want to challenge myself and live in Asia. They all gave me the confidence to work hard to improve my language skills.

A big thanks to Nikki and Tania, for helping me get from the United States to China. I was feeling very anxious and kept worrying about traveling by myself. But they both comforted me and told me that they would be available the whole time to help me along the way. Nikki also helped me transition from my host family to living at the CLI dorms. They never questioned me on why I decided to leave they just helped me move to the dorms.

I seriously recommend CLI to anyone who wants to live in China but doesn't know the language; a few weeks in CLI and you will improve so much! For example, my father wants to teach in China but he doesn't know Chinese, I told him he should attend CLI for a few weeks so that he can get a baseline.

It's also a good experience, especially for young people who are learning how to become more independent.