I stumbled upon this place while visiting Taiwan and decided to spend a couple of weeks working on my Chinese (after getting frustrated that everyone seemed to speak English in and around the hotel I was staying at). It turned out to be a great decision; really welcoming staff (shout out to Greta, Alin and Riona), lots of social activities with friendly students of various ages, levels and backgrounds and an immersive teaching environment, which was absolutely what I needed to give my faltering Chinese a much-needed push. I'm really grateful to both of my teachers, Jessica and Jack, who were both knowledgeable and engaging and were able to adapt my one-to-one time with them to suit my specific language learning needs. I'll definitely pay the Taipei LTL school another visit next time I'm in the country!

In June, I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks in Chengdu attending an intensive Chinese language course at the LTL-School. Having previously lived in China for two and a half years, I wanted to refresh and improve my Chinese skills. LTL’s promise of an immersive learning experience, combined with the option of staying with a Chinese host family, immediately caught my attention.

Organization
Everything went very smoothly from start to finish. My initial contact with the school was excellent, and the staff were always patient and helpful when answering my questions. Airport pickup was well organized and completely hassle-free. While it would have been nice to receive the host family’s contact details and address a little earlier, this ultimately turned out not to be an issue at all.

Homestay
I stayed with a wonderful host who stopped by every day to prepare breakfast and dinner. She made me feel incredibly welcome from the very beginning, and I had plenty of opportunities to chat with her. She was very patient, and I really appreciated having someone to practice my Chinese with outside of the classroom. At the same time, I enjoyed having my own room and bathroom, which gave me enough privacy to relax and recharge after classes.

Location
I absolutely loved Chengdu. I know China quite well and have visited many major cities, but Chengdu ranks very high on my list. This is largely due to my overwhelmingly positive experiences with the local people. Everyone I met was warm, welcoming, and genuinely interested in talking to me. Whenever locals realized that I could hold a conversation in Chinese, they were delighted and often eager to chat. Being surrounded by people who are willing to engage with you in Chinese is incredibly motivating and helps build confidence.
One thing I would highly recommend is taking your study materials to one of Chengdu’s many teahouses after class. Immersing yourself in the city’s tea culture while reviewing what you have learned creates a unique and enjoyable learning environment—and I genuinely believe it helps.

The Chengdu School
My language course was very intensive. I booked two weeks of one-on-one lessons, four hours per day. In addition, I spent at least two hours each evening reviewing material and preparing for the next day’s lessons. It was demanding, but that was exactly what I was looking for. If you truly want to improve, there is no substitute for consistent study and actively using what you learn.
One minor challenge was the schedule. Occasionally, I had afternoon classes that finished at 6 p.m., followed by lessons starting between 8 and 9 a.m. the next morning. On those occasions, I sometimes felt a bit rushed when preparing for the following day. However, this was only a small issue and did not significantly affect my overall experience.
During my stay, I had three different teachers, each with their own teaching style, which I found refreshing. Most of my lessons were with LTL-Teacher Michael, who did an excellent job (foto below). He has a deep understanding of Chinese grammar, language learning, and Chinese culture. We had many interesting discussions, and his enthusiasm made the four hours of daily lessons pass surprisingly quickly.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a welcoming and immersive environment to improve your Chinese, I can highly recommend LTL Chengdu. The combination of dedicated teachers, a supportive homestay experience, and the friendly atmosphere of Chengdu creates an excellent setting for language learning.

Related to the housing, I can only express my gratitude to my host family. The communication went great, was easy to find, located in a beautiful place of shanghai, close to parks, and 1hr from school.
Related to school, the teachers were really nice. I took besides the group classes, individual clases, and it was worthy, more tailored to my interests ( talk and reading Hanzi)
Of course in one week you cannot expect much, but I have a pretty good conversational base.
The group classes are nice, but I would highly recommend the extra 1 to 1, to those that want to take it seriously.
If you go just for fun, the group is OK.
If you take it seriously and as an investment in your education, take 1 to 1 too.

I studied for approximately three months at the LTL program in Taipei, taking one-on-one lessons. My teacher, Wei Wei, was a fantastic teacher and would always tailor the lessons to my interests and learning goals. I learned so much from her and am very impressed by the quality of teaching overall.

LTL is special because of the amount of social activities organised by the team. Essentially every day, there was a lunch or social activity / excursion, which allowed students to get to know each other and form community bonds. The atmosphere of the school was very welcoming and happy!

My time at LTL was great!
I studied there for a brief time, but I found the lessons and the materials provided quite enriching;
Furthermore; The school's location was very convenient, as it was placed near the Taikoo-li epicentre, hence you had quite a lot of things to see//eat//or do.

Finally, my teacher Cora was a delight! she was very passionate and empathetic, yet she remained demanding and hard-working, which I believe is the perfect balance, lessons withher were very dynamic, and we progressed very fast.

I’ve just spent 2 weeks learning Mandarin with LTL language school in Taipei. I am a returning student having attended classes in Taipei as well as Shanghai. What I love about the school in Taipei is its ability to balance language classes with extra-curricular activities allowing students to experience the local culture. Riona Chen is very good at engaging with students and, among other things, organizing lunches in surrounding areas allowing us the opportunity to try the local delicacies. Meanwhile Greta is there to make sure that the registration process goes smoothly and is always ready to answer any emails promptly. Same with Alin, on site, who is always available to guide you to the right place. With such a team in place along with other members of staff, I always felt welcomed, acknowledged and well cared for. LTL manages to create a sense of belonging and, in offering opportunities to go out in groups, renders the process of connecting with other students easier. While in Taipei, I had two weeks of classes with different teachers: Wolfgang Wu and Shihwei Huang in the first week, Yawen wu and Jialin Wang in the second. In my view, this concept worked well and made the experience very enjoyable and diverse as every tutor would bring in their own style of teaching peppered with their own knowledge and experience of Taiwanese culture. That way, you don’t get bored and get a more rounded view of Taipei and more generally Taiwanese traditions. I really enjoyed my time in the school and feel my Mandarin skills have improved a lot. Being on site allows you to put into practice what you learn in class as soon as you step outside the school. It doesn’t get better than this !!!

Although I have only been studying at LTL Chengdu for 8 days so far, my experience with the school actually began long before I arrived in China.

From the very first email I sent to enquire about the programme, the team was incredibly responsive, helpful, and professional. Despite the time zone differences, they always replied quickly, kindly, and with all the information I needed. They also helped me understand the visa process and the documentation required for my trip, which made preparing for my stay much less stressful.

What has impressed me most is the quality of the people at LTL. Every member of staff I have met has been polite, knowledgeable, and highly professional. Many have international experience, both teaching foreign students and working abroad, which creates a welcoming environment for students from all over the world. The management team and teachers are exceptionally organised, and everything runs smoothly and on time.

The learning experience extends far beyond the classroom. LTL regularly organises social and cultural activities where students can meet, practise Chinese, exchange ideas, and learn more about Chinese culture. These activities are not only educational but also a lot of fun. They have given me the opportunity to meet people from different countries, share experiences, and build new friendships.

Another aspect I really appreciate is the practical support provided by the school. As someone arriving in China for the first time, there were many things I did not know, from payment methods and useful apps to ordering food and navigating daily life. The staff were always happy to explain these things and help me become more comfortable and independent in my new environment.

My teacher Juan Tang deserves special recognition. I am essentially starting from the beginning with my Mandarin, and she has shown incredible patience throughout the learning process. She answers every question thoroughly and always provides multiple examples to ensure I fully understand how to use new words and phrases correctly. Her teaching style is clear, engaging, and encouraging, and I genuinely look forward to every lesson. From speaking and pronunciation to vocabulary and character writing, I feel that I am making progress every day.

The school itself is also located in a fantastic area. It is situated in a modern building with excellent facilities nearby, including cafés, restaurants, places to relax, and even a gym. The location is convenient, pleasant, and makes coming to class each day something I genuinely enjoy.

Perhaps what stands out most about LTL is the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Students and teachers alike share knowledge, experiences, cultures, ideas, and, of course, plenty of jokes and laughter. It creates a community where learning feels natural and enjoyable.

Based on my experience so far, I can already say that choosing LTL Chengdu was an excellent decision. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here and can confidently say that I am already looking forward to returning next year.

I’ve now been in Chengdu for over 2 months. I wrote my first review after the first two weeks but now that I’m wrapping up my final week, here’s my final review!

My programme at LTL was curated to fit my needs. 7 weeks of study spread across 10 weeks (2 weeks of study followed by one week off x3 and then one final week of study). I’ve also had a mix of 2 hour 1-1 sessions and 4 hour 1-1 sessions. My first two weeks were 4 hours of 1-1 sessions everyday but then I switched to 2 hours a day a few weeks. I did this because I wanted more time in the day to wander around Chengdu and practice the skills I’d learnt during the day. In my opinion 4 hours a day works for a short period but over a long period it starts to take its toll. Massive thanks to the LTL team for being really flexible and letting me re-arrange my programme.

In terms of the actual programme content I’ve had the best teachers. My current teacher - Laura is excellent. TRULY EXCELLENT. We’ve worked together for the past few weeks and I only wish we had more time! She has been brilliant at teaching me new grammar and new words. One of the things I really appreciate is her in-depth teaching - deep explanations and breakdown of words (it helps to know this because it allows you to grasp other words and form new phrases. It’s been such a wonderful learning experience, my vocabulary has expanded exponentially since I started working with Laura.

Not only is she an excellent teacher, she is also a fun, warm-hearted and social individual. She has been a wonderful friend - from treating me to Michelin star “干拌面” to taking me cycling round the Chengdu Tianfu Greenway （天府绿道), taking me to a great massage spot and even gifting me a cake for birthday! Laura has truly helped me have a richer experience of Chengdu. Even though I’m not a local, I feel more like a local than a traveller just passing through. She’s also taught me a few local words and ways of saying things - this aligns with my goal because I really wanted to learn the colloquial way of communicating and not just the text book way. I’ve used some of the local words she taught me and the locals have been impressed!

All in all - massive thanks to Laura 老师！Also shout out to Ying 老师and Wu 老师for being great teachers and friends. My Chengdu experience would not have been the same without you.

Finally, my home stay experience was brilliant. Philomena and Ming were my hosts and they really took care of me. We did lots of social activities together and they also helped me feel very at home in Chengdu! and did I mention Kai Xin and Fudai?!?!?!? ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE kitties!!!!! 😻😻😻

I’ll truly miss Chengdu!