CLI: Chinese Immersion Program in Guilin, China

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.

We have been expertly welcomed, immersed in Chinese culture and had so much fun…and then there’s the lessons.

I am a complete beginner and I was surrounded by people who could speak Mandarin. I wondered how boring and awful it would be for the teachers having to teach someone who couldn’t pronounce even the basic words.

I was treated with absolute respect and patience - applauded for my efforts and encouraged past my safety zone.

I literally couldn’t have asked for more and on my second visit I found I was actually beginning to make progress and had the delight to see students who had been studying for six months speaking fluently with their teachers.

CLI is a fabulous place to learn Mandarin and Guilin as a city is a wonderful place to be…

CLI is a fantastic immersive learning environment providing 4 hours of 1-on-1 classes per day initially split 3:2:1 (comprehensive, speaking, reading+listening). My teachers Summer, Molin, Echo, and Abby where all exceptionally professional and tailored lessons to my needs. For example, the last month of my program I wanted to solely focus on vocabulary consolidation for speaking - hence, all my classes became speaking classes. The caveat to this flexibility is that the student (if intermediate/advanced) must know their own leading goals clearly, only then can teachers fully fulfil your learning needs and prepare properly. Besides teaching, CLI is a warm, friendly environment to live in (I was there for 3.5 months), with ample organised activities to try new things, see new places. If you would like more opportunities to practice the language outside of class, you have to ask, "ask and you will receive" (also regarding extracurriculars). CLI's accommodation is also comfortable (not luxury) - double bed, ensuite, small kitchen (room dependent), with once a week cleaning. There is also a public kitchen if you want to cook your own dinners. Outside of CLI's walls, Guilin itself is an extremely liveable, relaxed city, with amazing natural scenery. I would highly recommend CLI.