Mark Scotland

I took two weekend lessons at LTL Beijing, I really enjoyed the sessions I had with my teacher Alwin.

The first weekend we focused on comprehension and conversation which really helped over the following week  

The second weekend we focused on character construction which I found very helpful in continuing my study.

My teacher Alwin was very knowledgable and helpful with loads of great information, he’s a good teacher.

Alwin was also very responsive to my individual needs and a great understanding of history related to the language too which I found fascinating

(Mark Gibson, from Scotland)

Katia Mexico

My trip to Beijing

I really liked my time in Beijing with LTL Mandarin School very much. The people there are really nice and it I like the fact it is a very international experience with lots of different nationalities at the school.

The classes at LTL School were good and the teachers are so nice.

I also enjoyed going to visit the Great Wall, we went to the Mutianyu part. There are a lot of things to see and do in China which makes it a very interesting country to visit.

I think the best thing about the trip though was meeting so many people from all around the world, that will stick with me!

Moey USA

I was looking for an immersive Chinese program, something, despite the language’s importance, is particularly hard to find in the U.S.

I kept finding cultural immersion programs, where kids would do Kung Fu and things like that all day and fully academic programs that students described as a type of prison… After poking around the internet, my mom was actually the one that found LTL.

It was really a eureka moment for us because it really seemed like it allowed students to be serious learners while still having fun.

While the flight, homestay and classes did add up, it was exactly what I was looking for.

When I finally arrived my first few days in China were really cool. It was a lot to get used to, with 12 hours of jet lag, but I was immediately thrown into Beijing life when I biked with some of the LTL staff to school.

I bike to school everyday, but this was just a whole new level of intensity — there were so many bikes and there was purely bike traffic!

There was just such a wide variety of people, from women in high heels holding their phone and umbrella while biking at 20+ mph to old men whose favourite activity seemed to be ringing their bike bell at literally everything in sight.

My host family and their dog were extremely welcoming, and I immediately felt like a member of their home.

We went out to dinner, Yunnanese food actually, and I was really excited until I realized I couldn’t read the menu!

I was okay though, they helped me out. There was a welcome breakfast at the school where I got to meet all of the new students and start making friends.

Classes were engaging and I interesting. I ended up getting placed in a class that was a bit above my Chinese level, but it was okay, I caught up quickly.

It’s amazing what six hours of class a day compounded with constant Chinese at home can do.

All the other students were so welcoming and nice. And within a couple days, it almost felt like I’d always been there. They moved promptly enough to make progress, but not too fast as to limit my retention. Especially in one on one classes, it really moved exactly how I wanted it to move.

If I was really feeling the urge to push ahead, sometimes my teacher and I could do 2 lessons a day. Or, if I felt like being more relaxed, we could just have a conversation.

My teacher and I could talk for literally hours about anything from the animals in the Everglades to Mao Zedong to her friends and my friends to a southern breakfast.

If you can explain what grits are in Chinese, you know you’re getting better. Classes were concise and to the point.

Jasmine Rome, Italy

My name is Jasmine and I’m from Italy. I wanted to study Chinese in China and having heard lots of positive feedback about LTL I decided to give it a go. My friend studied here before and that was really important for me.

I didn’t have a huge preference on Beijing or Shanghai, I just wanted to study and learn the language.

The multi-city program seemed perfect as I could experience both Shanghai and Beijing and thus see two different sides of China.

I read a lot about Beijing beforehand and to be able to see it with my own two eyes was incredible. There is so much to see and do in Beijing that I couldn’t possible see and do everything. I feel Beijing really represents China.

Alessandra Turin, Italy

This was my first time in China, and there was a lot to get used to. The city, the culture, the people, and even the way to teach and learn were all new to me.

I have to admit I was a bit worried and I was thinking about how things would be like.

There was no need to worry though, as everything was nice and smooth.

Something I had to get used to in class was the teacher speaking Chinese all the time, it was a little difficult in the beginning but by the third day I really began to appreciate it.

It really helps you learn faster and improve your Chinese. I ended up really liking the teachers teaching method.

Beijing is a big city, lots to see and do but it can also feel a little chaotic. It was comforting to have a nice school to go to, everything was fine!

Eduardo Mexico

I thought the classes at LTL School were really high quality and great fun. We played some games in my class which helped us and I liked the teachers a lot.

They let us gossip and I was surprised at how relaxed they were and it helped with a long day of Chinese classes.

China in general is a country where you could see something new everyday, it’s never the same and there is so much to see.

I actually really liked the common/waiting area at LTL. Maybe more beds and a hammock would be a good investment too!!

They were great places to relax between lessons and chat to other students.

Congratulations LTL, you really have a great set-up!

Clara Germany

My time at LTL Mandarin School

First of all, I must admit that I had expected something completely different from Beijing and also from LTL Mandarin School.

Beijing was, in my mind a state-of-the-art metropolis full of technology and skyscrapers. LTL Mandarin School itself was a bit like a small and intimate university.

Many students from all over the world would come to study the Chinese language together.

The fact that my ideas absolutely did not correspond to reality, was already evident in the breakfast on the first day. From the first moment I was impressed by the warm, familiar atmosphere, which had no resemblance to my fear of perhaps, a colder community.

Andreas, about ten other new students and I sat together in a small Chinese restaurant, talked and shared plates full of Chinese ravioli, noodles and soup.

Beijing itself is not as up-to-date in most places as you would imagine. It’s a really diverse city. Modern areas are growing year on year but it still has a very traditional feel to it. Everywhere there are tiny, local Chinese shops, supermarkets and restaurants.

Street vendors, free-roaming dogs and unusual two or three wheeled vehicles weave in amongst the chaotic traffic.

LTL School and Homestay

My class consisted of just three students, including me. The pace of learning was rapid, but that was not a problem. We could always ask and the teachers who adapted the lessons to suit us.

I will never forget our daily walks to the supermarket around the corner, to buy an ice cream that was barely a few cents!

Even at school there was a soft ice cream machine!

I learned Chinese cooking with my host family and the calligraphy teacher became more of a friend than a teacher.

Saying Goodbye

On my last day at the LTL Mandarin School, the director of studies, Angela, said good-bye to me and said that I would always be welcome to come to her again.

LTL team, I want to thank you for the wonderful two weeks! I hope that I can come to Beijing once more and learn Mandarin with you.

Clara