The Chinese Language Institute (CLI) has taught Mandarin in Guilin, China since 2009. Its Immersion Program is built on one-on-one teaching: 20 hours of class a week, four hours each weekday, shared among three teachers. One teacher works on reading and writing, one on listening and speaking, and one reviews grammar and vocabulary with you, and they plan together around your level and goals. Complete beginners start with pronunciation, tones and survival phrases; advanced students can focus on fluency, reading, business Chinese or HSK preparation. A short evaluation every two weeks shows your progress and shapes the next lessons.
Classes take place at the CLI Center, a five-story building on a quiet street seven minutes on foot from Guangxi Normal University, CLI's university affiliate. The Center has 18 one-on-one classrooms, a reading room, a recreation room, a kitchen and dining area where a home-cooked lunch is served on weekdays (through an optional meal plan, or pay per meal), and 36 private rooms, each with its own bathroom. You can live at the Center, with a Guilin host family, or, for stays of six months or more, in an apartment.
The program price includes your housing, airport pickup and drop-off, orientation and a tour of Guilin, welcome and farewell dinners, some weekly activities, visa guidance and invitation documents, and 24/7 emergency support from the CLI team. More than 5,000 students from over 50 countries have studied with CLI.
Nationality and age mix
The nationality and age mix at Chinese Language Institute varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 31.
CLI teaches students from all over the world, including:
School location
The CLI Center sits on a quiet street in Sanlidian, in Guilin's Qixing District, seven minutes on foot from the main gate of Guangxi Normal University and close to local markets and Seven Star Park. Guilin's airport is about an hour away, and pickup is included: once you send your arrival details, a CLI representative meets you at the airport or train station.
Guilin lies on the Li River in Guangxi, southern China, among the limestone karst peaks that have appeared in Chinese painting and poetry for centuries. It is a real working city, with universities, markets, parks and reliable public transit, but it is compact and more relaxed than Beijing or Shanghai. English is not widely spoken and there is no large expat community, so Mandarin quickly becomes part of daily life. Living costs are low. Yangshuo is about an hour away, and the Longji rice terraces in Longsheng about two.
