Location:

Guilin, China

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Academic Year, Fall Semester, Rolling Starts, Spring Semester, Summer, Winter Semester, Year Round

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Chinese Language Institute (CLI) is a full-services educational center for Chinese language and culture studies. CLI offers short and long-term intensive Chinese programs, study abroad opportunities for university students, study seminars throughout all of China, business training and internships for up-and-coming professionals, and English-taught courses covering topics ranging from history and economics to political science, cross-cultural communication, and international relations.


A Conducive Learning Environment
Why come to China to study Chinese? A conducive learning environment is not just helpful to your Chinese studies, it is essential. But as with any globalized country, you can get by in China speaking only English.

For this reason, CLI has carefully designed core curriculum, extra-curricular activities, living arrangements, travel excursions and much more to always ensure a high level of immersion into mainstream Chinese society.

The CLI Method
CLI's Immersion Program integrates all aspects of the Chinese language (reading, writing, speaking, grammar, listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary) into a completely unique learning experience. Lessons and topics studied are tested daily in real-life situations to provide constant language growth and validation. CLI’s Immersion Program ensures that students are not just studying Chinese, but actually learning Chinese.

The Complete Language with Three Unique Instructors
Each of your three language instructors, whom you will learn with for a total of 20 hours per week, will guide you through a specific facet of the Mandarin language. One teacher will focus primarily on reading and writing, another on listening and spoken, and your head teacher ties it all together with in-depth comprehensive lessons.

Objectives and Assessments
Under the careful guidance of three unique one-on-one language instructors, daily learning objectives will be pursued and, once achieved, validated through an organized system of assessment.

Day to day objectives may include learning new vocabulary words, grammar points, radical sets, word pronunciations, idiomatic expressions, social etiquettes, and so on. As a short-term student, you will be given a formal Chinese language assessment once every two weeks, and given daily informal assessments by way of homework assignments, in-class questions and games, as well as interactions throughout Guilin’s city environment.

Weekly Activities and Monthly Travel Excursions
Each week CLI hosts a variety of events, activities and group dinners for the entire CLI community. Activities include group potlucks, tours of Guilin, night cruises on the Li River, visits to local orphanages, Poker nights, dark beer at the German Bar, bike rides to the country side, Calligraphy class, and much more.

In addition, CLI provides one travel excursion per two months of a student’s stay. These excursions allow students to take a broader look at southern China's rich culture and offer an additional opportunity for students to practice their Chinese language skills. Locations include the Longsheng Rice Terraces, Yangshuo, Nanning, Guangzhou, Kunming and more.


CLI Takes Personalized Service to a New Level
Going abroad is no simple task. From pre-departure planning to program enrollment to immersion within a foreign land, CLI's number one priority is ensuring personalized care and attention at every level. CLI puts forth an incredible amount of energy and expertise to deliver one of the most highly personalized education abroad services there is.

CLI is not an Overstretched Study Abroad Organization
Most study abroad organizations simply connect international students to large Chinese universities without playing any direct role in their education. Removing the uncertainty and difficulty from coming to China is only CLI’s first step. After taking care of your living arrangements and providing 24-hour assistance for the duration of your stay, CLI is there day after day to deliver an unforgettable educational experience that is uniquely tailored to your individual needs and learning interests.

Guilin Provides the Perfect Location for Chiense Study
Guilin's comfortable balance between upbeat city life and tranquil natural beauty offers students the perfect setting in which to learn the Chinese language. While studying in Guilin, enjoy the city's excellent night life, delicious southern cuisine, relaxed pace of life, and friendly people.

CLI Offers the Most Comprehensive Path to Discovering China
There is no better path to Chinese language fluency than CLI's Immersion Program. With up to 20 weekly hours of one-on-one language instruction, a vibrant, community-based learning environment and full enrollment at GXNU, CLI’s Immersion Program provides you with more opportunities to quickly improve your Chinese than any other organization around.

CLI is Founded and Operated by International Educators
Unlike the majority of China-based organizations linking college students with major Chinese universities, CLI is founded and directed by international educators rather than Chinese locals. After years of living and studying in China, our founders decided to improve upon China's current system by bringing more efficiency and creativity to the study abroad process. CLI's directors are each fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Setting Description:

An Ideal Learning Environment
CLI selected Guilin as its home due to the city's ideal study and living environment. With several major universities, a well-educated populace, pleasant pace of living, dynamic night life, booming economy and stunning natural landscape, Guilin is the perfect location to study in China.

Guilin vs. China's Largest Cities
When compared to more well-known Chinese cities, Guilin offers a much better location to discover Chinese language and culture. Students sometimes assume that Beijing and Shanghai offer the most ideal learning environments, but after extensive experience living and studying in China, CLI's founders found Guilin to be a far superior location.

In contrast to China's largest cities, Guilin is a perfect balance between beautiful natural landscape and bustling city. Lonely Planet's description of the southern city states: "Mention you're going to Guilin to any Chinese person and you'll almost certainly receive lo