From student life in Guilin to practical guides for learning Chinese, explore what's new at CLI.
Community
36,000 hours of one-on-one Chinese lessons. Students from 34 countries. A look back at CLI's best year yet.
Campus Update
CLI enters 2026 with rebuilt student bathrooms, new keycard-entry doors, and upgraded air conditioning across its residence floors in Guilin.
Study Guide
What each HSK level means, what changed in 2026, and which level makes sense for your goals.
Explore more resources to prepare for your journey to China.
Nestled along the banks of the Li River, speckled with tens of thousands of karst peaks, and bustling with the arts, customs, and songs of southern China’s thriving ethnic minority groups, Guilin is a destination like no other.
The people, serene landscape, ease of transportation — the list goes on. Yet at CLI, we tend to view Guilin through the lens of language learning. This is where Guilin really shines: as a place to learn Chinese.
Anyone who has studied language in a far away classroom knows what it's like to spend months of study and rote memorization, yet still be unable to converse.
One month in Guilin was more productive than an entire year of coursework in a normal college class.
— Allie R., CLI Student
Learning Chinese in China changes the equation. But it's not automatic: the environment you choose matters. CLI's founders chose Guilin in response to wonderful experiences learning Chinese here from 2000 to 2008, compared to subpar experiences in China's largest cities.
When it comes to language learning and quality of life, nothing compares to the charm, warmth, rhythm of life, and ideal size of Guilin.
The people here are warm and welcoming, the city expansive yet community-based, the countryside beautiful, and the everyday conversation patient and encouraging.
On page 19 of our CLI Orientation Deck, we encourage students to build five Immersion Habits in Guilin:
Minimize distractions and stay present throughout each session.
Ideally between 2–3 hours — this is when you'll memorize the most vocabulary.
This is where Guilin shines! People throughout the city have the patience to practice with you.
Listen to and engage with the Chinese all around you: TV, music, movies, podcasts, and daily life.
Sustain significant periods using Chinese exclusively in your internal dialogue — at any level.
Have a question about our programs, daily life in Guilin, or how to get started? Our team responds within 48 hours — often much sooner.
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