At the Chinese Language Institute we understand and hold a deep respect for the process of gaining fluency in Mandarin. Learning Chinese requires practice and commitment, amongst many elements. While...

At the Chinese Language Institute we understand and hold a deep respect for the process of gaining fluency in Mandarin. Learning Chinese requires practice and commitment, amongst many elements. While...
Guilin is beautiful! Her rivers, lakes, and mountains are only a portion of that beauty — it’s also her people and their culture which help make Guilin such a marvelous city. We spent...
What can we glean from looking through the eyes of someone else’s world travel? In the case of Peter Stewart, perhaps it’s as simple as the inspiration to travel. In June of 2015 CLI...
Learning Mandarin is a journey in which a student’s evolution continually occurs across a spectrum of skills — e.g. listening,...
CLI has churned through hundreds of videos by ChineseClass101.com to compile this list of 25 videos covering must-know Mandarin vocabulary. We’ve extracted all of the vocabulary into simple...
Learn Chinese Now has been posting excellent Mandarin language learning videos to YouTube for over three years. We’ve compiled our 10 favorite videos spanning from beginner- to...
We’ve gathered 5 TEDx Talks that cover a variety of techniques you can apply to your own language learning journey. Browse...
“I have seldom been taught the most important thing of all: how to learn a language.” – Olle Linge Not...
Photography by Jeff Fried One-on-One Chinese Lessons ...
The names of Chinese cities often reflect physical features of the place they’re in. Beijing 北京 means “Northern Capital”; Hong Kong (Xianggang) 香港 means “Fragrant...
Would you be surprised if we said China is a great and convenient place to be vegetarian/vegan? Our vegetarian/vegan team members at CLI...
“… the beauty of being surrounded by the foreign, is that it slaps you awake. You can’t take anything for granted. Travel for me is a little bit like being in love, because...
Each year, CLI partners with high schools and universities around the world to create one-of-a-kind, fully customizable study experiences...
Let’s meander together through a long abandoned and wildly overgrown Chinese fishing village called Shengsi (嵊泗). Shengsi is...
Simply put, Peter Stewart’s photography is astonishing. His images, taken throughout China’s Guangxi Province, are vivid yet...
To start this week’s post, let’s engage for a moment in a thought experiment. First, imagine losing all ability to communicate with...
Name: Summer 刘春平 Hometown: Guilin, Guangxi, China 广西桂林 Job title: Student Activities Manager 学生活动主管 We are...
Michael Steverson is an American born documentary and travel photographer living in Liuzhou, China. His work portrays the people and...
CLI’s Student Spotlight series provides insight into the thoughts and experiences of current CLI students. From food to language study...
Trey Ratcliff is a world-renowned travel photographer and publisher of the blog stuckincustoms.com. Trey’s images from China’s...
We’re already halfway through our first month of 2015, and Chinese New Year is just around the corner in February. Above are a few...
Last week, CLI said goodbye to a very special group: our fall semester Study Abroad students from SUNY New Paltz. CLI hosted a farewell...
On Friday, CLI hosted its annual Homestay Potluck Dinner to celebrate our homestay families. Each person brought one dish — and with...
CLI’s Student Spotlight blog series provides insight into the thoughts and experiences of current CLI students. From food to language...
Name: Susan 潘姿 Hometown: Yizhou, Guangxi, China 广西宜州 Job title: Study Abroad Manager 留学项目经理 We are...
Remember those endless hours you spent agonizing over Spanish or French grammar in high school? Or all those late nights studying Chinese...
This week’s CLI Perspectives post is brought to you by Paul Ambler, a CLI China Study Abroad student with a unique story. Paul was...
CLI takes great delight in gathering the community together for a celebration – especially if good food is involved. Although not...
This week’s CLI Perspectives is brought to you by Avi Patchava, one of CLI’s summer immersion students. Avi completed six weeks of...
Have you ever wondered where your clothes were made? You’ve probably noticed the tags on your clothing often say “Made in...
When I was in high school, I studied more than enough years of Spanish to be at a level of slight fluency. At the time, I was swamped with...
This week, CLI Perspectives brings you a post by Abby Hays. Abby is a recent graduate from Virginia Tech and is now in Guilin studying at...
This week, CLI Perspectives brings you a post from Benjamin Horn. Ben, a student from the University of Pennsylvania, tells an epic tail...
This week we wrap up The University of North Florida’s contributions to CLI Perspectives. Alex Wright, Morgan Irvin & Ryan...
This week the University of North Florida’s contributions to CLI Perspectives continues again. Michele Pierson, Trey Brooks and...
University of North Florida’s contribution to CLI Perspectives continues. This week Allison Gordon and Katherine DeJong share some...
The second installment in this month’s, University of North Florida themed, CLI Perspectives is courtesy of Maria Khalaf and Robyn...
One of CLI’s many joys is welcoming groups of university and high school students to China. This summer, students and faculty from the...
Stuart Ratcliff is no stranger to Asia. After traveling in Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Nepal, Stuart decided teaching English in Beijing...
Bryan Herbert, CLI Immersion student, first came to China through James Madison University on a three month study tour. However, after the...
This week’s CLI Perspectives is brought to us by Chris Nguyen. Chris has always loved travelling, but doesn’t like the feeling of...
Mark Robinson, founder and president of HandicappedPets.com and the inventor of the Walkin’ Wheels adjustable dog wheelchair,...
There may not be snow in Guilin, but winter is still winter and with the changing seasons come new opportunities to experience Chinese...
Trees inside living rooms, lights draped on houses, jolly old men in red suits ringing bells outside department stores, and cars pouring...
Nati Tamir, former Ambassador of Israel to Australia, New Zealand, and Finland, has been to many places around the world, but not until...
CLI students spent this past Sunday on a cultural tour of the Guilin countryside. We may have started a little early for some, but after a...
As the saying goes, “it’s the little things in life” that are the most important, and CLI Study Abroad student Kelsey...
Alex Gavis had never planned on learning Mandarin. In fact, she started heading down the French language road. But after taking a wrong...
Mikko Helimo shares his language journey in CLI Perspectives number nine. Mikko was first bitten by the Chinese language bug while...
The eighth installment of CLI Perspectives is written by Immersion Program student Jason Rogers. Jason shares his story of trekking the...
CLI’s most recent contributor to the CLI Perspectives series is Jason Campbell. Jason Campbell, CLI Immersion Program student, came to...
Matt Kao, CLI Immersion Program student, wrote this week’s CLI Perspective. Before coming to CLI, Matt had previously been introduced to...
Last week, CLI adventured into Guilin’s countryside for an evening of swimming and dining. The beauty of studying Chinese in China is learning and experiencing the Chinese language and culture...
CLI celebrated the red, white, and blue with its second full house of the summer season, welcoming students from a variety of universities and countries, as well as some Peace Corps volunteers. The...
This weeks’s CLI Perspectives story is brought to you by Elia Sommerlad, a true citizen of the world, having lived in Africa, Latin...
Last week, CLI was delighted to roll out the red carpet for two college-level study tour groups hailing from four different universities. With a completely full house – and overflow into some...
This week’s CLI Perspectives blog entry is written by CLI Immersion Program student Cory Donovan. Cory moved to China in January...
The weather is heating up in Guilin with summer just around the corner, so today we take a look back at cooler days with one of this...
An adventurous group of CLI students and teachers found themselves in paradise this weekend – a fool’s paradise. 愚自乐园, or Yuzi Paradise, translates roughly to “Fool’s Paradise”....
With Chinese Immersion Program student Mikko having just shared the beauty of Guilin with his visiting parents, CLI was delighted to welcome more family members to China this week: Dan’s mother and...