马到成功: CLI Upgrades Student Living Facilities for the Year of the Horse

As the Year of the Horse begins, CLI is kicking things off with a gallop. After a three-month renovation project, the CLI Center in Guilin has emerged with upgraded student living facilities: rebuilt bathrooms, new bedroom doors with keycard entry, and new air conditioning units across the building's three residence floors.

马到成功 (mǎ dào chénggōng), meaning "success upon the horse's arrival," is a fitting idiom for 2026: the horse has arrived along with CLI's newest upgrades.

Three months, one goal: a better student living experience

Between November 2025 and early February 2026, CLI carried out a focused renovation of the student residence floors at its five-story center in Guilin. The scope covered every private student room across the CLI Center's three accommodation floors, including bathrooms, bedroom doors, and air conditioning.

Since CLI's founding in 2009, the organization has continuously reinvested in its facilities, education, and team. This renovation is not a special occasion. It is how CLI operates. The goal is simple: sustain and improve the living and learning environment for every student who walks through the door.

CLI is in Guilin for the long term. Having welcomed over 5,000 students from more than 50 countries, CLI continues to invest at every level to maintain its position as one of the best Chinese language immersion programs in China.

Before (right) and after (left). CLI fully renovated every private student bathroom at the CLI Center during the three-month renovation.

What changed: a student living facilities upgrade

The renovation focused on the CLI Center's three student residence floors. Here is what was upgraded:

All private room bathrooms: fully rebuilt

Every student bathroom was completely gutted. Fixtures, tiling, plumbing, and finishes were all removed and replaced from scratch. The result is a set of clean, modern bathroom facilities across all private rooms in the CLI Center.

Every private room bathroom at the CLI Center was fully demolished and rebuilt with new fixtures, tiling, and plumbing.

All bedroom doors: replaced and modernized

Every bedroom door across the CLI Center has been replaced with a new door fitted with a keycard lock system. Students tap their card to enter, with no traditional keys to lose or manage. It is a small upgrade that improves both convenience and security for every resident.

Air conditioning: new units throughout the building

Many air conditioning units throughout the CLI Center have been replaced with new models, ensuring comfortable temperatures year-round. This is particularly important during Guilin's warm summers.

Private rooms at the CLI Center now feature rebuilt bathrooms and new keycard-entry doors, offering a more comfortable home base during the immersion experience.

Inside the student rooms

The private rooms at the CLI Center serve as each student's home during their time in Guilin. With the renovation complete, rooms now feature new doors and rebuilt bathrooms while still offering the views of Guilin's famous karst mountains that make the CLI Center unique.

CLI's private student rooms provide a clean, comfortable space for focused study in the heart of Guilin.

New doors and rebuilt bathrooms. The CLI Center's student rooms are ready for 2026.

Bright, comfortable rooms at the CLI Center give students a reliable home base throughout their immersion experience in Guilin.

The view from a CLI Center student room. Guilin's karst landscape is part of the daily experience.

A note of thanks

CLI appreciates the patience of every student and teacher who studied at CLI during the renovation period. Disruptions were kept to a minimum, and students were provided with the option to stay at a boutique hotel across the street from the CLI Center, included in their program tuition. The result — upgraded living facilities across the center — is a direct investment in the experience of every future student.

Shared meals at the CLI Center are part of what makes the immersion experience feel like home.

More than facilities: the full CLI experience

Upgraded bathrooms and new doors are one part of the picture. What defines CLI is the learning environment: 20 hours per week of one-on-one Mandarin instruction with three unique teachers, weekly cultural activities, monthly excursions to places like the Longsheng Rice Terraces, and full immersion in a city where Chinese is the only shared language.

CLI's Immersion Program combines all of this with housing, meals, and 24/7 support, plus upgraded student living facilities to come home to at the end of each day.

For more insight into the CLI experience, check out our 2025 Year in Review.

One-on-one instruction is the foundation of CLI's approach: 20 hours per week, three dedicated teachers, one student.

CLI's classrooms are designed for focused, distraction-free one-on-one learning sessions.

The CLI Center in Guilin

The CLI Center is a five-story facility affiliated with Guangxi Normal University, located in the heart of Guilin. The building houses 36 private student rooms across three accommodation floors, 18 classrooms, two kitchens, lounge areas, a recreation room, and a library, with a maximum occupancy of 30 students at any time.

Guilin itself is one of the reasons CLI chose to put down roots here. A smaller Chinese city surrounded by the Li River and iconic karst peaks, it offers the kind of environment where students are naturally immersed in Mandarin, unlike major international cities where English is widely spoken.

The CLI Center entrance in Guilin. Home to one of the best Chinese language immersion programs in China since 2009.

The CLI Center lobby, where students, teachers, and staff connect daily.

Start your journey in the Year of the Horse

CLI enters 2026 with upgraded student facilities and the same commitment that has defined it since 2009: world-class one-on-one Chinese instruction in one of China's most beautiful cities.

龙马精神 (lóngmǎ jīngshén) — the spirit of the dragon-horse — represents vitality, determination, and the drive to move forward. That is the energy CLI carries into this year.

Whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced learner, CLI's Immersion Program is designed to meet you where you are. Flexible scheduling, rolling admissions, and program terms from two weeks to one year mean there is a path for every learner.

Explore the program, browse student testimonials, or apply today to begin your Chinese language journey in Guilin.

Your view from CLI. Guilin's landscape is waiting. Apply now to start your immersion journey.

The CLI Team

The Chinese Language Institute (CLI) is a center for Chinese language and cultural studies based in Guilin, China. Founded in 2009, CLI has hosted over 5,000 students from more than 50 countries and maintains a 4.95 out of 5.00 rating on GoOverseas. CLI's team includes Chinese language educators, program managers, and China specialists holding advanced degrees in Chinese studies, teaching Chinese as a foreign language, education, and related fields. Articles published under The CLI Team draw on the collective expertise of this group, informed by years of experience designing and delivering Chinese language immersion programs in Guilin and across China.