The CLI Center | Guilin, China | The Chinese Language Institute

CLI中心CLI zhōngxīn

Das CLI Center

Home to Chinese language and cultural immersion since 2012, renovated and refurbished in 2026.

The CLI Center serves as the headquarters for your China experience. Our team has dedicated countless hours to developing a community-based environment conducive to rapid language acquisition, both in and out of the classroom. The CLI Center is your gateway to the boundless wonders, mysteries, and opportunities of China.

Tour the Center Watch our anniversary film

GUILIN, GUANGXI • 31 CHAOYANG XILU

Welcome to CLI

A vibrant and welcoming community

First and foremost, CLI is a vibrant and welcoming community. The CLI Center is home to students and friends from all walks of life and serves as a focused living and learning space for language education and cultural exchange.

Wir achten darauf, dass mindestens ebenso viele internationale Studierende wie einheimische Lehrkräfte, Programmleiter und Mitglieder der Gemeinschaft da sind.

Zusammen mit einer warmen, einladenden Organisationskultur schafft das ideale Bedingungen, um Chinesisch zu lernen.

The accommodations are spacious, clean, and newly updated.
JD, six weeks at CLI, 2026

The front door of the CLI Center in Guilin, hung with red lanterns

CLI Center front door31 Chaoyang Xilu (朝阳西路31号)

CLI欢迎你！

我们的故事开始于朝阳西路31号

“Our story begins at 31 Chaoyang Xilu,” reads the film’s opening title

CLI’s 10-year anniversary film

CLI turned ten in 2019. To celebrate, we made this film about the CLI Center and its teachers. The teachers’ interviews have English subtitles; the anniversary wishes at the end are in Chinese. The Center has been renovated since.

The Center at a glance

Five floors, from classrooms to the rooftop

Das CLI Center ist ein ideales Umfeld zum Mandarin-Lernen, denn:

Our teachers and local university pengyou (朋友) fill its halls day-in and day-out, and are always open to engage you in Chinese.
Bei uns kommt auf jede Sprachlernerin und jeden Sprachlerner ein Muttersprachler bzw. eine Muttersprachlerin des Chinesischen.
Bei den täglichen Mittagessen am CLI (Montag bis Freitag) reservieren wir mindestens einen Tisch, an dem ausschließlich Mandarin gesprochen wird.
At least one-quarter of the 36 private rooms at the CLI Center are occupied by CLI teachers and local pengyou (朋友).
The CLI Center is replete with multiple areas to hang out and relax — a recreation room with ping pong and mahjong tables; a full kitchen and dining area; a spacious rooftop with an amazing view; and more.

5Floors: classrooms, dining, private rooms, rooftop

18Private one-on-one classrooms 36Private rooms, each with a full private bathroom

1:1Native speakers to language learners

7 minOn foot to Guangxi Normal’s main gate Mon–FriHome-cooked lunch served at CLI

Year-roundFull-time team members live on site

2009CLI founded in Guilin

Your housing options depend on program length and availability. Explore the Immersion Program’s accommodations, or view our school license under CLI’s official Chinese name, 桂林市喜爱中文培训学校.

Floor by floor

Schau hinein

Located on a quiet Guilin road near Guangxi Normal University, the 5-story CLI Center includes 18 private classrooms, several study areas, a full kitchen and dining area, 3 stories of private accommodations (each with a full private bathroom), and a recreational room equipped with a pingpong table, electric piano, mahjong table, and more.

门Enter

First floor
The lobby and the office

The office is on the left as you come in. You’ll check in there on your first day, and it’s the place to ask for help with anything.

Classrooms line the hallway. The shared bathrooms have Western-style toilets, and there’s filtered drinking water on every floor.
Orientation and what’s included

The lobby, first floor
学Learn

First and second floors
One-on-one classrooms

Immersion Program classes are one-on-one, so the classrooms are small. The Immersion Program includes four hours of class each weekday with three dedicated teachers.

Between classes, you can use the study areas or the reading room.

18Private classrooms

1-on-1Every class, every day

4 hrsOf class each weekday

How lessons are structured

A one-on-one classroom
食Gather

Second floor
Lunch and the recreation room

Home-cooked lunch is served on the second floor, Monday through Friday. The teachers’ office, the activities board, and the recreation room are on this floor too.

$20Per week, in advance

30 RMBPer individual meal

Mon–FriHome-cooked lunch

A typical day at CLI

Lunch on the second floor
居Live

Floors three to five, and the roof
Einzelunterkunft

The recently renovated CLI Center is the perfect location to live, study, eat, relax, enjoy China, and learn Chinese. All bedrooms have a range of Western amenities, including free WiFi, heating and AC, hot and cold water, and a full Western bathroom.

Ebenso wichtig: Alle Zimmer sind sicher. Das CLI Center liegt an einer ruhigen Straße neben unserer Partneruniversität, der Guangxi Normal University. Guilin ist insgesamt eine sehr sichere Stadt zum Leben, Lernen und Reisen, und mehrere Vollzeit-Teammitglieder des CLI wohnen das ganze Jahr über im Center.

Your accommodations at CLI are also home to many of your classmates as well as a few CLI directors. Weekly cleaning is included in tuition. The Center has no elevator, so if stairs are hard for you, tell us when you apply and we’ll suggest the housing that suits you best.

36Private rooms

PrivateFull bathroom in every room

WeeklyCleaning, included

Housing options and photos

A private room at CLI

Look around

Tour the Center

Watch a 360° tour filmed by our team, or follow a CLI student through the classrooms, dining area, and shared spaces.

A 360° tour of the CLI Center

A member of our team takes you from the front door through the lobby, a classroom, the recreation room, the reading room, the kitchen, a student room, and up to the rooftop.

The 360° view works only on YouTube itself, on youtube.com on a computer (drag the picture to look around) or in the YouTube app on a phone. Filmed in 2016, before our 2025–2026 renovation.

A student’s tour

Join a CLI student for a walk through the Center. Open the English translation to follow along.

Vorschaubild der Lobby des CLI Center für das Video zum Rundgang

Instagram-Reel

Rundgang eines Studierenden durch CLI

Come inside for a student’s look at daily life at CLI. Select “Load video” to watch the tour.

Auf Instagram ansehen

Englische Übersetzung

Den Rundgang auf Englisch verfolgen

Open the full English translation and follow the tour by timestamp.

Englische Übersetzung anzeigen

[00:00]I came to China on my own for one month to learn Chinese from zero, and I’m going to show you how I did it, because this is a place that had been on my radar for three years.

[00:07]As soon as you enter, there’s the reception area, with the typical classrooms.

[00:13]Und hier links, falls dir etwas passiert, ist sozusagen das Büro. Hierher kommst du am ersten Tag und kaufst die Bücher, und wenn irgendetwas ist, sagst du hier Bescheid.

[00:24]Continuing this way, we still have classrooms, stairs to the second floor, and then over here, there’s an area you’re going to use a lot.

[00:31]Der Toilettenbereich, mit Sitztoiletten.

[00:33]I’m telling you, that’s already a big plus, because here in China you’re going to find a lot of squat toilets.

[00:37]And water machines, because here in China you can’t drink tap water, so we have water on every floor.

[00:42]Alle Klassenzimmer sind so klein, weil es Einzelunterricht ist.

[00:47]Das ist richtig gut, wenn man wie ich bei null anfängt, denn an anderen Schulen muss man sich an die Gruppe anpassen.

[00:52]As I already said, I did everything on my own, in the sense that I didn’t use any agency, because the school helps you with everything, whether you’re staying for one month—

[01:02]because if you’re going for one month and you’re from Spain, you don’t need a visa—but I wanted to maybe stay a little longer, so I got a student visa, which is for two months, and you need a series of letters,

[01:12]paperwork—the school helps you with all of it, honestly. Both that and when you arrive here: you send them your flight tickets and everything, and they pick you up at the airport. We’re here in Guilin, which is in central-southern China, and the airport is about an hour away. The school does that for you. This is the second floor.

[01:26]Come on, it’s lunchtime.

[01:27]Here you have an area that’s the teachers’ office.

[01:31]Hier hängen Fotos von allen Lehrkräften.

[01:33]Hier ist der Tisch, an dem man isst und dabei nur Chinesisch spricht.

[01:37]Hier drüben noch mehr Klassenzimmer.

[01:38]An diesem schwarzen Brett sieht man die Aktivitäten, die wir jede Woche machen.

[01:43]Zum Beispiel Badminton spielen.

[01:44]Am Wochenende dann ein Ausflug nach Yangshuo, ein richtig toller Ort.

[01:49]Und hier drüben ...

[01:50]Hier ist die Küche, in der jeden Tag etwas los ist.

[01:52]Und der Tisch, an dem ich meistens sitze.

[01:54]Jeden Tag nimmst du dir also dein Tellerchen Reis, setzt dich und bedienst dich selbst, denn das ganze Essen ist für alle da.

[02:00]Du kannst essen, was wir normalerweise kochen.

[02:01]You come over here, there are people like Apolín studying on the school computer, and then you come here to this room to play ping-pong.

[02:09]Schau, hallo.

[02:10]Hier gibt es einen Haufen Spiele.

[02:11]I’m behind.

[02:13]Hallo.

[02:13]Mein Spanisch ist sehr gut.

[02:15]Now we’re going upstairs, which I don’t go to much because it’s the dormitory area. If you come here to the school, you have several options.

[02:22]What I did was stay with a host family, and I’m absolutely delighted with it. The school arranges everything for you. It’s a little more expensive, and then you also have the option of renting an apartment yourself or staying in the school dorms, where all the rooms have a bathroom and air conditioning, because it gets hot here and humid.

[02:33]That way, you can also be more independent. As you can see, there are a lot of options. If you have any questions, I’ll leave the link to the school’s Instagram, which is called CLI, because the prices vary depending on what you need. For example, I was doing four hours of class per day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, but you can do six.

Alltag am CLI

Life at the Center

Students and teachers sharing lunch at the CLI Center

Mittagessen am CLI

A home-cooked Chinese lunch, Monday through Friday, at the same table as your teachers and classmates. Join the weekly meal plan or pay per meal.

Meal plan details

CLI students gathered in a classroom for a weekly activity

Activities and excursions

The activities board lists what’s on each week, such as calligraphy, cooking, badminton, and movie nights. Weekend excursions go to places like Yangshuo and the Longji rice terraces.

Aktivitäten bei CLI

Students and pengyous talking over a table game at CLI

The Pengyou Program

Students who opt in to the Pengyou Program are matched with a student from our local partner university, your péngyǒu (朋友, friend), who is available three hours a week to practice Chinese with you. The program is free; you cover your pengyou’s share when you eat together each week and split the cost of any activities.

About the Pengyou Program

Students studying together in the CLI lounge

Study and down time

Read in the reading room, study on the rooftop, or play ping-pong or mahjong in the recreation room.

Floor by floor

A team you can turn to

Several full-time CLI team members live in the Center year round, and your Immersion Program includes 24/7 support.

The staircase inside the CLI Center, hung with red lanterns

Studierende unterhalten sich in einem Flur des CLI Center

A teacher and student at the whiteboard during a one-on-one class

Students cooking together in the CLI kitchen

Students and team members laughing beneath the CLI sign

Studierende halten bei einem Spiel in der Lounge Whiteboards mit chinesischen Schriftzeichen hoch

A student reading by a window at the CLI Center

A renovated private bathroom at the CLI Center

Students reading the activities board at the CLI Center

Friends posing together in the CLI lobby

A one-on-one lesson at a table in a CLI Center classroom

Students and interns socializing in the CLI lounge

Studierende unterhalten sich am CLI-Schild

People walking past the CLI sign at the Center entrance

Students and teachers at a concert in the CLI Center lobby

In ihren eigenen Worten

What students say about the Center

From students’ reviews and testimonials.

Most places “talk” about being a community, CLI is a place that is actually one. People enfold you with love and generosity.

I arrived [in Guilin] at 5am, was picked up by a [CLI] staff member, and found the CLI building with the colored lanterns outside, and that was really a great moment for me because everything here was perfect.

When eating lunch or when hanging out at CLI in between classes, I really felt like CLI was a family, one that keeps getting bigger.

Lesen Sie weitere der über 120 Bewertungen von CLI auf GoOverseas. Oder sehen Sie sich die Videoberichte von CLI an.

A global network

More than 5,000 students from around the world have studied at CLI since our founding in 2009, and once you join our community, you’re a valued member for life.

We’ve hosted students from over 50 countries and 300 universities, many of whom now work in China at a range of leading companies and institutions. The connections you make here will remain strong for life and open countless doors.

The CLI alumni network remains close knit and program participants often stay in close touch with one another—and with CLI teachers and directors—for years after program conclusion. We welcome you to join our global network.

5,000+Students since 2009

50+Countries

300+Universities

The CLI Center’s street in Sanlidian, Guilin, with red lanterns and a passing scooter — 朝阳西路31号31 Chaoyang Xilu

The neighborhood · 三里店

Your gateway to China

CLI’s location in Guilin creates a unique experience for Chinese learners. We’re able to experience both rural and city life. Guilin is a city where you can easily go out and practice your Chinese.
Alex Gavis, Immersion Program

The CLI Center is comfortably nestled along a quiet road in one of Guilin’s nicest areas—Sanlidian (三里店). CLI is a close walk from indoor and outdoor markets; a major Chinese university replete with basketball courts, soccer fields, academic buildings, and more; Guilin’s most famous park—Seven Star Park (七星公园); a breathtaking Buddhist monastery carved into a karst mountain; and many restaurants, shops, and fun things to see and do.

CLI is a 7-minute walk from the main gate of Guangxi Normal University, a 2-minute walk from the nearest coffee shop (run by our friends at the Junshe Boutique Guest House), and just as close to five small soccer fields.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our community in Guilin! Get to know the city.

A CLI student buying fruit from a vendor at a neighborhood market — The market, a few minutes on foot

The Yucai campus of Guangxi Normal University in Guilin — Guangxi Normal University

Inside Seven Star Park in Guilin — An afternoon in Seven Star Park

Running Horse Soccer Fields · 跑马球场

Pickup soccer next door to CLI

CLI students, teachers, and team members in a pickup game on one of the five small fields right by CLI.

Read about soccer in China

桂林市喜爱中文培训学校

Guìlín Shì Xǐ’ài Zhōngwén Péixùn Xuéxiào

喜爱 (Xǐ’ài), a transliteration of CLI, is the official Chinese name we selected for our school license in China.

Getting here

Directions to CLI

CLI students are picked up at the Guilin airport or train station once they send us their Guilin Arrival Form. If you’re visiting on your own, here is how to find us.

Frag unser Team

The CLI Center 桂林市喜爱中文培训学校 · 朝阳西路31号

31 Chaoyang Xilu, Sanlidian, Qixing District, Guilin, Guangxi, China

0773-759-9367 (from outside China, +86 773-759-9367) · 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM Beijing time, Monday to Friday

Open in Google Maps

Use the map to zoom out and see where we’re located within Guilin, and zoom out even more to see Guilin’s location within China.

Mit dem Taxi

Die folgende Wegbeschreibung können Sie dem Taxifahrer vorlesen oder ausgedruckt geben:

从三里店过去，经过师大的大门后继续往前走，在师大加油站对面有条小路叫朝阳西路，过马路后沿着小路一直走，往前进大概三百米，在左手边有一栋建筑门前挂着很多红灯笼的地方。所以就是，朝阳西路31号师大加油站对面小路进去四百米，原跑马场。找不到的话，请打电话给0773-759-9367。

Look for the building with red lanterns hanging out front, on the left.

By bus from the airport

Travel time (approx.): 60 minutes

Exit the airport’s arrival deck and board the bus headed for downtown Guilin. There is only one public bus that goes to downtown Guilin. The bus is usually parked in front of the airport’s KFC. The bus fare is around 20–25 RMB. It departs every 30 minutes from 6:00 AM until 9:00 PM.
Exit the airport bus at its last stop, which is called 民航大厦 (Mínháng dàshà). The bus ride should take about 40 to 60 minutes.
Go to the bus stop that is on the same road that the airport bus traveled down and board the number 16 or 32 bus toward 三里店 (Sānlǐdiàn), which is in the same direction that the airport bus was traveling. The 16 bus costs 1 RMB, while the 32 bus costs 2 RMB.
Ride the bus for about six stops (give or take) and get off at 朝阳路口 (Cháoyáng lùkǒu). The bus stop is just before a gas station.
Continue walking down the street in the same direction that the bus was traveling. Take your first left at the intersection, which is about 50 meters from the bus stop. The road is called 朝阳西路 (Cháoyáng xīlù).
Gehen Sie etwa 300 Meter diese Straße entlang, eine eher ruhige Nebenstraße, bis Sie links das CLI-Gebäude sehen.
Welcome to CLI! Feel free to call us at 0773-759-9367 between 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM Beijing time, Monday to Friday, if you have any questions.

By bus from Guilin Railway Station

Travel time (approx.): 30 minutes

Exit the train station and continue walking straight across the parking lot. When you arrive at the main road, you’ll see a bus stop diagonally and to the left across the road. The stop is called 桂林站 (Guìlín Zhàn).
At Guìlín Zhàn, board the number 16 bus toward 三里店 (Sānlǐdiàn). The 16 bus costs 1 RMB.
Ride the bus for about 12 stops (give or take) and get off at 朝阳路口 (Cháoyáng lùkǒu). The bus stop is just before a gas station.
Continue walking down the street in the same direction that the bus was traveling. Take your first left at the intersection, which is about 50 meters from the bus stop. The road is called 朝阳西路 (Cháoyáng xīlù).
Gehen Sie etwa 300 Meter diese Straße entlang, eine eher ruhige Nebenstraße, bis Sie links das CLI-Gebäude sehen.
Welcome to CLI! Feel free to call us at 0773-759-9367 between 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM Beijing time, Monday to Friday, if you have any questions.

These directions are for Guilin Railway Station (桂林站). Check the station name on your ticket before planning your route.

By bus from Guilin North Railway Station

Travel time (approx.): 50 minutes

Exit the train station and walk about 350 meters to the 桂林北站 (Guìlín Běizhàn) bus stop.
At Guìlín Běizhàn, board the number 32 bus toward 三里店 (Sānlǐdiàn). The 32 bus costs 2 RMB.
Ride the bus for about 15 stops (give or take) and get off at 朝阳路口 (Cháoyáng lùkǒu). The bus stop is just after a gas station.
Walk down the same street the bus was traveling on but in the opposite direction. Take your first left at the intersection, which is about 50 meters from the bus stop. The road is called 朝阳西路 (Cháoyáng xīlù).
Gehen Sie etwa 300 Meter diese Straße entlang, eine eher ruhige Nebenstraße, bis Sie links das CLI-Gebäude sehen.
Welcome to CLI! Feel free to call us at 0773-759-9367 between 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM Beijing time, Monday to Friday, if you have any questions.

These directions are for Guilin North Railway Station (桂林北站). Check the station name on your ticket before planning your route.

On foot from Guangxi Normal University

Travel time (approx.): 7 minutes

Turn right after exiting GXNU’s main gate (also known as the west gate).
Gehen Sie etwa 100 Meter die Hauptstraße entlang.
Turn left at the first intersection, which is immediately past a gas station. The road is called 朝阳西路 (Cháoyáng xīlù).
Gehen Sie etwa 300 Meter diese Straße entlang, eine eher ruhige Nebenstraße, bis Sie links das CLI-Gebäude sehen.
Welcome to CLI! Feel free to call us at 0773-759-9367 between 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM Beijing time, Monday to Friday, if you have any questions.

The front of the CLI Center in Guilin, with the red CLI sign above and red lanterns hanging over the windows and doors — **A place for Chinese language and cultural study**31 Chaoyang Xilu (朝阳西路31号)

Wir freuen uns darauf, Sie in Guilin willkommen zu heißen.

Begin your Immersion Program on almost any Monday of the year. Plan to arrive the weekend before your first class, and we’ll pick you up at the airport or train station.

Apply now Compare housing options

Weiter entdecken

Mehr über CLI in Guilin

ErfahrungsberichteStudierende erzählen, wie es wirklich ist, Chinesisch bei CLI zu lernen.Stimmen von Studierenden GuilinGet to know the city we’ve called home since 2009.Explore the city The CLI CenterExplore the spaces and community at the heart of CLI.You are here