Your Pre‑Departure
To‑Do List

Utilize the link below to submit your $300 USD deposit via CLI's secure payment system (powered by Stripe). Be sure to select Immersion Program. Within one week of securing your space at CLI, your Admissions Manager will follow up with instructions for the remaining tuition balance.

Complete CLI's Invitation Letter Form as soon as you can. We prepare your invitation letter and admission notice and email them to you to check. If your consulate needs the originals, we send them from Guilin by DHL (45 USD, added to your tuition total).

Once you've received your invitation letter, consult CLI's X2 Visa Application Guide to begin your application. We recommend an X2 student visa for every program, and we prepare the documents for it once your deposit is in. For a program of 30 days or less, ask us and we'll check the right entry route for your nationality and dates. We recommend applying 45 to 90 days before your program starts. The online system only accepts entry dates within 90 days, so don't apply earlier than that. If your start date is less than 45 days away, apply as soon as you have your documents.

Visa fees (cost varies by consulate, plus $45 USD invitation letter shipping from Guilin if required) are not included in CLI tuition.

Please complete this form as soon as possible. It's important that we have information regarding any medical allergies or considerations, as well as any dietary restrictions you may have.

CLI provides complimentary airport, train station, or bus station pickup and drop-off for all students. Complete this form so we know exactly where and when to meet you.

Plan to arrive in Guilin the Saturday or Sunday before your first day of classes. CLI's orientation is held on your first Monday. If you are staying at the CLI Center, your room is ready from 3 PM on the Saturday before your program starts, and arriving that Saturday or Sunday costs nothing extra. Each night before that Saturday is 150 RMB, if a room is free. Homestay and apartment students: please ask us about your arrival day.

Haven’t booked yet? Our Getting to Guilin guide compares the routes and what they cost.

Within one week of submitting your $300 deposit, you'll receive an email from your Admissions Manager with instructions for your remaining tuition balance.

Please complete this introduction form so your CLI homestay family can learn about their guest before you arrive. This form requires you to upload a doctor's note demonstrating you are in good health and fit to live with a Chinese family.

You may use CLI's health certificate template or one recommended by your doctor. Please allow adequate time to schedule your appointment.

We also recommend reading our practical guide to living with a Chinese host family to familiarize yourself with daily routines, cultural expectations, dining etiquette, and useful phrases that will help you settle in.

Complete CLI's pre-departure questionnaire about your Chinese language journey and future goals. Your three rotating teachers will use this to tailor your curriculum. Answer in Chinese to the best of your ability — but if you're just beginning, English is perfectly fine!

CLI has put together a comprehensive pre-departure packet covering everything from what to pack to daily life in Guilin. Please review all information carefully and reach out to mira@studycli.org with any questions.

CLI is a close-knit international community built on respect, trust, and clear professional boundaries. Please read the Student Community Standards before you arrive so you know what CLI expects of all students — and what support is available to you.

The standards cover respect and inclusion, professional boundaries with teachers and team members, privacy, class participation, housing, local laws, and how to raise concerns.

A great selection of free Mandarin learning resources is available online. Take time to review and familiarize yourself with each — the more Chinese you practice before arriving, the smoother your transition will be.

If you want a local Chinese number, CLI can help you get a physical SIM during your first few days in Guilin. Just email Mira (mira@studycli.org) in advance. Available providers are China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom.

If you prefer an eSIM, make sure your phone is unlocked and eSIM-compatible. Travel eSIMs are usually data-only, so if you go this route, you will not have a Chinese number. Reliable options used by students include Holafly, Airalo, and Saily. Choose a plan specifically for Mainland China and be sure to install it before departure.

Alipay is usually the easier of the two for visitors, so start there. WeChat Pay makes a good backup.

1. Download Alipay and WeChat and sign up with your current phone number. You don't need a Chinese number to start, but keep yours able to receive texts in China for verification codes. Some QR codes in China won't scan from an account on a foreign number. If that happens, get a Chinese SIM card (CLI can help in your first days) and link your accounts to the new number.
2. Verify your identity with your passport in each app.
3. Link a Visa or Mastercard, plus a backup card from a different bank if you have one.
4. Tell your bank you'll be in China. If your first payment is declined, a quick call to your bank usually fixes it.

Good to know: payments over 200 RMB carry a 3% fee. A foreign card can pay shops, restaurants, and rides, but can't send money to other people. Bring 200⁠–⁠500 RMB in small bills as a backup. US PayPal users can also pay by scanning WeChat Pay codes in the PayPal app (PayPal balance only).

If anything doesn't work, don't worry: the CLI team will help you sort it out during your first days in Guilin.