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Immersion in China

LTL’s Chinese Immersion Program is a combination course.

You will spend the first half of the course settling into China with a course at our school in Xi’an, followed by an intensive complete immersion experience in the smaller Chinese city, Chengde.

Chengde (not Chengdu – the city with pandas) is famous for being the imperial summer capital during Qing dynasty times. It’s also well known as being the birthplace of standard mandarin, so luckily local people here are relatively easy to understand. There are absolutely no foreign residents in Chengde and no-one speaks English which means that LTL students have the opportunity to completely immerse themselves into local Chinese culture.

immersion in china

  • Study in two Chinese cities
  • Start off in Xi’an
  • Continue in Chengde
  • Zero English spoken in Chengde
  • Homestay & shared apartment options
  • Fast language progress
  • Complete Immersion Experience
  • Mandarin Language Environment
  • Full support from LTL
  • 2 City Combination

    2 City Combination

    Best of both - Experience life in both a big small Chinese city

    Part 1 - Enjoy life in the international city of Xi'an and settle into China

    Part 2 - Move to the smaller city of Chengde, completely immerse yourself Preparation - first get the basics down, then then dive into the deep end

  • Fast Mandarin Progress

    Fast Mandarin Progress

    Chengde - Immersion will help you make Chinese progress quickly
    Speaking - Improve your speaking confidence rapidly with immersion Homestay - live with a Chinese family and practise out of the classroom

    Continuity - your LTL course continues when moving to Chengde

  • LTL Support

    LTL Support

    Community - make friends with fellow students in Xi'an

    Activities - join our many dinners, day trips and more in Xi'an

    Get Ready - preparation meeting before you move to Chengde

    Support - the LTL team are always available to help

  • Tailor your program

    Tailor your program

    Class Options - choose from group/1-on-1/ a combination in Xi'an

    Accommodation - Choose homestay, shared apartment or hotel
    All included - survival kit and transport to Chengde included
    Extras - add on a connection kit help meet local people

Chinese Immersion Program

Sunset over the river in Chengde

The Chinese immersion program is a 2 part program, combining an initial language course in historical Xi’an with an immersive learning environment in the Qing dynasty summer retreat city of Chengde. Surrounding yourself with native Mandarin speakers and getting involved in local life in Chengde is a really effective way to make fast progress with your Chinese.

At the start, for someone who hasn’t been to China before this might seem quite intense. This is why we recommend a settling in period, spending the first half of the course at our language school in Xi’an. We have a friendly and supportive community of fellow students and teachers. It’s a great environment to familiarise yourself with China.

In Xi’an you can choose how intensely you’d like to study, and whether in a small group, individual classes or in a combination of both. You’ll get the chance to learn the Mandarin basics, and get to know your way around China before diving into the deep end in Chengde.

Before you set off to Chengde, you’ll have a preparation meeting to discuss the Chengde environment and how we can help you to settle in. After this, you’ll take the train to Chengde, where you’ll continue the rest of your trip speaking, living and even dreaming in Mandarin. Accommodation options here are homestay or shared apartments.

Chinese Immersion Program Standard

You can make the standard immersion program as long as you’d like it to be, anywhere from four weeks to 12 months. If you have previous Chinese learning experience you’ll be able to start the program on any Monday of the year. If you’re a complete beginner you’ll need to start on one of our beginner class starting dates:

  • 23 March 2020
  • 13 Apr 2020
  • 04 May 2020
  • 25 May 2020
  • 15 June 2020
  • 06 July 2020
  • 20 July 2020
  • 03 August 2020
  • 17 August 2020
  • 31 August 2020
  • 21 September 2020
  • 12 October 2020
  • 09 November 2020
  • 30 November 2020
  • 21 December 2020
  • 18 January 2021
  • 08 February 2021
  • 01 March 2021
  • 22 March 2021
  • 12 April 2021
  • 24 May 2021
  • 14 June 2021
  • 05 July 2021
  • 19 July 2021
  • 02 August 2021
  • 16 August 2021
  • 30 August 2021
  • 20 September 2021
  • 29 September 2021
  • 11 October 2021
  • 08 November 2021
  • 29 November 2021
  • 20 December 2021

Chinese Immersion Program Intensive

  • 20 hrs/week of small group and 10hrs/wk of 1-on-1 classes in Xi’an
  • 30 hrs/week 1-on-1 classes in Chengde

If you’re looking for an intensive program to learn Mandarin as fast as you can, then this is the one for you. Like the Standard Program, if you already know some Chinese you can start on any Monday. If you’re a complete beginner you can choose one of the starting dates as listed above. You can take the program for anywhere from four weeks to 12 months.

Chinese Immersion Program Individual

In this case your mandarin classes will all be taken as 1-on-1s in both Xi’an and Chengde. They will be tailored just for you and your personal study goals. You can start the Individual Program on any Monday throughout the year no matter what your Mandarin level is, and you can take anywhere from four weeks to 12 months of classes.

You can find further information about Chengde and our Immersion program options on our LTL School website.

Pricing

Weeks Standard Individual Intensive
4 wks 11,622 19,030 18,835
6 wks 14,624 25,200 24,922
8 wks 17,320 30,742 30,389
10 wks 19,733 35,703 35,282
12 wks 21884 40,124 39,644
14 wks 24764 46,044 45,484
16 wks 27,644 51,964 51,324
+2 wks +2,880 / 2 wks +5,920 / 2 wks +5,840 / 2 wks

All Prices are in CNY (Chinese Yuan/Renminbi)

Includes:

  • Standard Survival Kits for both Xi’an & Chengde
  • Transport from Xi’an to Chengde
  • Tuition Fees & text books
  • Airport Pick up on Arrival
  • 24/7 Support

Does not include:

Note: there are no hidden fees – no registration, high season or other additional fees and your textbooks are already included in the price of your course.

Chengde Survival Kit Standard
  • Transport from Xi’an to Chengde – We will provide you with a train ticket for your journey from Xi’an to Chengde
  • Train Station pick-up – We will arrange a pick up from Chengde train station to take you to your accommodation.
  • Chengde Mountain Resort Ticket – You will be given an entrance ticket to Chengde’s famous Mountain Resort which is a must see!
  • Chinese Culture Class – Explore Chinese culture by taking a class such as calligraphy or Chinese paper cutting for free.

Chinese Immersion Experiences

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the length of the program?

You can tailor the length of your Chinese Immersion Program to your own needs, anywhere from 4 weeks to 12 months.

How will I get from Xi'an to Chengde?

You’ll take the train from Xi’an to Chengde on the Saturday or Sunday before you start the second half of your program there. The cost of the train ticket is included in the price of the program and we’ll organise the tickets for you so you don’t need to worry about the logistics. When you arrive in Chengde you’ll be picked up by our local staff who’ll take you to your homestay or apartment.

Who will support me in Chengde?

LTL’s immersion support team will make sure that you settle into Chengde. Our local coordinator in Chengde will arrange some fun events like dinners, visits to the Chengde Summer Mountain Resort, hiking trips and much more. Our students often make lots of local friends in Chengde, especially if they’re staying in Chengde for an extensive period of time.

How fast will my Chinese progress?

Of course this is is different for each person, how quickly you make progress and how much mandarin you learn will depend greatly on the length of your course and which options you go for. For example, choosing the intensive program will get you ahead faster than going for the standard one. Living with a homestay family really helps too because you’ll get the chance to practise your Chinese outside of the classroom. However, it’s safe to say that coming to study in an immersive environment like Chengde gets you ahead much faster than a more international environment such as our schools in Beijing and Shanghai.

What is Chengde like?

Chengde is totally different to the big international cities you might have heard more about. Check out our page with some more information what it’s like to live in Chengde.

Where will I live during my course?

We have several different options for accommodation in Xi’an and in Chengde. If you’d like us to help you arrange accommodation for you during your course, take a look at our accommodation pages in the links above.

Can combine my Immersion course with a course in Shanghai, Beijing or other cities one program?

Yes you definitely can. Take a look at our multi city course page for all the different options.

How do I sign up for the course ?

Simply drop us an email using our contact form. Let us know which program you’re interested in, if you’re interested in booking accommodation with us, and the dates you’re thinking of coming to China.

Make sure to add any questions you have about the programs or let us know if you’d like some recommendations about a course to suit you. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours (during working days) and have you signed up for a program as quickly as you’d like.

Can I do an Immersion program combined with another city?

Yes we also have Immersion programs that combine the Chengde part of the trip with an initial course in Shanghai, Beijing, Beihai or even Taiwan.