This is the Practical Manual for New Students. It offers a list of suggested items to bring. You are also welcome to email us if you have any specific questions.

Most stores in Kunming do not accept foreign credit card payments. It would be better if you pay cash when you buy things in China. More and more people are using apps like WeChat and Alipay to purchase their goods. You can open a Chinese bank account and link it to your WeChat or Alipay account so that you can make payments using your mobile phone. Your advisor can take you to open a Chinese bank account if you need.

In China, we do not drink tap water. In each dorm room, we provide a water dispenser. You can order bottled water from us at RMB 15/bottle. Check out Keats’s housing options here.

The school offers free excursions on Saturday and paid excursions on Sunday. Students are welcome to sign up for these trips. Check out a list of things to do after class. If you are curious about ancient Yunnan, you can check out the intensive one-on-one Chinese program in which you can learn Chinese in China at 9 different locations across Yunnan province in China.

Some students stay in their rooms or the library doing their homework; some students go out to explore the city; some students do their volunteer work if they sign up for the Volunteer in China program.

Keats organizes the following activities each week:

Tuesday evening: Movie night

Wednesday evening: Language exchange. You can practice your Chinese speaking skills with native Chinese people.

Thursday evening: Chinese culture night. Keats offers Chinese cultural activities such as Chinese paper-cutting, Chinese tea tasting, Chinese painting, card games, mahjong, Yunnan coffee, etc.

Friday evening: Local food sampling. We organize group dinners at restaurants every Friday night to try local food.

Saturday: Free Excursions

Sunday: Paid Excursions

Kunming has its own dialect, but everywhere in China has its own dialect. Many Chinese people find it very hard to understand the Beijing dialect before they get settled down in Beijing for 1 year or 2. Besides, the Kunming dialect belongs to the northern language system, which is close to Mandarin. As Kunming becomes more and more international, most Kunming people in the city can speak standard Mandarin and they will tend to use Mandarin to answer your questions. Our students do not have problems practicing their Mandarin Chinese on street or in a restaurant. Although they might consider this as a problem before they come, it turned out it is not a problem at all. In addition, Kunming is called the “Spring City”, with beautiful weather all year round. The air is clean and local people are extremely friendly to foreigners. Our students sometimes travel to Lijiang or Dali or other nice little towns during the weekends to enjoy the natural landscape and interesting minority culture.

Yes, the prices for all the programs listed on our website include accommodation (single room with private bathroom) except the online Chinese course. Therefore, you don’t have to look for your own accommodation. The rooms are in one building with the classrooms. It is very safe and convenient to live in school. The rooms at Keats are usually fully booked. Make sure to check the course availability before you sign up.

Yes, it is possible to learn Mandarin at Keats School without accommodation. For students who do not live in the school, the hourly rate for the one-on-one lessons is RMB 210; the hourly rate for the small group class is RMB 200. If you need help with the visa, the minimum number of hours of the course to be eligible for a student visa is 20 hours a week. The length of the visa will match the length of the program you take at Keats. We are unable to provide a long-term visa with a short period of the program.

Yes, we provide 4 to 5 dishes each meal for our students. We provide options for vegetarians and vegans as well.

Yes, after we receive full tuition fee for the entire course through bank transfer, we will send you the official Admission Notice on behalf of Keats School to apply for a student visa (X1/X2) in your country. The X1 visa is for a program longer than 6 months while the X2 student visa is for a program shorter than 6 months. The express mail delivery fee is RMB 590.

Please Note: The tourist visa can no longer be changed to a student visa after you arrive in China. In order to avoid unnecessary cost, please make sure to enter China with an X1 or X2 student visa.

Yes, you will need a Chinese visa to learn Chinese in China. Before you come to study in China, please leave yourself enough time to apply for a Chinese visa at the Chinese embassy in your country with the documents we send you.

For summer studies, the rooms are usually fully booked half a year in advance. For spring, fall and winter, students are suggested to register at least 2 months in advance to secure the teachers and rooms at Keats. This also leaves you enough time to apply for a Chinese visa. Please make sure to check the course availability with us before you apply.

Keats School accepts cash, bank transfer and credit card payment. You can check out payment methods here.

After the full payment is made and the visa is issued, if it is not the school’s reason to cancel the course, the tuition fee cannot be refunded. Once you start the program, the academic advisor will actively track your satisfaction with your program. We will make adjustments to meet your requirements so that you think your investment worth what you get. If you need to stop the program for family reasons or any other urgent issues, we will keep your tuition fee and you will not lose your tuition fee. You can come back to use it anytime in the future.

Yes, please bring your textbooks to Keats School and prepare a copy/book for your teacher when you arrive so that your teacher can prepare the lessons according to your level and your learning goals.

If you are a beginner, we use “Essential Chinese” published by Keats School which contains useful and practical words and phrases. If you are at intermediate or advanced, we use “New Practical Chinese Reader”, “Boya Chinese” , “Speed-up Chinese” , “Developing Chinese” depending on your levels and learning goals. After you arrive, you will meet your teacher to discuss about your learning requirements and goals, and your teacher will select one text book that is suitable for your level and learning goals. Your teacher(s) will also prepare supplementary materials to comply with your studies.

If you choose the HSK Preparation Course, we use the “HSK Standard Course”  and various HSK exercise books.

If you are a beginner and have not studied Chinese before, a minimum of 12 weeks’ Chinese language study at Keats School will help you master the basic understanding of Mandarin and basic conversations, such as booking hotel rooms, making Chinese friends, ordering food in restaurants, asking for directions, talking about hobbies and personal experiences, etc.

If you have a higher level of Chinese learning goals such as reading newspapers, watching TV shows, watching Chinese movies, talking about social issues, and if you have longer time available, we would recommend you take a 20-week or 24-week intensive Mandarin course to help you achieve a lower/upper intermediate level.

You are welcome to study at Keats. If you only know a little English, you can still study at Keats. English is just a tool we use to teach Chinese. However, in order to create an all Chinese language environment, we will use as less English as possible to help our students learn Chinese. We have helped many non-English speakers to master the Chinese language.

Yes, we provide a program certificate for all courses we offer. You will receive a certificate at the end of your program, stating how many hours of Mandarin lessons you will have completed.

If you are not a beginner, you can arrive on any Sunday and start your classes on Monday. Beginner class starts once a month. For the exact small group class starting dates, you can check out the Small Group Chinese Classes.

In order to ensure the best learning experience, there are no more than 6 students in one class so that the teacher has enough attention for each student. Each student will have more opportunities to practice their speaking skills.