In ancient times, the 5th lunar month was traditionally called “the poisonous month” or “the evil month”, with the 5th day being the most unlucky day. It was believed that women must avoid giving birth on this day. Later, children less than one year old would be sent to their maternal grandmothers’ homes to “to […]
It is a custom for people wearing scented sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival. Some bags are extremely delicate and feature ingenious designs such as a goldfish, a little white bunny, a litter tiger, a kitten, a bottle gourd with beautiful and exaggerating patterns, and lively and sleek lines. Scented sachets came into being before […]
Study Chinese with Keats School: 衣yī The character “衣” is a pictographic character. It looks like an ancient garment. The top part is a collar; the bottom depicts the front of a Chinese jacket; and the two strokes on either side depict the shirt’s sleeves. In ancient China, “衣” meant the upper outer garment. In […]
Study Chinese with Keats School: 丝sī The character “丝” is a pictographic character, it looks like the appearance of two strands of silk entangled together. during China’s Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD), Emperor Wu sent the emissary Zhang Qian on several missions to the Western Regions to unite the Da Yuezhi and form a […]
The Chinese people are very particular about eating. There is an old saying that says “food is the paramount necessity of the people”. This concept is also reflected in Chinese characters. Study Chinese with Keats School: 食shí The oracle bone character for “食” looks like a container filled with food. The character “食” can refer […]
Study Chinese with Keats School: 火huǒ There was no electricity or gas in ancient times. Heating food required the use of fire. The character “火” looks like a blazing flame. Since the people broke off a branch from the tree, drilled into the lumber and obtained fire from it, the civilization began to progress. The […]
米mǐ(rice) Cooking requires the use of fire, but it doesn’t mean that once people had fire, they could cook. In China, there is a saying, “qiǎo fù nán wéi wú mǐ zhī chuī”. In other words, without rice, even the wisest wife could not cook a meal. For the Chinese people, the rice is the […]
As everyone knows, the most important holiday in China is the Spring Festival—“春节(chūnjié)”. The Chinese people use the phrase “过年(?uònián)”—celebrate the New Year. What’s the meaning of “年”. It is one of the Chinese people favorite characters. The original meaning of this character was not the period of time that we commonly refer to today […]
The custom of sending off the Ghost of Poverty on the 6th day of the 1st lunar month has been passed down from ancient times. The Ghost of Poverty is also called the Poor Wretch. The book, “Records of the Seasonal Festivals” recorded: In the reign of Zhuanxu and Gaoxin, a boy was born and […]
During the Spring Festival, people go from door to door to pay New Year visit to each other. There is a cheerful atmosphere everywhere. All the people, men and women, old and young, are having a good time. Women and children put on beautiful dresses. During the Spring Festival there is a fashion for people […]
I’ve been at Keats school and Kunming now for one month doing the one-on-one Chinese lessons with two different teachers. I really enjoy it. Both of my teachers are very friendly and patient. They really helped me to improve my Chinese, both of my reading and speaking. I really enjoy studying Chinese in Kunming as well. This city is really beautiful and the weather is nice, the air is clean. It’s one of the best cities in China to study Chinese.
My first semester that I studied at another school, and the pressure there was pretty high, the classroom hour was long, and the homework was pretty tedious. Since I came to Keats, I found I have a lot more opportunities to speak in the classroom. My classmates all are fluent and love speaking and participating in the class. We have great classroom dynamic.
I think the Chinese learning environment here is great. The teaching methods are also very interactive and fun. What I particularly enjoy here is the fact that my teacher does not stick to the textbook. We spend a lot of time discussing general topics, such as Chinese culture, world news, typical expressions used by local people. We also discuss social and economic topics.
One thing I really liked was that I was able to work with my teacher to make an individual plan of study. Another really nice thing is that you live at the school, you feel completely safe. You always have a group of people who are willing to do things with you on the weekends or in the evenings. They are serving you all the 3 meals a day, the food was excellent.
I am a graduate student working on my doctorate degree at Columbia University. We were able to really focus on speaking especially interview-style speaking and we are able to really up my Chinese reading and writing skills, so when I go back to Columbia, I can take formal Chinese classes. It has been a really good experience and I really love my teacher.
All teachers are really lovely. The teaching level at Keats is so much higher. I really love the city. It is very comfortable to get around. I fully recommend Keats. It is a great place to study Chinese in China. We are looking forward to coming back again later this year.
It is very convenient to come to Kunming from Thailand. I really like my Chinese class and my Chinese improved a lot in a few months. There are many benefits of learning Chinese. The best thing I like about Keats is that it is in Kunming, a city with eternal spring. There is so much to see in Kunming and you will love this city after you come.
Last year I started studying Chinese at University. The reason that I came here is that currently, I’m preparing for the HSK 5 test. Also, I heard that this is one of the best schools to study Mandarin in China. After I came here I realized that Kunming is a pretty cool city to live in and with regards to the teachers’ teaching methods, I think they’re very professional. And I think the language environment is good so now I’m ready to take the HSK 5.