Tiger Hill Park is located in a northwest suburb of Suzhou. The Sword Pool is the most spiritually significant part of the Park. Historical records show that the tomb of King Helv of Wu is located beneath the pond. Legend has it that he was buried with 3000 of his beloved swords. King Hlv was […]
Kun Opera originated in Kunshan during the Yuan Dynasty and flourished in Suzhou where the people went absolutely crazy over the opera. In the 200 years of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the people of Suzhou held annual musical concerts at Tiger Hill Park. These celebrations of the Kun Opera were held at the time […]
The 1st consideration was age. The prospective couple should be about the same marriageable age, which meant that on the one hand, they had to be old enough to live as husband and wife; while on the other hand, there should be a proper gap in age so that they would enjoy a harmonious marriage […]
Equestrian polo was a national spot in the Tang Dynasty. There were enthusiastic fans in all the social ranks, from the emperor to the ordinary people. Some players entered the officialdom because of their excellent performances. A son-in-law was selected according to his skill in playing the equestrian polo. There are a lot of examples […]
Antenatal betrothals meant that parents on both sides got their children engaged before were born. It was the ultimate embodiment of the parental authority. This kind of marriage had many disadvantages. Sima Guan (1019-1086), a scholar in the Song Dynasty, once analyzed it in his book “The Family Codes”, “By the time the betrothed came […]
Even worse than antenatal betrothals was posthumous marriage. It was also called marriage of the dead, or ghost marriage, which meant unmarried but dead young men and women were married in the nether world by the arrangement of their living parents. It is assumed that this custom came into being before the Qin Dynasty (the […]
The people of Suzhou have a flair for taking simple dishes and preparing them perfectly. Shen Fu’s “Chapters of a Floating Life” describes how his wife, Yun, “Makes cooking seem effortless. Whether preparing fruit, vegetable, fish or shrimp, everything she cooks tastes delicious.” The preparation of Suzhou cuisine is all about timing. For example, the […]
In the Chinese language, “低” and “高” is a pair of antonym which mean “low” and “high” respectively. And “调” means “tune, tone” and so on. So you know that “低调dīdiào” means “low-key” and “高调gāo diào” is the opposite. Chinese people advocate that people should be modest and calm, so when they remind people or […]
There was a poor man who did not drink. Before he went out each day, he would eat only two grain cakes, which invariably made him slightly tipsy. One day he met a friend who asked him: “Did you have a cup of wine this morning?” “Oh, no,” replied the man. “I only had some […]
The Tu Nationality mainly concentrated in Qinghai Province and Gansu Province. They speak the Tu language which belongs to the Mongolian branch of the Altaic language family. The Tu are good at dancing and singing. They are also know for their folk embroidery with designs like “five petal plum”, “cloud flower” and so on. The […]
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.
Kunming is a great place to learn Chinese in China because not many Chinese on the street speak English. Keats has been a great school for me and a lot of other foreigners who studied in China recommended it to me. I think they are all right. The study method here is really structured. They make learning Chinese really easy. There are also a lot of cultural and natural places to visit.
The teachers at Keats know how to read the students and how to help students learn Chinese language easily. They know the level of the students. I am a slow learner, but they managed to adapt to my learning. They made the class very fun, very exciting. I am pleased that not only I got to learn the culture and the language, but I also got to make amazing friends, really unbelievable, Chinese friends and European friends, American friends, from all over the world.
Listening and speaking in the classroom every day has improved my communication skills. After three weeks, my new words and sentences became more and more natural and fluent. Now I am used to thinking in Chinese, and I understand better what other people say, to be able to have real conversations with other people.
They really care about what our interests are, what questions we have, what requirements we have. Then they adjust our Chinese language program content according to the situations. One teacher and one student, so it is easy to keep your focus for the 6 hours of immersion Mandarin lessons. It is very convenient to study, live and eat in one building.
I come to Kunming because I think the environment in Kunming is better and I heard that Keats School is better. I like the small group Chinese class because my classmates study hard and our teachers are very good. I like the teaching method of Keats because I like the activities at Keats. I think Yunnan is a particularly beautiful Chinese province.
Since last semester, we started studying Chinese at Keats. It was the best choice we can ever make. It is a really good school. The classes are a lot of fun, you learn a lot, but very interactive, so you talk a lot which means it is not just books and writing. Kunming is a really pleasant city to live in, especially if you compare it to other cities in the east. If you like to travel, if you like to study Chinese in a fun way, Keats has the best Chinese language program for you.
I have really enjoyed the Chinese course in China at Keats and meeting the teachers here and the students. We have a lot of fun in class. It is a really great school to learn with good teaching methods and a really good textbook, examples and games, and everything.