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 little English as possible to help our students learn Chinese. We have helped many non-English speakers to master the Chinese language.

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. We will send you visa application supporting materials to apply for a student visa.

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

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 organizes the following activities every week:

Tuesday evening: Movie night

Wednesday evening: Langauge exchange

Thursday evening: Chinese cultural night

Friday evening: Try local snacks

Saturday: Excursion

Students are welcome to sign up for these activities. Check out a list of things to do after class.

YES! We teach the standard Chinese language at Keats. Everywhere in China has its own dialect. Many Chinese people find it is very hard to understand Beijing dialect before they get settled down in Beijing for 1 year or 2. 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. Students studying Chinese at other locations also find it no problem at all.