Learn Chinese in Beijing

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Course Description

All teacher lessons follow a communicative approach, and are divided into five sections:Warm-up, Intensive practice, Review dialogue, Communicative activities, and Games & songs. This approach ensures as much involvement as possible of all students in the class, quite unlike the one-way lectures which characterize so much Chinese teaching.

90% of the class time is dedicated to oral and listening practice, and about 10% will be dedicated to character recognition and writing - depending on the grade.

Daily Connection (Levels 1-2) is for people who have never learned Chinese or know only a few phrases. About 400 common words are included, and the practice focuses on pronunciation, useful phrases and simple sentences. Topics are related to daily situations, such as greetings, shopping, eating with friends, asking for directions, talking about home environment, taking a taxi, and so on.

Daily Competence (Levels 3-4) is for people who have learned around 400 words, and some simple language points, and can speak basic Chinese. During this level about 500 new words and useful phrases are used, making a total vocabulary of 900. Practice focuses on phrases and sentence building, and learning to express simple feelings, like apology, gratitude, hope, regret, etc. Topics are related to common social and interpersonal contact such as birthday and family parties, favorite colors, illness, travel, looking for a job, and so on.

Daily Comfort (Levels 5-6) is for people who have learned to use about 900 hundred Chinese words and phrases,and can talk about daily situations withouttoo much difficulty. At this level a further 600 words and phrases are taught, making a total vocabulary of about 1500. Practice concentrates on further and more accurate expression of one's meaning and feelings. There is a wider range of topics from daily life,work and social situations,such as attendingformal receptions and weddings, booking hotels, collecting people at the airport, watching shows, talking about tours, and so on.

The online lessons contain full lesson contents and a wide range of practice activities, with lots of audio, graphics, and visual exercises - all interactive.

Upon successful completion of the whole program, people should be able to deal confidently and comfortably with all everyday life and work situations.

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Homestay

We will find you a Chinese family close to the school to stay with - whose home is fully up to Western standards. Living with a Chinese family is an ideal environment for learning the language and experiencing local people's lives at first hand. Homestay accommodation includes breakfast and dinner, private bedroom and bathroom, shared sitting room with TV etc., use of a computer and high-speed internet access.

Julong Gardens, where the Chinese school is located, is in central Beijing, near the main business district and the embassy area, with convenient access to the metro and ring roads. It was the one of the first compounds in Beijing to be open to foreign residents.

The Chinese families in our program are mostly near or in Julong Garden, and the rest live in places which can be easily and quickly reached by subway or other public transportation.

Host Families

Our host families are all international-minded, with at least one family member who speaks English (though they'll talk to you in Chinese whenever possible!) Their homes are all clean, modern and fully up to the best Western standards - with shower and/or bath and Western-style toilet. We thoroughly interview our families and check their references, and we're satisfied that you'll feel completely safe and welcome in their homes. We even give them a short training, so that they know what you have been learning in your course and can help you to practice it. They'll cook you the kind of delicious Chinese food they normally enjoy themselves, but avoiding dishes which Westerners generally don't like. In the evenings you'll be free to join in with the family, watch TV, study or relax in the privacy of your own room, or go out for some night life.

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Study Tours

Weekend study tours take you to different local places where you can use the language you learned in class and compare the local people's lives with those of Beijing residents. You can also visit local families and schools, chat with people to find out about their lives, and much more.

For Daily Connection , the tour site is Shidu, two hours drive to the south west of Beijing, where beautiful mountains are covered with green and many-coloredtrees, and streams run all year round. Shidu is also one of China's most famous places for stone craft ware.

The Summer Resorts in Chengde (Bishu Shanzhuang), one of China's four great Imperial gardens, has been chosen as the tour site for Daily Competence . Emperors of the Qing Dynasty usually went to Bishu Shanzhuang to flee the heat of Beijing and hunt in the grasslands, and many legends about Emperor Qianlong originate there. Many Buddhist and Taoist temples and towers also surround the city, which is a three- to four-hour drive from Beijing toward the north-east.

A 90-minute train journey to Tianjin (formerly known as Tientsin) is the start of the study tour for Daily Comfort . Students will visit the old Bond Area, set up by the eight foreign powers at the beginning of the twentieth century, go shopping in the fantastic (and cheap!) antique market, and also visit Tanggu, one of the largest ports in Northern China.

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Schedule and Fees

Grade 1 = Daily Connection         Grade 2 = Daily Competence         Grade 3 = Daily Comfort
Grade 4 = Elite Enrichment           Grade 5 = Elite Empowerment

Grade 1 - Grade 3: the total fee for each grade is US$1580, it lasts 4 weeks. Those enrolling for two grades will receive a 3% discount, and for three grades a 5% discount.

The complete Daily Chinese: the total fee is US$4500 including 3 study tours, lasts 12 weeks. The complete Elite Chinese: the total fee is US$ 5850 including 3 study tours, lasts 16 weeks

Fees include:

• Teacher and online course tuition and registration

• Accommodation including breakfast and dinner

• Study tour, including one night's accommodation with breakfast and dinner, transportation fees, entrance tickets, teaching materials and the insurance fee

• A couple of short trips to The Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City

• Assistance and supervision from our on-site staff

• Airport pick-up and drop-off

• A welcome/orientation Package including a Chinese-English-Chinese dictionary, and an international phone card worth 100RMB ($12.50)

• A welcome dinner and other treats prepared by your host family

We do not use any agencies, so as to avoid extra costs. Every cent we charge produces value, which goes back to our customers.

Through CH's unique packaged homestay program, you will have a 360-degree experience of Chinese culture while at the same time learning the language thoroughly and enjoyably.

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Club Activities And Free Time

In the Chinese club you can watch Chinese films, play Chinese chess and Mahjong, learn about Chinese tea ceremony, attend culture lectures etc. whenever you have free time. And during weekends, our on-site staff or your host family will take you to the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and other famous sites.

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Summer Homestay for Children

The summer homestay package is a good choice for people who would like their children to make contact with mainland China. And it will give your children the perfect introduction to Chinese culture and language, as well as a great short summer vacation in Beijing. It's suitable for children of all ages from seven upwards, and no previous knowledge of Chinese is needed. Your children will stay in a clean and comfortable apartment with a specially selected host family who will do everything to make them feel secure and welcome, and they will be accompanied at all times during lessons and recreational activities.

Note:
1. There are two starting dates: mid-July and early August
    (or contact the school for special arrangements)
2. This program is open to children from the ages of seven to sixteen
3. The deadline for registration is one month before the program starts
4. Other requirements and conditions are the same as the adult Homestay Program

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