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Learn Chinese in China with LTL

Learn Chinese in China in up to eight different cities, combining rapid language progress with experiencing Chinese culture.

China is a vast country and the local culture in a modern and international city like Shanghai is very different to a small historic town like Chengde.

With the LTL Multi City program you get to learn Mandarin in different parts of China within the same program.

Classroom interior with six students having Chinese class

  • Study Chinese and explore China
  • Study at two or three different LTL language schools
  • Rapid language progress
  • Includes all transport, 24/7 support and full organisation
  • Flexible durations and course options

You will start at our Shanghai language school in the Old French Concession and then either move on to continue your studies in the Central Business District of Beijing, or move to China’s old summer capital Chengde (not Chengdu) in Hebei province for a taste of rural China and a complete immersion experience.

Or alternatively you can combine all three cities into an epic journey from Shanghai, to Beijing and finally to Chengde.
  • Learn Chinese in China

    Learn Chinese in China

    Intensive: Study Mandarin intensively in a continuous program

    Great teachers: Learn Chinese with certified LTL teachers

    Personal Curriculum: Follow our study plan while exploring China

    Small groups: Average of 3 and max 6 students per class

  • Experience China

    Experience China

    Explore: Study in different Chinese cities during your language course
    North vs. South: Experience both Northern and Southern Chinese culture
    Small vs. Big: Live both in a large and a smaller Chinese city
    Traditional vs. Modern: From ultra-modern to traditional China

  • Meet people quickly

    Meet people quickly

    Community: Join the local LTL community and meet other students
    Events: School dinners, city tours & after-class drinks every week
    Trips: Explore other parts of China with LTL weekend trips
    Join the family: The LTL family extends through all three schools

  • Smooth organisation

    Smooth organisation

    All inclusive: Transport, pick ups, accommodation, textbooks all organised
    Visa: Full student visa invitation documents from LTL Mandarin School
    Accommodation: Choose between homestay or shared apartment
    Support: Student advisors and 24/7 emergency support in each city

Choose City

Customize Your Program

Join the LTL Family in Shanghai

Our Multi-City programs know no boundaries, anything is possible, but to provide some form of structure we have a couple of set programs to give you examples of how our Multi-City programs work.

Metropolitan China

Shanghai-Beijing

Study Mandarin in China’s two main cities. Shanghai and Beijing are not only fierce rivals for the top spot as “China’s greatest city”, but also have very different local cultures and histories.

While Shanghai is very outward-looking, modern and likes to compare itself to cities like New York or London, Beijing is the guardian of China’s ancient culture and heritage.

While Shanghai is the centre of Southern China, Beijing dominates the North – and you will quickly discover that there are very big cultural and historic differences between those two parts of the country. The first half of your Chinese course will be in Shanghai, after which you will move on to Beijing.

You can choose between three program options.

Metropolitan China Standard

Includes 20 hours of small group Mandarin classes per week, first at our downtown Shanghai school in the old French Concessions and then at LTL Beijing, located in the heart of Beijing’s Central Business District.

Metropolitan China Intensive

This is the program for you if you want to maximise your language progress and get ahead with your Mandarin as fast as possible. In both cities you will have 20 hours of small group classes, plus a further 10 hours of private Chinese classes per week.

Metropolitan China Individual

Learn Mandarin at your pace and tailor your course to your needs. You will get 20 hours of private Chinese tuition in both Shanghai and Beijing. The package comes with a free personalised study plan, full language assessment and flexible curriculum.

Metropolitan China Prices (Chinese Yuan)

Duration Standard Intensive Individual
4 weeks 12,956 21,972 22,215
6 weeks 16,708 29,580 29,928
8 weeks 20,078 36,414 36,856
10 weeks 23,094 42,531 43,056
12 weeks 25,783 47,983 48,583
14 weeks 29,383 55,283 55,983
16 weeks 32,983 62,583 63,383
18-52 wks 3,600/2wks 7,300/2wks 7,400/2wks

You can choose any course from four to 52 weeks – please contact us at [email protected] for a full quotation.

Prices include all textbooks, transport between the cities, airport pick up, a local SIM card with data plan, a bicycle, 24/7 support and full access to the LTL student community and support network.

Accommodation

You can combine your program with a homestay, shared apartment or organise your own accommodation. Prices for LTL accommodation options are the same in Shanghai and Beijing.

Three City Combo

Shanghai-Beijing-Chengde

Split your Chinese program between Shanghai, Beijing and Chengde.

You’ll start your program in ultra modern and cosmopolitan Shanghai, then move to the more traditional, but still dynamic and international Beijing and spend your final weeks in Chengde, where nobody speaks English and you’ll be fully immersed into Chinese culture.

For anyone who truly wants to understand and experience China, whilst fast tracking their Mandarin, this program is ideal!

Choose from the following three programs

Three City Standard

You will study 20 hours of small group Chinese classes per week in both Shanghai and Beijing. However once you arrived in Chengde we do not want you to speak English anymore at all, and you will have 20 hours of private classes per week to make sure you’re not tempted to use English with classmates.

Three City Intensive

Improve your Chinese at maximum speed with the Three City Intensive program. You will have 20 hours of small group and 10 hours of private Chinese classes per week in Shanghai and Beijing. In Chengde you will be studying 30 hours of individual classes every week with a private Chinese tutor. Of all the different options to study Mandarin in China, this is the one that will help you to improve your Chinese the fastest.

Three City Individual

Tailor your course to your individual needs and preferences with the Three City Individual Chinese Program. In each one of the three cities you will study 20 hours of private Chinese classes per week. This program is most suitable for students who want to specifically focus on a certain topic like learning to write Chinese characters, improving their spoken Chinese or learning Chinese for travelling or for Business.

Three City Prices (CNY)

Duration Standard Intensive Individual
6 weeks 23,330 36,202 32,143
9 weeks 29,982 47,912 42,258
12 weeks 35,598 57,798 50,798
15 weeks 42,898 70,648 61,898
18 weeks 50,198 83,498 72,998
21 weeks 57,498 96,348 84,098
24-51 wks 7,300/3wks 12,850/3wks 11,100/3wks

Prices already include all course materials, transport between the three cities, airport pick up, 24/7 emergency support, access to the LTL student community and of course full LTL support in every city.

The Chinese Immersion Program

Shanghai-Chengde

Our Chinese complete immersion program is so popular that we created a special page for it.

Please have a look there for more details on how to first study Chinese in Shanghai and then immerse yourself into the “real China”.

What Our Students Say

Steph Testimony for LTL
Steph
Sienna's Mum
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

LTL sounded like what Sienna was after. She acclimatised pretty easily, Shanghai was the easiest transition out of the three, I think because it fit her personality the best.

Read More

Emma Testimony for LTL
Emma
Switzerland
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I was warmly welcomed in both schools. The LTL school grounds in Beijing and Shanghai are very similar, in the sense that both are yellow, welcoming and have a fridge full of beer.

Read More

Will Testimony for LTL
Will
Canada
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

In Shanghai I liked the teachers a lot, they helped me focus on pronunciation and the HSK exam, which I felt I managed to prepare for very thoroughly. Chengde can’t be beat!

Read More

Laura Testimony for LTL
Laura
Elaine's Mum
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Looking to take advantage of her Spring Break again this year to further improve her Mandarin, we decided she would try LTL’s new program in Shanghai.

Read More

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I start?

If you have a basis of Mandarin knowledge already, you can start any Monday of the year.

If you are a complete beginner, we have set starting dates throughout the year. Contact us and we will discuss this with you.

How do I get from one city to the next?

We will organize all transport for you. From Shanghai to Beijing this will either be via plane or high speed train and to Chengde via train, because the city does not have an airport. You will be of course be picked up at the train station or airport and brought to your accommodation after arrival. Soon we are opening a new Mandarin learning centre in Taiwan, giving you even more options.

Are the language schools in the three cities very different?

While of course each school has its unique charm and personality, the LTL language schools in Shanghai and Beijing are very similarly structured with a central location, small groups, a lot of social activities and in general a very fun and relaxed environment. In Chengde, however, the focus shifts from meeting other students and social school events to making sure you immerse yourself completely in Chinese culture. Depending on your preferences, we will for example organise for you to join a local sports team, a hiking club or choir to make sure you are always surrounded by Mandarin speakers only and not tempted to speak English with other foreigners.

What are living costs like?

Except rent, living costs in China are in general very modest. Even at our Shanghai school, lunch only costs about 3 USD and our students get a lot of special drink deals with the local bars in the area. Overall however, Chengde is definitely the cheapest city to live in and most students spend very little money there. A taxi ride through the whole town costs only about 2 USD and a full dinner with plenty of beer usually about 4 USD – though in many cases you will be invited by your Chinese friends anyways and it end up being completely free!

What is life like in Chengde?

Chengde is a taste of traditional Chinese life. As a foreigner in the city you are bound to find some of aspects of life here fascinating, and sometimes a little bit strange – life in Chengde is very different to living in an international city like Beijing or Shanghai. After class you might go for some public square dancing with your homestay mother and the other aunties from the neighbourhood, go for a hike in the nearby mountains with your teacher and their friends, or stroll through the enormous, peaceful gardens of the Old Summer Palace. On the weekend trips you might go horse riding in the Mongolian grasslands, have a sports match or sing in a choir (people in Chengde love to sing!).

The nightlife however cannot compare to what is offered in a city like Shanghai – there are no Irish pubs or pizza joints to hang out with other foreigners and you will be surrounded by local Chinese all day.

Is it ok for a complete beginner to join?

Yes, absolutely. Almost half of our students know no Chinese at all when they arrive at our school and this is not a problem at all. In 2017 and  2018 we have complete beginner courses starting on the following dates.

  • August 21, 2017
  • September 11, 2017
  • October 9, 2017
  • October 30, 2017
  • November 20, 2017
  • December 11, 2017
  • January 8, 2018
  • February 5, 2018
  • March 5, 2018
  • March 26, 2018
  • April 16, 2018
  • May 7, 2018
  • May 28, 2018
  • June 25, 2018
  • July 9, 2018
  • July 23, 2018
  • August 6, 2018
  • August 20, 2018
  • September 3, 2018
  • September 17, 2018
  • October 8, 2018
  • November 5, 2018
  • November 26, 2018
  • December 17, 2018

 

How should I prepare for the program?

You will receive a full pre-course information pack from us before your arrival telling you all you need to know – from what kind of software you will need in China, to what to pack and how to best prepare. In general though, not too much special preparation is needed. There is almost nothing you cannot buy in Shanghai and we will do all the pre-course organisation for you here.

What do you recommend for accommodation?

There are many different options so please spend a bit of time looking through our website to find out what suits you best or contact us with any questions you might have. In our experience the best way to experience Chinese culture and improve your Mandarin at the same time is usually to stay in a homestay though and about 80% of LTL students do this. If you want to keep costs down a bit, it can be a good idea to live in a “teach English homestay” in Shanghai for example, but for Beijing and Chengde we would recommend a standard homestay for maximum language progress.

Related Program

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    Full Time

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