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Overview

Learn Chinese in China in up to three 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. 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.

  • 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
  • Learn Chinese Fast

    Learn Chinese Fast

    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 Shanghai to traditional Chengde

  • 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

The Cities

Shanghai

With 25 million inhabitants, Shanghai is not only China’s most dynamic and international city, but has today become one of world’s most important financial and business centres. With its mix of buzzing rooftop nightlife and quiet shikumen backstreets, breathtaking modern architecture and old colonial heritage, living in Shanghai will be an unforgettable cultural experience.

Beijing

China’s capital is the cultural heart of the country. The city is home to 56 different universities, Tiananmen Square and the ancient Forbidden City, as well as countless smaller temples and pagodas and an ancient network ofhutongs (narrow streets) waiting to be explored. At the same time the skyscrapers of Beijing’s Central Business District are a monument to China’s recent economic miracle. For foodies Beijing offers an amazing choice of different specialist cuisines from across China and the world.

Chengde (not Chengdu)

The old imperial Qing summer capital of Chengde is nestled among the mountains north of Beijing, close to the Great Wall. Home to the Old Summer Palace, the Putuo Temple and many other historic sites, it is now recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site. With 500,000 inhabitants it is a relatively small city (in China terms!) and offers a much more relaxed pace of life than in other Chinese cities, with plenty of hiking and other outdoor activities available too. Chengde is also the birthplace of modern Mandarin Chinese. Nowhere else in China do the locals speak a more standard form of Mandarin than here. However, students who chose to study in Chengde must bear in mind that unlike Shanghai or Beijing, there’s no international community here and none of the locals speak or understand English – they have no need to! This is complete Chinese immersion and the real China at its best.

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 Standard Price

Duration Price (CNY)
4 weeks 10,327
6 weeks 13,681
8 weeks 16,712
10 weeks 19,420
12 weeks 22,047
14 weeks 25,279
16 weeks 28,512
extra 2 weeks 3,231

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 Intensive Price

Duration Price (CNY)
4 weeks 17,996
6 weeks 24,700
8 weeks 30,758
10 weeks 36,169
12 weeks 41,419
14 weeks 47,881
16 weeks 54,342
extra 2 weeks 6,462

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 Individual Price

Duration Price (CNY)
4 weeks 17,996
6 weeks 24,700
8 weeks 30,758
10 weeks 36,169
12 weeks 41,419
14 weeks 47,881
16 weeks 54,342
extra 2 weeks 6,462

You can choose any  course from four to 52 weeks – please contact us at info@livethelanguage.cn 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 Standard Price

Duration Price (CNY)
6 weeks 17,650
9 weeks 23,546
12 weeks 28,796
15 weeks 35,258
18 weeks 41,719
21 weeks 48,181
extra 3 weeks 6,462

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 Intensive Price

Duration Price (CNY)
6 weeks 28,675
9 weeks 38,993
12 weeks 48,181
15 weeks 59,488
18 weeks 70,796
21 weeks 82,104
extra 3 weeks 11,308

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 Business.

Three City Individual Price

Duration Price (CNY)
6 weeks 25,000
9 weeks 33,844
12 weeks 41,719
15 weeks 51,411
18 weeks 61,104
21 weeks 70,796
extra 3 weeks 9,692

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

Laura Forte Testimony for LTL
Laura Forte
Elaine's Mother

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. We are very happy with the program.

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Laura Forte Testimony for LTL
Laura Forte
Elaine's Mother

Last year, our daughter studied at LTL’s Beijing program during her 2 week Spring Break. We loved the program and the results – not only did her Mandarin improve as shown in an improved grade at school after her return, but also in the test score she received on the HSK Level 3, which she took last May.

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 – and, we all wanted to see more of China! We are very happy with the program.
Again, she worked on conversational Mandarin, studied for the HSK Level 4 and took a week of Safari. She thought the teachers were excellent. And, she enjoyed the Safari’s immensely. Her first one was a trip to get a manicure.
LTL has great teachers and the program is very flexible, so I could schedule for her a day off prior to attending so that we could visit Nanjing.
Shanghai is very different from Beijing. It is a much more cosmopolitan city and we did encounter some English speakers here. Also, there was a lot more Western food. However,we did enjoy seeing sites around the city and took a very interesting noodles cooking class and also a dumpling food tour and cooking class. Shanghai is a vibrant,cultural city and we enjoyed our time there immensely.
 We would definitely recommend this program and would be happy to talk to anyone thinking of attending this program.
Emma Potter Testimony for LTL
Emma Potter
Geneva, 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.

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Emma Potter Testimony for LTL
Emma Potter
Geneva, Switzerland
Emma making new friends

Emma making new friends

My mother did all the research and set up for my trip to China. She emphasized that the reason she chose LTL over any other school was you – your answers were prompt, detailed and enthusiastic. She says that you inspired confidence and made sending her first-born across to the other side of the world a lot easier.

I had a shared apartment when I was in Beijing. The location of this apartment was very convenient as it took me less than 30 minutes to get to school by subway, and there was also a little supermarket just outside my block. The landlady was friendly enough considering that she speaks no English and at the time I spoke no Chinese. I was overall satisfied with that accommodation.

Chinese calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy

All of my teachers in LTL have been absolutely fantastic. I especially enjoyed classes with my Shanghai teachers who were professional but eager to interact with me and to help me see more than just the inside of a classroom. Thanks to them I saw more of Shanghai than I possibly could have done by myself and I have learnt a surprising amount about Chinese culture through interesting and diverse conversations with each of them. I am very grateful for their dedication and for making learning Chinese so enjoyable.

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. The classrooms are size-appropriate and clean and overall both schools are very nice to hang out in. The LTL social calendar in Beijing was varied and inclusive of all students but maybe lacked the ability to include and interact with Chinese peers. I was very impressed with Shanghai activities and very happy to meet more Chinese friends. Overall I think that LTL does a very good job making sure that students get to see more than just the inside of a classroom and experience a large part of what Chinese culture has to offer.

Emma and friends looking out over Shanghai.

Emma and friends at the LTL Shanghai rooftop.

I started from zero and my Chinese level has improved considerably. I left China on a high, having made countless exceptional friends, and with a desire to come back some day. The only improvement I can think of right now would be to initiate more interaction with Chinese locals to prompt students to use their skills, however basic.

Considering how well my Shanghai experience went, I would certainly consider coming back to visit, and maybe eventually do another Chinese with LTL. I’m also thinking of speaking to my old high school about Shanghai and LTL; so if you feel like sending a paycheck my way let me know!

Will Peever Testimony for LTL
Will Peever
Calgary, 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.

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Will Peever Testimony for LTL
Will Peever
Calgary, Canada

When I first arrived to Beijing I was really anxious. I didn’t know what to expect and was afraid at the start. First day was great however.I was welcomed by everyone and quickly felt at home. I made lots of friends quickly and I loved all three of my teachers in Beijing. The school had a really nice community and I felt I was completely fitting in.

Will, and his teacher Rachel in Shanghai.

The homestay was great as well. The family was very helpful and the food was great. They also helped me a lot with practical matters, like navigating the subway, moving around Beijing and so on.

After my stay in Beijing, I moved to the city of Chengde. Life in Chengde was very different. It is slower than Beijing and has less of a community. I did learn a lot of Chinese though due to the immersion aspect, and I absolutely loved my homestay there. It was only one lady, whose Chinese was very clear and easy to listen to. I could understand her perfectly. She was also an LTL teacher. There was good food, we have a bunch of good conversations, and it all felt very welcoming.

The next step was Shanghai. Before coming to Shanghai, I did some backpacking in China on my own so I was more used to China, and could get around more easily. I wanted more freedom and independence so I opted for a shared apartment this time. The apartment was great, it was very big and it was in a convenient location. I also liked the teachers in Shanghai a lot, they helped me focus on pronunciation and the HSK exam, which I felt I managed to prepare for very thoroughly.

Overall I was very satisfied. The big one for me was the social life, which was great in both Beijing and Shanghai. Chengde can’t be beat for actually learning Chinese though.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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.

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