We know studying in China is no simple task, so we provide more than just personalized service – we simplify and streamline the entire process for you every step of the way, even after you’ve already arrived and through to the day you get on the plane to fly home.
From pre-departure planning to deep immersion in China, CLI’s number one priority is ensuring personalized care and attention wherever and whenever you need it.
We put forth an incredible amount of energy and expertise to create and sustain China’s best Chinese language learning community.
CLI is home to a core team of international educators who have worked together on this very project since 2009 and 2010, including Echo, Molin, Avril, Sunny, Dayong, Nancy, Bradford, and Robert, each of whom remain very active at CLI as of this writing in 2022.
We’ve now hosted over 2,500 students at our center in Guilin, and we stick to the same core philosophy that has worked since day one: we put students, teachers and our community first.
Our directors have a combined experience in China of over twenty years and hold masters degrees from Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and Guangxi Normal University, with one of our co-founders, Bradford, currently pursuing a PhD in cognitive science as applied to learning at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Each of CLI’s directors are fluent in Chinese and are dedicated to fostering the premier language learning community in China.
With a comfortable balance between upbeat city life and tranquil natural beauty, Guilin is the perfect place to learn Chinese.
While studying in Guilin, students can enjoy the city’s vibrant night life, delicious southern cuisine, relaxed pace of life, and friendly people.
The many advantages of studying Chinese in Guilin make it stand out against major urban centers like Beijing and Shanghai – take a look at our Guilin page to learn more.
The CLI team places a tremendous amount of focus and attention on optimizing our students' paths to Chinese language fluency.
With up to 20 weekly hours of one-on-one language instruction, a vibrant, community-based learning environment with global and local integration, and options for full enrollment at GXNU, CLI provides you with more opportunities to reach Chinese fluency and understand China than any other organization.
In addition, CLI’s strong international network of China-focused alumni provides students with lifelong friendships, partnerships, and professional connections in China and across the world.
With broad-based connections throughout dozens of cities across China and a deep academic and professional knowledge of the country’s inner-workings, CLI has a unique ability to create educational curricula and professional interactions for any audience.
Since its founding in 2009, CLI has drawn on its extensive China network to organize academic and professional discussions and lectures with representatives from major Chinese corporations, government bureaus, and other key entities in China including:
CLI regularly organizes lectures, meetings, seminars, and other talks, events, and activities at universities and government bureaus throughout China.
In addition, CLI facilitates cross-cultural interaction and learning at every level – students visit local kindergartens and high schools, chat with Daoist monks over herbal tea, attend live concert screenings at MTV Beijing, practice Qigong with lifelong adherents, participate in round-table discussions with highly successful entrepreneurs.
Ultimately, it is the interests of our students and the vision of our faculty leaders that guide CLI’s capabilities.
CLI’s international and local teams have forged deep, meaningful relationships with countless individuals and organizations throughout the city of Guilin and beyond.
With CLI’s extensive network and personalized assistance as a platform, students and visiting faculty have opportunities to explore every aspect of Chinese society.
In Guilin, CLI has direct connections with each of the following: professors in every department of GXNU, grade school principals, hotel managers, factory directors, government officials, restaurant owners, photography studio owners, and prominent tourism agencies.
In addition, CLI maintains relations with the Guilin Tourism Bureau, the Guilin Urban Planning Bureau, the Guilin Central Broadcast TV station, orphanages and other charity establishments, outdoor adventure companies, real estate professionals, local Daoist and Buddhist leaders, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, yoga instructors, Qigong masters, calligraphy experts, and more.