Silk Mandarin Language Tranining Institute Avaliações 

I initiated conversations with Silk Mandarin when I first arrived in China at the end of March as I was evaluating the different Chinese programs I found online. I spoke with a woman named Silvia over the phone and via WeChat. She was so attentive and understanding, that I was sold on the Silk Mandarin program. I took a Chinese level test as I had some history studying the language and realized I needed some practice before joining the HSK 2 level class as there were things I couldn't remember. Silvia was kind enough to provide me complimentary access to the HSK 1 modules on the contingency that I signed up for the HSK 2 class. I was then able to select which month I wanted to start the HSK 2 level class and even pay for the course in monthly installments, which was so nice. Unfortunately, during this process, Silvia left the company, and I was put in contact with a new salesperson.

The original intent, when I had worked with Silvia was to start a class in June, but a week before the June class start date, I found myself having to reach out to the salesperson as I still had not received the HSK 1 modules and it had been over a month since out last conversation, which we had briefly paused at the end of April for a 4-day holiday. I was very disappointed that I had to be the one to follow up on this, especially since I was ready to start everything at the end of April. During this follow up, the salesperson informed me that there would be no group class at the time that worked around my work schedule as no one else had signed up. I emphasized that I'd rather wait for another student to join as the group class is 1.5 hours vs taking the class individually which is shortened to 1 hour. We agreed to wait until July for another student to join. It was only in mid-June that I got access to the HSK 1 materials.

Another student signed up for the July course timing and we were put in a group chat with the teacher and some Silk Mandarin management people. The course started off very smoothly and everything was going great until I was one day pinged by the Silk Mandarin people and told that my class would be cut down to hour-long sessions as the other student had dropped out as he felt he needed some extra time studying before starting the class. I was a bit frustrated by this as 1. I had already delayed my studies to ensure I was getting 1.5-hour lessons and 2. I felt that the school should have flagged the difference in the students' levels before the class had started. I was also furious about how Silk had decided the class would be 1 hour instead of giving me options. It was only after I communicated my frustration that Silk offered to pause my studies and let me restart the class the following month with another student (if they found one).

I opted to stick with the 1:1 hour-long class schedule as I didn't wish to delay my studies further, but I asked if now that the class was 1:1, if the schedule could be adjusted slightly to give more flexibility around days I knew I’d be traveling. While my teacher seemed happy to accommodate, Silk Mandarin said they had a strict policy that classes couldn't be changed after the schedule was set. I was surprised that they couldn't offer more flexibility since they had just limited my class time.

As for the class itself, my teacher Sisi was great and willing to focus on areas where I was particularly struggling with. She also made time to teach me things about the culture that aren’t found in the textbook, when it was relevant to the lesson, which I appreciated. The HSK 1 and 2 courses have both pinyin and characters, but the main focus is on the pinyin as characters aren't really taught until HSK 3. I think this is a missed opportunity as students then have to go back to learn characters. I previously learned characters, so Sisi was happy to give me character-only reading assignments, and so on.

Sisi was also flexible with the start time of one lesson that I was taking from an airport when I was held up in customs. There was one lesson that Sisi missed, though it seemed that Silk Mandarin hadn't communicated to her that the class was going to be on a different day of the week than usual, and it conflicted with another class she teaches. Instead of Silk asking what I'd prefer to do in this case, they told me that they were going to find a substitute, someone who didn't know where I was struggling vs excelling. I personally would have preferred to postpone the lesson for a day that worked with Sisi.

In terms of the class resources, I do like the modules that are provided, but someone clearly needs to proofread. The modules are great at guiding students through the new vocab and grammar. The course is very fast-paced, so be sure you have time to study on your own. I like the “real-life” extra videos, but they need to add pinyin, especially as characters aren’t the focus until HSK 3.

The teacher was very knowledgeable and competent in getting the information across. They provided sufficient resources to aid learning and understanding. The structure of the course is the most effective that I have seen so far and the time was flexible to accommodate my schedule. Support staff maintained contact to ensure that things were going well. I had an excellent learning experience with Silk Mandarin and I will continue my Chinese learning journey with them.

I fell in love with Mandarin at the end of 2022, when one of my colleagues introduced me to the intriguing and exciting world of Chinese drama, which I started watching endlessly. I very soon decided to also take up a one-on-one Mandarin course. Unfortunately, the method used in class was not engaging enough, too reliant on the textbook and memorisation, and the teacher would speak English to explain the rules as I was a beginner. I was not fully satisfied; so, I started searching online for alternatives. I was lucky enough to come across Silk Mandarin Instagram page and some of their entertaining content. I found the presentation of everyday Mandarin very appealing, the explainations were short, easy and fun, all accompanied by slides showing Chinese characters, pīnyīn and an English translation of each phrase/sentence. I decided to contact the school and had a quick call with one of the PRs to preliminary assess my Chinese level. Soon thereafter I had a demo class and was introduced to my awesome teacher, 思思. During the demo, I noticed that 思思 was well prepared, and I was positively impressed by the “Slow Motion Technique” as it quickly gave me a clear idea of how Chinese sentences are constructed. I thus decided to enrol in a one-on-one online course. I started in July 2023 with HSK 2, and now, in August 2024, we are almost halfway through HSK 4 上. I think 思思 is a great teacher; she is totally adaptable to my needs. Additionally, since day one she would use Mandarin to speak to me, and switch to English only if she noticed that I was really struggling to understand her. This “immersion mode” helped me get used to the sounds of this beautiful language. Additionally, 思思 always sets the bar a little higher for me to challenge myself and improve my level, but not too high to lose confidence in my abilities. Finally, we have a lot of fun learning new aspects of China and its culture, which makes the experience even more exciting. I’m really grateful to Silk Mandarin staff for being so committed to helping students succeed by offering high-level professionalism and engaging methods that make you feel at ease and progress fast. I can’t wait to travel to China and put to practice what I’ve learnt so far! :) Silk Mandarin 加油！

I have been studying Chinese for a while. I recently became quite frustrated with my lack of progress and decided to travel from Australia to Shanghai to try a more immersive experience with Silk. I chose Silk as they had excellent online reviews, reasonable pricing and a great location.

The experience was exceptionally good and I plan to return in future at least once a year.

The course organisers were extremely flexible and allowed me to spend one week reviewing HSK3 in individual/private lessons (to refresh my memory) and then one week studying HSK4 in group lessons.

Here is a list of things I really liked:
*Prior to starting, the course organiser was able to accurately assess my level and place me in the correct class.
*The online learning platform was very easy to install/use to prepare for the face-to-face lessons.
*The lessons were very organised and the videos were kept short and succinct.
*The grammar/new word explanations were very easy to understand with many examples to demonstrate different use cases.
*New words were deliberately repeated throughout example sentences throughout the course to help memorise them. There were also specific videos made for words that are similar, to demonstrate how they are different
*The teachers were completely fluent in English&Chinese and they were patient, energised and friendly.
*They were willing to assist me with course queries, as well as issues/queries regarding Shanghai daily life/sightseeing.
*The course was very well paced and I never felt rushed/overwhelmed or bored.
*The course content was extensive with daily classes focusing on the core concepts, but allowing students to review as much as they like after class.
*The facilities were very good- air conditioning was good and classes were tidy and clean. Small refreshments were served during breaks.
*Some grammar points were explained using ‘Slow motion technique’ which helped me better understand things I previously learned but never quite understood
*As well as online videos/flashcards/activities, textbooks and workbooks were supplied for review after class

Studying Chinese at Silk Mandarin has been one of the best choices I had made when moving to Shanghai, China. Their experienced teachers and staff have been key in my learning journey, and also in helping integrating myself into a larger number of friends and know more about the Chinese society. I am grateful to Silk Mandarin and I’m part of their family.

I start to learn Chinese HSK1 with Silk Mandarin and it’s really interesting! I’m so glad to have a good teacher who is Christina, I’m just a beginner but I learned to say so many new words that before I didn’t knew, every week I have my lessons and it’s really interesting and properly adapted for every situation, in my case, the lesson are in distance because I live in France. Anyway, I’m really proud about my achievements and I hope I can continue until I have a good level in Chinese. By the way, I will go to China in a few weeks and I think what I’ve already learned will be really helpful for me in China.

I feel very grateful with silk mandarin for all the support they give to us. It was a very good experience. And I learn a lot.

They have a good team work that helps every time.

So, I recommend a lot this academy.

Silk Mandarin has been incredibly helpful in my Mandarin journey. I've been living in China for five years, with only basic Mandarin to show for it.

Since starting HSK1 classes with Qiying, I now know more Mandarin than the past four years combined.

Silk Mandarin's blended courseware is incredibly helpful. The combination of pre-study materials, lesson review materials and videos really drill the lesson content into your memory.

Qiying is a very encouraging teacher. She will teach at the pace that works best for you. She will also take the time to break down the content that is most difficult for you in a digestible way.

I won't be available to take lessons over the summer, but I'm excited to move forward with HSK2 lessons in the autumn.

The best language immersion program for learning Chinese. Christina is an excellent teacher, and the entire platform is very conducive to learning mandarin.

Having lived in Beijing few years, and started HSK2 with Silk mandarin this semester. It has had helping me navigating communication better.

I've taken several online courses and I've absolutely love Silk Mandarin school. The technique they teach and the videos are all extremely helpful and the teacher was both engaging and encouraging.
My HSK2 teacher was easily accessible via the class chat, WhatsApp, and even WeChat and would answer questions really quickly even though we were in different time zones.

Highly recommend and signing up for the next series.

The first contact to silk mandarin was already great: the team is really going the extra mile to make sure they can meet your required starting date, learning times and find flexible solutions to make sure the course will fit into your life.
Also I really love the blended learning concept: sure you need to invest some time but if you are willing to do that you will have your first successes quickly. I have learned several languages in my life and never came across a better concept to learn one than here. Highly recommend!

Focusing on oral speaking practice as a primary objective really helped me a lot with gaining confidence and motivation to learn. Not putting so much pressure on character learning, but making it the secondary focus, helped me to progress faster. My teacher Christina made it comfortable for me to ask questions that increased my understanding, helping me to grasp the language faster and use it effectively.

Arriving in Shanghai in September 2023 I knew I wanted to learn mandarin, not only in order to facilitate communication in daily life, but also to gain access to Chinese culture in general, this as a sign of respect to the people of this country. For a certain number of reasons regular courses on one of the local universities did not work for me. By coincidence I found the address of SILK MANDARIN online and in some printed expat guide. After the initial contact it took only more or less one day to get in touch with all the relevant people at Silk in order to enrol for HSK1, very fast and very professional. The atmosphere is very friendly, the whole team does its best to make you feel at ease and being part of their "family". Teachers (at least those I know) are doing a really good job, questions are answered almost anytime of the day in almost no time, they are cool, competent and friendly but they are also demanding and insisting in order to get students out of their comfort zone, the only way to succeed with such a different language for westerners. Being in a blended learning course with pre-recorded elements I appreciate the good quality of the videos and the perfect intonations and pace of Jasmine, this is very important when learning a tone based language. I hope my mandarin journey will continue successfully over the next months and years.

At first I tried to learn Chinese by myself. I used video in YouTube, learning apps and etc. But I didn't feel the progress. Then, I found a video of Silk Mandarin School of Chinese and I fell in love with the way information was explained. After that I had a free lesson and I really enjoyed it. My teacher was excellent! I really like her being my tutor. From the very first lesson I got to know about things that I've never heard before. Slow motion technique, for instance. All these things together made me choose Sill Mandarin. Thank you for teaching us properly!

Good Mandarin school in Shanghai

I became aware of Silk Mandarin through the beautiful website and the personal contact was very encouraging. I was at school from April 15th to 26th. CoCo is really a very enthusiastic woman and offers every possible support. The lessons were based on the textbook, but always went beyond; The teacher always patiently answered all questions and problems, even if I was slow to understand something. The exchange about culture and its similarities and differences was also great. We particularly like the very good online teaching material, which is ideal for both preparation and follow-up. The videos using the so-called slow motion technique certainly make problems that we foreigners have when we subconsciously use our language structure in Chinese (and are therefore incorrect) very understandable and avoidable.

I've enjoyed my experience as a student with Silk Mandarin. They offer a lot of different course types, so there is a lot of choice depending on your learning style. Whether you prefer online, in-person, group classes, or private lessons. I really enjoyed the HSK 2 eight week intensive - it really propelled my learning. I'm now taking private lessons and they've been really flexible, which I appreciate as my schedule is so irregular!

Dear Jane,

I hope this review finds you well.
I am writing to express my gratitude and provide feedback on the Chinese course I undertook under your guidance for the past year. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my experience and share my thoughts.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your dedication, expertise, and passion for teaching the Chinese language. Throughout the course, your commitment to ensuring a supportive and engaging learning environment was evident. Your enthusiasm for the subject matter was contagious and played a significant role in my motivation and progress.
One aspect that stood out to me was the structure and organization of the course. The curriculum was thoughtfully designed, gradually building on foundational concepts and incorporating a balanced mix of listening, speaking, reading, and writing exercises. This comprehensive approach allowed me to develop a holistic understanding of the language and its cultural context. I particularly enjoyed the incorporation of diverse materials, such as videos, and dialogues, which enhanced my language skills and deepened my cultural awareness.
Moreover, your teaching style was highly effective in facilitating comprehension and retention. Your explanations were clear, concise, and tailored to suit the diverse learning needs. You seamlessly integrated interactive activities, discussions, and role-plays, which not only made the lessons enjoyable but also encouraged active participation and fostered a sense of camaraderie among us.
Furthermore, your commitment to individual progress was commendable. You consistently provided constructive feedback, highlighting areas for improvement while also acknowledging achievements. Your patience and willingness to address my questions and concerns further enhanced my learning experience and instilled confidence in my language abilities.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the cultural insights you shared throughout the course. Your personal anecdotes, historical background, and anecdotes about Chinese customs and traditions added a unique dimension to the learning process. It not only enriched my understanding of the language but also fostered a deeper appreciation for the Chinese culture as a whole.
In conclusion, I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be part of your Chinese course. Your expertise, dedication, and engaging teaching style have undoubtedly contributed to my progress in the language. I leave this course with improved language skills, heightened cultural awareness, and fond memories of our class interactions.
Once again, thank you for your commitment to excellence in teaching and for creating a supportive and inspiring learning environment. I would highly recommend your Chinese course to anyone seeking to learn the language.
Wishing you continued success in your teaching endeavors.
Sincerely, Duy

Silk Mandarin is conveniently located in a modern tower in the Jing'an district of Shanghai. You can find many options in the area to have lunch after class and a Starbucks coffeeshop to boost you before class!
at Silk Mandarin, the groups sizes are always very small (6 students or less), which is ideal to make progress, participate and ask questions to the teacher. Each teacher has his/her own personality and specific way of teaching of course, but they're all friendly, hard workers and dedicated to their students. A good mix of grammar, vocabulary and conversational skills.

Prior to starting Silk Mandarin’s Blended Learning Course, my learning experience consisted of the hundreds of hours spent on a few of the popular language apps on my cellphone. When we moved overseas to China this past August, I learned quickly that this method is not going to be enough for me to carry out a relatable sentence, yet alone, a conversation with someone local.
I found out about Silk Mandarin through a Chinese New Year ad on social media. CoCo has been a pleasure to work with. She explains the program courses in detail, listens to your wants/needs, any concerns/feedback, & always follows-up. In just a couple of months, 3 hours per week, I’ve learned so much more and have a deeper understanding of the Chinese language & culture. This course has given me a strong foundation to build upon. I just completed the HSK 2 private 1:1 course with my teacher, Yanqin. She is amazing & well-spoken! She knows more about the English speech structure better than I do. Her teaching-style, patience, & humor makes learning Chinese fun. I always look forward to our classes, so-much-so, that I’ve enrolled in & will soon start our HSK 3 lessons.