A Conducive Learning Environment
Why come to China to study Chinese? A conducive learning environment is not just helpful to your Chinese studies, it's essential. But as with any globalized country, you can get by in China speaking only English.

As a result, CLI has carefully designed core curriculum, extra-curricular activities, living arrangements, travel excursions and much more to always ensure a high level of immersion into mainstream Chinese society.

GXNU Language and Culture Classes
All CLI semester students are fully enrolled at our official university affiliate, Guangxi Normal University (GXNU). Students attend up to 20 hours of weekly for-credit coursework covering subjects ranging from Chinese language, history, culture, politics and economy.

Please Click Here for a Complete Listing of Chinese Language Courses

Weekly One-on-One Language Training
In addition to your full courseload at GXNU, you will additionally be enrolled in three to ten hours of one-on-one Chinese training (see Intensive Option) with CLI's carefully selected Mandarin instructors. One-on-one time is essential to rapid improvement in spoken Chinese, as these teachers will be your personal guides to conquering the Chinese language.

Please see the following two PDFs for insight into exactly how CLI's one-on-one coursework is structured:
Beginner I Course Framework

Beginner II Course Framework

Intermediate I Course Framework

Intermediate II Course Framework

Objectives and Assessments
Under the careful guidance of your one-on-one language instructors, daily learning objectives will be pursued and, once achieved, validated through our organized system of assessment.

Day to day objectives may include learning new vocabulary words, grammar points, radical sets, word pronunciations, idiomatic expressions, social etiquettes, and so on. College Study Abroad students are given a formal Chinese language assessment once per month, and given daily informal assessments by way of homework assignments, in-class questions and games, as well as interactions throughout Guilin’s city environment.

English-Taught Courses at GXNU
The following courses, many of which are organized jointly between CLI and GXNU, are each taught by English-speaking GXNU professors holding an MA or PhD degree in the relevant subject matter.  Not all of classes below are guaranteed to be taught each semester, although at least two will be held every spring and fall.  Please contact CLI for course syllabi.

PSCI 301 - Modern Politics in China (3 credits)
With over 70 million members, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wields massive influence over roughly one-fifth of the world's population. But don’t be fooled by the term “one-party system”; China's political environment is equally complex as it is interesting.

COMM 330 - Multicultural Communication (3 credits)
Multicultural Communication is offered primarily to local students through GXNU’s foreign languages department and is taught in half-English and half-Chinese (all textbooks and PowerPoint presentations are in English), giving CLI students an unforgettable opportunity to combine theory and practice.

HIST 201 - Pre-1911 History of China (3 credits)
Take a deep look into China's fascinating history while immersed within its modern culture. Students begin the semester by studying the Xia Dynasty (ca. 2100 - ca. 1600) – the very existence of which is still disputed by historians – and continue their studies through the fall of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

HIST 202 - Post-1911 History of China (3 credits)
China's tumultuous 20th century began with the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and closed with two decades of unprecedented economic reform, with nearly every manifestation of human drama unfolding in between. Explore China's post-dynastic history with GXNU.

ECON 301 - China's Economic Environment (3 credits)
China's recent rise to the upper echelons of the world economy should not be viewed as an emergence, but rather a re-emergence. Understanding the PRC's economic environment, past and present, is essential for all up-and-coming international citizens.

PSCI 330 - China and the Natural Environment (3 credits)
The People’s Republic of China now houses the world’s second largest economy and is officially the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Study what is undeniably one of the most pressing issues facing the international community in the country that now wields tremendous influence over the future of earth’s natural environment.

Weekly Activities and Monthly Travel Excursions
Each week CLI hosts a variety of events, activities and group dinners for the entire CLI community. Activities include group potlucks, tours of Guilin, night cruises on the Li River, visits to local orphanages, Poker nights, dark beer at the German Bar, bike rides to the country side, Calligraphy class, and much more.

In addition, CLI provides one travel excursion per two months of a student’s stay. These excursions allow students to take a broader look at southern China's rich culture and offer an additional opportunity for students to practice their Chinese language skills. Locations include the Longsheng Rice Terraces, Yangshuo, Nanning, Guangzhou, Kunming and more.