Amazing experience in Chengde! Shanghai experience great, but can be improved
My course included 12 weeks of stay in Shanghai, followed with 8 weeks of stay in Chengde, totalling a total of 20 weeks - doing 1on1 classes for 4 hours a day in both locations. I came to Shanghai with a background roughly of HSK3, so with a bit of experience already. To start things off, Chengde was an incredible experience, with the teacher always on time, ready with teaching materials, and explanations as good as they get, along with being relatively flexible on timing if needed. Chengde also offered a truly immersive experience into learning Mandarin and it's truly where I got a lot better / more fluent in Mandarin, especially since I was living with a homestay (whom I would converse with every morning and night about random topics ONLY in Mandarin) and the advisor (Zhong Wen) was truly very helpful in every department, from scheduling events, to being extremely responsive, and also adjusting my time schedule if needed. She also brought me to multiple ancient relics in the city, including organising a visit to the great wall of China. Apart from that, the people in Chengde are extremely friendly in every shape and form, from always starting a conversation first to being truly interested in where you’re from. The city itself is extremely beautiful covered with mountains on both sides and a lake which splits the city in half, being extremely cozy in the months of May/June, with daily expenses being at a minimum / everything being super affordable, and being very walkable - ALL IN ALL coming to Chengde is a must have if you're truly trying to improve your Mandarin level! On the other hand, the teachers in Shanghai were exceptional and on top of their game in every department, utilising the whiteboards at the back and being very adjusting in terms of what content you are looking to learn / focus on. The only line of critique I would have for Shanghai would be the management, as it was definitely not good as Chengde, from not organising as ‘immersive’ activities to meet / practice Mandarin with locals, occasional issues with homestays and vivid communication at times (including critiques from other students too). ALL IN ALL Shanghai was also a great experience!