I started studying Chinese at Silk Mandarin after two of my friends with excellent Chinese highly recommended them. I had already lived in China for 2 years while working full-time and studying (in a half-assed way) on the side and had taken 1 year of university Chinese. But I felt really inspired at Silk Mandarin that my studying was going to pay off, which energized me a lot. One great part was that I was able to dictate what I wanted to learn and what would be useful for my work and daily life. That in and of itself was great, but it’s not the thing that sets Silk Mandarin apart from other schools I’ve gone to. Instead the big things these guys do is teach you the logic of the language, using a very straightforward and easy to understand method, but one that I’d never heard anything about before in university or other private schools. Once my teacher started teaching me this, so many pieces were coming together for me in terms of sentence structure and how Chinese works. I think my language was really inconsistent before and I was never sure where to put which words because I knew different rules but not a unified one. So I’d say these guys are incredibly friendly and flexible and cool, but they also really know their stuff. I’m a native English-speaking editing/writing professional who majored in lit and my Chinese teacher knows the English parts of speech better than I do– you have to understand language to teach it and these guys have it down 🙂

When it comes to learning languages, my ambitions have always overshadowed my end results. Silk Mandarin helped me change that!

Before starting my course with Silk Mandarin, I knew nothing except “Nihao”. I was going to stay in Shanghai for 3 months and wanted to put the time to good use. I was introduced to Silk Mandarin by another exchange student and after a consultation where we were introduced to their method, we were sold! After two months of two three hour lessons per week, I can introduce myself and get by in simple conversations.

We are five people in my class and Jessica, our teacher, is amazing at making sure we all keep up and have fun while learning Chinese. She’s very attentive and answers all our questions, and when we ask about useful things to learn when navigating Shanghai. I’ve already recommended it to the next exchange students coming to Shanghai from my home university.

Here’s the kicker; I opted for Silk Mandarin despite being offered FREE lessons by my university, and the best money spent and best decision I’ve made while in Shanghai!

Aside from efficient and rewarding lessons, what you can expect from Silk Mandarin:
– Clean & Modern classrooms
– Free coffee, tea & water
– A warm atmosphere
– Professional, patient and welcoming staff and teacher
– Good study material; the flashcards and the magic pen are a godsend!

Don’t hesitate; they’ll take good care of you, and your language skills!

I have studied in two other Mandarin schools (one being in Shanghai as well) and Silk Mandarin is by far the best!!! They offer the best classes, very fun and dynamic, great teachers plus the super friendly staff!! They truly make you feel at home!! I once asked for the students to have more contact with the Chinese culture, and now, every Friday we have culture classes, and they are awesome!!! You can feel that they really care about the students and making them learn as fast as possible! I can already feel the difference in my Mandarin even with just a few classes!!! I would 100% recommend to everyone!!

I spent 1 year working in China in the Investment sector. Silk Mandarin has been of great help for me to succeed in passing both HSK 3 and Jiao Tong Daxue exams. More than this, the lessons were designed so I could tackle interesting subjects and discover them at my pace. The teachers helped me to reach my objectives with creativity, patience and a lot of enthusiasm!

I have been in Shanghai for over seven years and I had tried to learn Mandarin before but I failed. When I won free classes with Silk Mandarin, I had just signed up for trial classes with another school to support my roommate in her effort to learn Mandarin. I attended those classes with her and thought I would come just for those free lessons at Silk Mandarin and then continue at the other place which was closer to where I live. However, Andy is an amazing teacher. Silk Mandarin’s teaching methodology, the cards and the talking pen as well as the other two students, Heidi and Sisay soon had me signing up to continue taking lessons at Silk Mandarin. Since then I have recommended Silk Mandarin to other people and I will continue to do so!

“The teachers are not only very professional but also able to mix fun and learning at the same time. They follow their own scheme and structure for each class, and there is always a positive outcome. The precise and correct method allows you to reach your final goal. I have improved my Chinese level at a very fast pace and I can definitely say that in one month in silk mandarin I have learned more than I would ever expect before. Thank you 老师!!”

At Silk Mandarin, I found the right teacher. The teachers are qualified, motivated and always in a good mood. The atmosphere in the class is really refreshing, that’s why I really like to take lessons there. Thanks to Silk Mandarin I now can engage in a real conversation with my Chinese friends, that’s such a great feeling!

Having studied in many language schools in different countries during my life gives me the confidence to say that Silk Mandarin stands out from other schools for different reasons. The foundation is made of enthusiastic and friendly people that are always encouraging our learning process; then it’s noticeable how they are really motivated in making us learn through different approaches, not only by using books, but offering their own material like flashcards, talking pens, customised apps and even SMS groups to keep us constantly engaged; and finally, their openness in asking for feedback is legitimate and they will always try to improve our experience with tailored classes, according to our needs, in the best way possible.