Testimonials

Konall Culture Exchange is a rapidly expanding world-class private language institute. Our staff has over 4 years experience placing foreigners from all over the world in programs in China, and we have provided these services for over three hundred people. But enough from us, here's what a few of our recent students have to say about their experiences with KCE.

Elisa Chan (USA)- "Partaking in the KCE program has been one of the most educational and most enjoyable experiences of my life. This is truly the best place to learn Mandarin. The one-one-one teaching method is invaluable because the teachers can customize lessons to one’s individual and unique needs. For instance, I grew up speaking fluent Cantonese, thus had a distinct accent whenever I spoke Mandarin. In a month, my KCE teachers were able to correct my accent, vastly improve my fluency to the point where I feel comfortable in basically any situation, and teach me to read and write basic Chinese characters. What sets KCE apart from any other program is that they genuinely care about their students as individual people, and not just as a commodity. Everyone goes out of their way to help make one’s experience in China the very best possible.
The instructors are first-rate in their profession and teach from the heart—a rare combination that came as a delightful surprise. Plus, they’re extremely friendly and love conversing with students outside of the classroom…perfect opportunity to practice one’s developing Mandarin skills!
I chose the home-stay option, and couldn’t have asked for warmer, friendlier, and more loving family. They treated me like another daughter and enriched my experience in China 10-fold. I plan to visit them again next summer.
I came to Shijiazhuang seeking only to improve my Mandarin skills. I was able to achieve that, plus learn how to play the pipa, learn Chinese calligraphy, learn to cook Chinese cuisine, make lifelong friends, gain another family (my host family), go sightseeing, and even take ballroom dancing classes in my free time! Again, KCE is by far the best program for learning Mandarin, and Shijiazhuang is the best place to truly be immersed in the Chinese culture. I give them my highest recommendation and urge everyone to give them a try. One will be amazed at the speed of one’s progress, while having a great time. All in all, it’s a win-win situation."

Jennifer B. (USA)- "I spent about a month at Konall. The program first attracted my attention because of its flexibility. You are welcome to come and leave whenever fits your schedule and classes are tailored to your specific interests. The one-on-one tutoring is very effective - the teachers are friendly and
knowledgeable and you can go at your own pace to meet your goals and
address your strengths and weaknesses. Of course, you get out of this
kind of program what you put into it - you can learn so much if you just
make an effort! Because my goal was to learn as much Chinese as possible
in a very short time, I worked hard and my teacher was willing to move as
fast as I wanted to and helped me achieve my goal.

I stayed with a host family and had a wonderful experience. They were
extremely kind and generous. I learned a lot about Chinese culture
through conversations and activities with them and (of course) I got a
chance to eat a lot of great Chinese food. Shijiazhuang is close enough
to visit Beijing, but it is NOT a tourist town, so people are very
friendly and interested in foreigners, but aren't nearly as desperate to
sell you something. In all, I really enjoyed my time at Konall. I feel
that I learned a lot and that the program offered everything I needed for
a lot less than most other programs."

Kyle S. (USA)- "Learning a foreign language effectively requires practice and personal interest in the language of study. KCE creates an environment where you can practice as much as you want. as a result this program allows you to improve your Chinese quite rapidly.
However this being said, because language also requires personal interest, I wouldn’t recommend this program to students wanting to come to China to fool around. I’d hate to sound like some motivation speaker but really if you want to learn to speak a language well /fluently you have to want it. It is possible that you could come here and not rapidly improve your Chinese, this however would not be the fault of KCE.
KCE actually creates a perfect environment for those who want to seriously learn Chinese. The 1+1 teacher to student ratio, the home stay, and a city with a small amount of English speakers/foreigners should help vastly improve your Chinese. Within 3 months time I went from intermediate Chinese to being ready to tackle advanced levels of Chinese by American university standards."

Jordan Z. (USA)- "Studying with Konall in Shijiazhuang has been great. The one-on-one lessons are incredibly effective. When I came here, I didn’t know any Chinese, but now, after just a couple months, I have a strong base in the language. This city is also particularly well-suited for studying Mandarin Chinese, because you use it everyday outside of class in daily life. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone seriously interested in learning Chinese."

Philipp C. (S.Africa) "It¡¯s hard to do KCE full justice in just a few lines. It is difficult to conceive of a better place to learn Mandarin. Unlike in Beijing or Shanghai (I¡¯ve studied in both), in Shijiazhuang, foreigners are a rarity, and few people speak English. This forces you to practice speaking Mandarin on a daily basis. This is crucial: you can spend as much time as you like reading textbooks or listening to tapes, the only way to learn to speak Mandarin is through regular practice with real people. Konall is the perfect environment for this: not only are the teachers as good as any I¡¯ve met, they also tend to spend their free time in the school¡¯s comfortable lounge, which means you can practice speaking with them all day. After hours, in restaurants, bars, the gym, people will speak
Mandarin to you, because that¡¯s all they know how to do. I also
recommend the homestay option, even if only for a short while (I did if
for 7 weeks), for anyone interested in experiencing how ordinary
middle-class Chinese families really live. It¡¯s quite an eye-opener.

Konall and Shijiazhuang are not for everyone. In my experience, the
students who come here tend to be more serious about really learning
Mandarin than the average student in Shanghai or Beijing. And honestly,
it¡¯s not always easy here, but for anyone who truly wants to learn Mandarin
quickly, and in a very fun and friendly environment, I can¡¯t think of a
better place than right here, in Shijiazhuang."

Matt S.(USA) "I have been a student through the KCE program for about 3 months. I am planning to stay here for about a year and am very excited because of how fast my Chinese has improved. Because the program is one on one teaching, I've been able to go from knowing absolutely nothing about Chinese to being able to have conversations with others in a
very short time. The company here is very personal and always makes
sure that everything is going well with me. They continue to deliver
a positive experience of china, its language and culture; and the price is very reasonable, even for a poor college student!"

J.B. (USA)- "I'm beginning my third week here with KCE, and I have nothing but good things to say about my time here. The staff is friendly, professional, and very capable in teaching Mandarin. I had taken a couple of Chinese classes during my undergraduate studies at MIT, but I never learned as quickly as I am learning now. I chose the home stay option, expecting to get more exposure to the language and culture (plus the price was right!), and I have not been disappointed, last weekend, we went hiking in HeNan Province, a great experience that I never would have had on my own. We¡®ve also played tennis and badminton and visited extended family, and in the process I¡®ve met even more great people and have had plentiful opportunities to improve my speaking skills. All in all, I¡®d say you can¡¯t go wrong here. The immersion program a far more effective than anything I¡®ve encountered in the U.S. and the low tuition cost is tough to beat. With three more weeks to go to in ShiJiaZhuang, my only regret is that my schedule wouldn¡¯t let me stay here longer."

Michael V. (USA)- "I¡¯ve just completed my fourth month of studying at KCE and have nothing but good things to say about my experience. From the beginning, when I researched cultural exchange language schools, KCE stood apart from others with their quick responses to questions and assistance with planning a course specifically designed for me. The course is one-on-one with a teacher but I have been supported by the entire staff at KCE well beyond just the class room. KCE has a mission to provide excellent customer service and they have reached their goal many times over with me. Their goal is to make students as comfortable as possible while living abroad in China, not just to teach mandarin. The response to meeting my needs whether it is in the class room or assisting me with issues outside of the class room KCE has never failed to exceed my expectations. My time here has been a very unique experience and one that I will never forget. I highly recommend coming to Shijiazhuang and studying with KCE."

April S. (USA)- "I studied Chinese at my university for to semesters last year, but felt like I couldn't really say anything. I enrolled in the Konall program to boost my speaking and listening skills and have made great improvements. My host family is great, they treated me very well and I am coming back to visit them for Spring Festival."

Michael W.(USA)- "I started my China experience in Shanghai with great hopes of learning as much Mandarin as possible. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that not only is Shanghai filled with English speakers, but the Shanghainese people don't even speak Mandarin! The dialect spoken there was very difficult for me to understand and the environment was especially difficult for me to practice my Mandarin. While looking for a different program that offered better, more standard Mandarin training I came across Konall. KCE proved to be the most intense training available and also offered a very reasonable price. Within the first few weeks of living in Shijiazhuang I learned much more than in my three months in Shanghai.The four hours a day of class is very intense and my language skills have improved by leaps and bounds in such a short time. The program is set up so that I still have plenty of time during the day to go wondering around the vast city while truly experiencing the Chinese way of life. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who is interested in living in a true Chinese city as well as to anyone who is interested in learning the real standard mandarin."

Johan B.(Holland)- "The goal for my studying Chinese is to get some knowledge of the language before I try my hand in the Chinese job market. Being able to start whenever you want and stay for any amount of time you shoose make it a lot easier for me planning this. I'm happy with my choice of Konall, I've learned more in my time here than I think I would have anywhere else. There is a lot of attention for the pronunciation and studying. I can direct the studying the way I want and learn things that are useful for my individual situation. Besides that the people here really do their best to make sure I'm getting the most out of my study in the classroom as well as outside of that. They are always willing to assist me wtih anything. I'd recommend Konall to anyone who is interested in seriously learning Mandarin Chinese."

Lisa M.(Italy)- "I came to KCE for a one month Homestay and had a fantastic time. My Host Family was really nice and even took me traveling. I have visited China before but I feel that this time I gained so much deeper of an understanding about Chinese culture and life than I ever could have on my own. Everything went very smooth with the company and we all had a great time together."

Madeleine S.(Scotland)- "After two months homestay in Shijiazhuang I have learned more Mandarin than I thought I could in a short period. I am especially happy with the progress I have made in writing, I am very dyslexic, but the teachers have been really patient and made every effort to get my writing up to par. The level of personal attention I get here is amazing and I have always felt very at home here."

Richard D. (USA)- "I can only praise your school and your teachers and staff. You were able to provide me with a superior educational experience. Because of my previous history in learning Chinese, I had an unusual combination of strengths and weaknesses. You were able to accurately assess these, and tailor my curriculum accordingly. As a result I believe I learned more in one month than I could possibly have learned in any other program in one year. Your attention to my well being both inside and outside the classroom allowed me to participate in normal Chinese life in ways I thought would be impossible. I can recommend your program most highly."

Lalo S.(Mexico)- "I have come to KCE for an 11 month program after high-school and before college to learn Chinese. I spent a year with a Host Family as an exchange student in Germany before I came to China, and so far my experiences here have been great! My Host Family treats me like a real member of their family and overall everyone is very warm and friendly, I would recommend KCE to anyone who wants to come to China for a good study abroad program."

Andy S. (USA)- "I graduated from UCSD in June and
decided to take a year off. I had learned Italian and Spanish and wanted to learn a 4th language. Chinese seemed like a good choice as it is the most spoken language in the world, and the Chinese economy is exploding. I chose Konall because of the flexibility of their program in terms of start dates and hours of instruction. I am currently living in a nice 2 bedroom apartment in the center of the city and have 4 hours per day of 1 on 1 instruction." ....."As far as KCE goes, I would highly recommended their school. They continually make every effort to ensure that I am comfortable and happy. The quality of instruction is high and the accommodations good, but what really comes across are their friendly personalities and responsiveness to my needs / desires."

Hans G.(Germany)- " I am currently working and living in Japan, and my company has expanded into mainland China, so it becomes necessary for me to learn Mandarin. I studied on my own for several months before coming to Shijiazhuang to stay with a Host Family. The instruction I received was very good and they made the program to fit the business language I need to know. It was a good program and I would go there again."

Jonathan G.(Canada)-I have come to China under different circumstances than most. I came to study Taichi and Chinese. My Taichi school is on the outskirts of town and my schedule is quite busy. KCE found me an excellent two bedroom apartment close to my school with everything I wanted and more. They also found a brilliant Chinese teacher to give me lessons nearby my apartment. Within a matter of months I had a working knowledge of Chinese.My relationship with KCE has never felt like business. Since my arrival 6 months ago, they have always made sure that I am comfortable. If you need or want anything, they will make sure you get it. KCE has gone beyond all expectations. Thanks guys."

Corinne M.(Australia)- "Konall provided a fantastic service for my 6 month study program. The level of Mandarin I was able to achieve in such a short time is amazing, I learned more in my six months with KCE than in two and a half years of studying Chinese in university in Australia. My apartment was great, the KCE staff took excellent care of me and made me feel like family. Spot on!"