Shanghai, China

Brief history
Abundant in history that reaches back thousands of years yet still looking towards the future, Shanghai is the world’s most populous city with nearly 25 million residents. Once a fishing and textile town, Shanghai has burgeoned into an international city dignified for its culture, finance, technology and fashion.

Culture & Traditions
As the largest city in the world, Shanghai looks both to the past in preserving popular ancient landmarks such as the Bund and City God Temple while also looking to the future, best seen in Shanghai’s vanguard architecture and Spartan sky-scrapers.

Museums
The Shanghai Museum showcases a collection of over 120,000 pieces throughout 11 permanent galleries and three temporary exhibition halls including art objects such as calligraphy, jades and sculptures to name a few.

Nearby cities to check out
- Suzhou: A brief 2 hours from Shanghai, Suzhou is famous for its striking temples and UNESCO World Heritage Site gardens
- Country-side water towns between Shanghai and Suzhou: Halcyon river-boat expeditions are the best way to appreciate the picturesque foliage encompassing these charming Yangtzee River “water towns.” The towns’ antiquated decor gives the illusion that you’ve travelled back in time

About Mandarin House Shanghai
Our partner school specifically focuses on providing a professionally focused
Mandarin language program to help students learn Mandarin and truly
become a global citizen. Mandarin House is the only Chinese member school of the International Association Of Language Centers.

School location
- Mandarin House Shanghai Chinese School is located in the heart of Shanghai
city, People Square
- By being near the world’s longest shopping district, you’ll be fully immersed
in both the Mandarin Language and the Shanghai culture
- The 4 metro lines within 5 minutes walking distance from our school makes
getting around the city easy, so exploring Shanghai’s historical and modern sites couldn’t be easier

Professors
When learning a language, you have to learn from the best! Accredited by the IALC, CSN, and the ALT, our teachers, each with over 3000 hours of teaching experience under their belts, give you the best chance to pick up this challenging (but rewarding) language!

Inside the classroom/at the school
- 20 bright and spacious classrooms
- Relaxation area
- Café corner
- Free internet access

Curriculum – what to expect
- We have 6 types of class to choose from: Standard 20 class, Intensive 30 class, Combined 25 class, Combined 35 class, a private tuition class or a class dedicated to longer-term studies (at least one semester)
- Just in case you’re not sure about your level of proficiency, you’ll receive an oral and written test as soon as you arrive to best determine which group you’ll be placed in
- The good bit: when you complete a Chinese course with the Mandarin School, you will receive an official diploma
- Taking in the language through checking out the local culture is just as important as your time in the classroom. Extra activities (like dumpling making and calligraphy classes) are available
- Classes start every Monday
- Each class is 50mins long and run from 9.00-12.30 or 3.20 (depending on which type of class you opt for)

Example of a regular day in school
- 1st lesson – Review (of everything learnt so far)
- 2nd lesson – Vocab
(Break)
- 3rd lesson – Grammar
- 4th lesson – Conversation
(Lunch break)
- 5th lesson – Reading/writing (only for Intensive 30 students)
- 6th lesson – Comprehension review

Can I get US college credit?
Imagine fulfilling the language requirement at your home college through participating in an exciting language immersion program! You can visit a foreign country, learn while experiencing a new culture, and go through an easy process to gain official college credit for your time abroad

- Here’s the simple 4 step process:
> Sign up with us then get started
> Request a transcript when you are done
> Submit your official transcript to your school
> Then you’re all set!

For more information, check out: http://www.languatica.com/plan-your-trip/get-college-credit/

So what are my studies actually going to be like?
- Once you arrive, you’ll be placed in a class with other students at a similar proficiency level to yours
- All classes have an importance given to conversation
- You will also take classes in: vocab and grammar (as well as reading and writing skills if you opt for the Intensive 30 class)
- You’ll also get the option to go on a number of weekly cultural excursions and activities

Host families / home stay
If you are seeking environment that allows you to practice Mandarin immediately
after class while gaining insight about Chinese culture, you’ll love our homestay
option. Whether you’re enjoying a home-cooked meal, playing ping pong with the
neighbors or going on a weekend trip to visit relatives, you’ll be living an authentic
Chinese life.

Room options
- Single room (a private room with a single bed and free Wi-Fi access)

Food options
- Half board (breakfast and dinner)

Location
- Host families live in houses 30 to 45 minutes from the school

Good to know
- All families are carefully selected to give students a welcoming experience
- If you have any special requests (dietary/allergies/other) just let our customer service team know and we’ll be sure to help you out: info@languatica.com

Find out more
- If you need anything or have any questions, drop us a line at: info@languatica.com – we’ll get back to you in a flash

Apartments
Shared
For that real “study abroad” feel, look no further than sharing a fully equipped apartment with your fellow Mandarin students. Being like-minded students of a similar age from around the world, your Mandarin will come on leaps and bounds by simply discussing who’s preparing the next meal, or who will be taking the lead at the next karaoke night!

Room options
- Single room (a private room with a single bed and access to a shared bathroom and kitchen)

Location
- Apartments are located 10 to 20 minutes from the school

Good to know
- Every apartment has a kitchen equipped with everything you could ever need to cook for yourself
- You get free Wi-Fi access in the apartment

Find out more
- If you need anything or have any questions, drop us a line at: info@languatica.com – we’ll get back to you in a flash

Private
If you prefer your own space, we can also help get you a studio apartment.

Room options
- Studio apartment with one bed

Location
- Centrally located in the city’s most fashionable and central districts
- Studios are located 10-20 minutes from the school

Good to know
- Free Wi-Fi access
- You get cleaning services (for clothes) once a week

Find out more
- We’d be happy to give you more details about this type of apartment, just shoot us an email at: info@languatica.com

Cultural (museums, operas, tourists attractions, etc.)
Shanghai is a popular tourist destination amongst Americans and other international citizens. Visit the iconic “Old City God Temple” where the 600-year old temple is not the only attraction, but the temple’s surrounding commercial district boasts an eclectic array of shops, restaurants and teahouses. Observe Shanghai’s signature skylines from the Huangpu River in the financial district, some of which tower over 1,000 feet high! Saunter through China’s premier shopping street, Nanjing Road, where you will find over 600 businesses. Outdoor bars, sculptures, and street musicians provide additional entertainment after you shopped ‘til you dropped.

Nightlife (restaurants & bars, clubs, dancing)
The Bund is the place to hang out after hours when you will have the best view of the colorfully-lit ancient and modern buildings. Most teahouses stay open 24-hours a day, and nightclubs, karaoke bars, and discos are a great way to meet people.

Sports
Shanghai isn’t known for its run-of-the-mill sports. From cricket to dragon boat racing, fencing and archery, there’s always a new skill to refine when basketball and soccer start to get boring.

Scholarships that you might be eligible for
- We love learning languages and travelling so much that we want to make our programs accessible to as many people as possible. For that reason, we offer a couple of awesome scholarships to help get you on your way…

- We have 2 kinds of scholarship:
> Our “Find a job” scholarship
> The “language aficionado” scholarship
- See whether you’re eligible for a Languatica scholarship and take a look at the easy application process here

What is included
- Each element of trip ordered and paid for separately:
> Tuition
> Accommodation (including all food)
> Extra-curricular activities
- Languatica has absolutely no hidden fees. No application fees, no service charges, no booking fees – so you can sleep easy
- Flights are not included, but for access to the best rates, see our “Getting There” page

Getting There

Recommended partners for flights
- Skyscanner
- Expedia
- Kayak

How to get the best prices on flights
- If you need any assistance in getting rock bottom prices, get in touch with our customer service and we’ll search our partners’ databases to get you the lowest possible prices
- Drop us a line at: info@languatica.com

Getting from the airport to the school
(Internal note: where incorrect/there are less/more options, edit where necessary)
- You’ve got 3 options to get from the airport to the school:
> Airport pick-up – A member of your language school will come to the airport to greet you and take you back to the school
> Taxi – There’s a taxi rank right outside the airport
> Public transport – If you’re up for the challenge, do it like a true local and take a bus to the school – there are routes from the airport which will drop you off nearby
There are different costs associated with each method of getting to the school. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, to get a better idea of the prices of each – we’re here to help!