I had 1 on 1 classes at TLI for 6 months and my Chinese improved so much!
The advantages are that you can choose your teacher and decide what material
you want to use. ( I studied Tintin for 4 months)
The main disadvantage is that it’s pretty expensive if you want to study many hours/week.
Ugo
I thought Providence was a university. Where do in Taichung do you plan to live? Shalu is a half hour commute from the Central City.
Actually by bus it’s 50mins. Double that in rush hour or on weekends. I like the teachers but Shalu is a craphole so, I’m moving.
I thought you had to be a missionary to study there. Correct me if I’m wrong.[/quote]
You are wrong.[/quote]
Where is this place?
I studied at TLI in Taichung about a decade ago, so what I write here might be a bit dated. I only did one-on-one lessons. At that time, the group classes were seen by most serious students there as a waste of time. Most of them were “elementary” or “intermediate” classes. The commitment of group class students was not like that of group class students in a university program.
I would say that TLI can be good if you do either one-to-one, or you find a couple of buddies at roughly the same level and who have the same interests. TLI will open a small group class for just you and your friends (or at least they would back then). TLI teachers are not as well trained as some of the better university program teachers, and they are pretty much one trick horses on use of materials. You can bring in your own materials, but don’t expect them to use them very well, especially if they are not the traditional audio-lingual method type. Overall, the thing I’d say that TLI is good for is that you will get attention for any pronunciation problems you have if you do individual classes. If you have thick skin and can tolerate being corrected all the time, then you can get something there that you are less likely to get from group lessons in most places: accurate pronunciation. I taught myself reading and writing with a bit of supervision from my future wife, but it was the black leather clad, whip cracking vixens at TLI who put me in a studded collar and corrected my naughty boy pronunciation ways.
[quote=“jimisgek”]I thought Providence was a university. Where do in Taichung do you plan to live? Shalu is a half hour commute from the Central City.
Actually by bus it’s 50mins. Double that in rush hour or on weekends. I like the teachers but Shalu is a craphole so, I’m moving.[/quote]
Providence also has a location in Taichung city (near the Carrefour on Dadun Road). I believe their tuition is a few thousand NT cheaper per semester than any of the other schools. I am a student there, so I can give advice if required.
So is there anyplace here to study basic/beginner’s Chinese that doesn’t cost US$1000?
I offer a program that teaches Chinese here in Taichung through a combination of website and one on one instruction from certified instructors. It starts off at $1800 NT per month and is flexible for most schedules. You can PM me for more details if you are interested.
I found a place!
Taichung Learning Center
04-2292-1110
tlc.tian@seed.net.tw
It’s in the basement of a church off Daya Rd. I think they work with a lot of missionaries. It’s not a fancy place and not somewhere to study if you want a degree or certificate, but they are very nice and it’s not expensive. If you just want to make living here easier, it’s a good place to go!
hi!
I'm glad to have this forum to read about Chinese language school choices. Thanks to everyone who has written and has already provided me with lots of information :slight_smile:.
I'm moving from Japan to Taiwan in the fall and I'm curious about the program at Tung hai / Dong hai.
The posts from 2 or 3 years ago mentioned that there was a good amount of speaking practice in the classes there. If anyone is still there, can you vouch for that? What kind of speaking practice? For example, partner work, one-on-one with teacher, group work, etc? How does this compare to speaking practice at other schools in the Taichung area?
I also wanted to ask a question about the Practical Audio Visual Chinese book that many schools use. About how many Chinese characters are taught per chapter (or, in one level of the book)? I was looking at the book on Amazon.com but I couldn't search inside.
Hope you can help me out!
~drewbaby
I am not able to help with the first question since I study at Feng Chia and not Donghi, but I can help with the second question.
The Practical Audio Visual Chinese book that is used has anywhere from 25 to 35 chinese characters taught per chapter. At Feng Chia the teachers spent about a week for each chapter. The book sold on Amazon is an older edition and it has since been redone. The publishers website is http://www.ccbc.com.tw./book_detail_e.php?book_sn=1556
[quote=“scottyfl813”]I am not able to help with the first question since I study at Feng Chia and not Donghi, but I can help with the second question.
The Practical Audio Visual Chinese book that is used has anywhere from 25 to 35 Chinese characters taught per chapter. At Feng Chia the teachers spent about a week for each chapter. The book sold on Amazon is an older edition and it has since been redone. The publishers website is http://www.ccbc.com.tw./book_detail_e.php?book_sn=1556[/quote]
Thanks for your information about the textbook, scottyfl813. 
Does anyone have any information about Tunghai / Donghai that I asked about in my previous post?
Hey guys,
Just been looking through the forums, and I’m moving to Taiwan (Taichung) in May, and I’m really keen to learn the language, for several reasons, work, home family, extended family - I don’t want to be seen as a ‘stupid foreigner’ if you know what I mean!
I’ve done a couple of years learning Mandarin in the Uk, but I don’t think that cuts it unless all I want to do is order coffees or go left/right/straight on!
I’ve seen some courses that run at Taichung University for 3 hours a morning Monday to Friday - has anyone had any experience with these?
Thanks in advance,
darren.
Hi Darren,
I studied at Tunghai University’s Chinese Language Center for 8 months in 2008/9. They have classes from 8 AM until 5PM throughout the school year, as well as a 2 month summer session. Here is their website: www2.thu.edu.tw/~clc/
Most of my teachers there had several years teaching experience, and classes were quite small, which made for effective learning. They make many of their own textbooks which are of an OK quality. I’ve heard people say that tuition there is quite high, but I don’t think it’s too much higher than most other places in Taiwan…and they are quite well known for their language center. The biggest downside for me is that the campus is located on the northwestern edge of the city. If you’re living in downtown Taichung it would probably take at least 15-20 min. by scooter to get there.
Because of that reason I’ve decided to go to Providence University this fall to study. They have a Chinese learning campus located in the downtown area, called “Biz-House.” Can’t say I know too much about their program as of yet, but it seems to attract quite a few foreigners while keeping not too large of a classroom size (from what I hear). Here’s their website: clec.pu.edu.tw/introduction.aspx
Besides these options, there is Fengjia University: from what I’ve heard, the tuition seems to be lower, but class sizes are larger and the learning pace is slower.
Also there is TLI (Taipei Learning Institute), Zhongxin University…and that’s about all that I’m aware of.
Hope you can find something that suits you!
Rob
PS - If anyone has studied at this BizHouse, I would love to hear what you think about it. I still might change my mind and go back to Tunghai if the quality at this place isn’t very high. Thanks!
I run the online component at Bizhouse. As a result, you only have 10 hours of classes a week, with the remaining 5 online. They also go through material slower than the other schools I’ve attended. On average, they spend 2-3 weeks per chapter, whereas other schools tend to go through a chapter a week. It depends on what type of student you are - I preferred this slower approach myself, since I could ask more questions in class, and the teacher would spend the entire 2 hours of a class going over a question if it was required, whereas in other schools there was pressure to “move on”. As a result, I always felt I really knew a chapter well when we completed it - a feeling that I didn’t always have in other schools.
You can try out their online component here to get a feel for it.
How much is the quarterly tuition at Providence? I’ll be attending CLEC and not sure if the tuition reflected in their website is the current rate. Any comments on their female dorm?
Hello Folks,
I’m thinking that this thread (Studying Mandarin in Taichung) is in drastic need of an update. 
For example, very little has been said about the program at National Chung Hsing University, which has had a Mandarin study program since 2006. I think people could really benefit from some recent first hand information if anyone has any ideas. :bravo:
I myself am very curious about the differences between the current programs at NCHU versus Tung Hai.
Any ideas and updates would be greatly appreciated.
I offer Mandarin conversation classes in the evenings at my school (Best language Center) Each class is 90 minutes and costs 500NT. Classes are quite small. The next one should be starting in September.
Best Language Center
304 Wu Quan south rd.
09 5871 5550
[quote=“whitetiger”]I offer Mandarin conversation classes in the evenings at my school (Best language Center) Each class is 90 minutes and costs 500NT. Classes are quite small. The next one should be starting in September.
Best Language Center
304 Wu Quan south Rd.
09 5871 5550[/quote]
I’m interested - but you are a native English speaker, right?
[quote=“jamesara”]I found a place!
Taichung Learning Center
04-2292-1110
tlc.tian@seed.net.tw
It’s in the basement of a church off Daya Rd. I think they work with a lot of missionaries. It’s not a fancy place and not somewhere to study if you want a degree or certificate, but they are very nice and it’s not expensive. If you just want to make living here easier, it’s a good place to go![/quote]
I called this place but nothing happened. Anyone else had luck here?
Well, as long as we’re all chiming in here, I offer Skype-based classes to beginners and low-intermediate learners (you can do as well or better in Taiwan if you’re intermediate or above, and I won’t take your money if I don’t believe I’m offering you something you cannot get elsewhere). NT$1000 per 55-minute session includes a customized reading passage e-mailed to you after class and question support by e-mail.
And before anyone asks, yes, I’m a native English speaker, but some have said my Chinese isn’t too bad. And IMO the fact that I’m one of only a handful of people experienced in teaching Mandarin using CI-based methodology makes up for the occasional pause as I confirm a tone on the fly. 