Kunming Language School Information

[stevester]

Hello all!

I greatly apologize if these questions are redundant, but I've been searching through the threads and was unable to find the specific information I'm looking for. The search engine...well, doesn't work for me.

I'm moving to Kunming at the end of August this year and I'm trying to figure out the school schedule for Yunnan University, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming College of Eastern Languages, or Yunnan Overseas Culture+Education Center. The university homepages are in Chinese (but appear in Thai on my computer ) and the other two do not list the schedule for classes. Is it safe to say that if I arrive at the beginning of September I will still be able to join classes? I read once that it's possible to just go to the city (on a tourist visa) and join a school that you like. Do I have to worry about the enrollment period and classes filling up before I arrive?

In regards to the visa, can you change your visa status from tourist to student? What's involved in this? I assume I would need to leave the country at least once.

Finally, does anyone have the current cost of language study at the aforementioned schools? The only webpages I found with specific information are language programs like educasian and educhina (and some pricing for Kunming College of Eastern Languages). Is it worth going through these programs or better (and cheaper) to do on my own? Educhina is $3550 for single accomodation and course for 6 months while Educasia is $5995 (I have to stay in a hotel). Now Kunming of College of Eastern Languages charges $600 for a semester of classes (not including accomodation). Is accomodation really that expensive or are the programs overpriced?

ANY help would be appreciated and for the record I have contacted some of these schools via the registration page and no response as of yet.

Thanks for your patience and (hopefully) future responses,

Steve

Educhina http://www.goeduchina.com/index.html

Educasia http://www.educasian.com/

[nathanuk88]

The university homepages are in Chinese (but appear in Thai on my computer )

Is your text encoding on Chinese simplified?

Dunno if u know how to do this but, go to:

View --> Text Encoding --> (u might have to go to this next, maybey not) Others

then choose Chinese (GBXXX) XXX= numbers but i cant remeber them lol

[lostinchina]

I currently live in Kunming and I attended Yunnan University's (Yun Da) Chinese program last year. A few comments:

- I suspect most of the language programs are similar -- Yun Da is probably the best known, but I later checked out one of the private programs (Kunming College of Eastern Languages) and discovered they use teachers from Yun Da as well as Shi Da (Normal University -- "Normal" in this situation means "teaching"). Many people prefer Shi Da. Apparently it costs a bit less but teaching is just as good. Eastern Languages seemed ok to me, and I almost signed up there.

- There are some shysters out there, so you should go with a known one for your first semester and if you're not satisfied you can switch later easily enough. I came across a school last year, www.goeduchina.com. I visited them and they struck me as not-quite-write -- I don't know if they were crooks or losers, but I wouldn't trust them.

- no problem for a legit school to switch you from tourist visa to student -- Yun Da did it for me.

- I got this googling Yunnan University. See if it works for you:

http://www.uvm.edu/~chinese/StudyAbroad/sld001.htm

- I looked at the Educasian website for Yun Da. Although they must be legit, since it is through Yun Da, I'd check to find out whether they're giving you the standard Yun Da program or a special one. The standard Yun Da program runs about RMB 5500 per semester for 20 hours per week intensive. So that would be about USD1,300 per school year + dorm. However, Yun Da has been very successful attracting students, and their class sizes are often much too big for my tastes -- I had a listening comprehension class with 12 people in it and speaking class with same.

- the price you have for Kunming College of Eastern Languages is the typical cost of schooling if you arrange it here. As you see above, that's about the price at Yun Da as well.

- arranging housing once you get here isn't hard. There are postings all over the place of people looking for roommates. You should be able to get a room in a decent flat for RMB1-2k per month, which is USD120-240 (quite possibly cheaper, but plan on that).

- when I joined Yun Da last year, the semester began on August 23. I'm sure it will be similar this year. If you have no choice and can't show up till Sept 1, they'll still find space for you; you just will have missed the first week. That's what I did. However, I know nothing about the availability of dorms -- I know lots of students live there, but since I didn't try to I don't know the likelihood of them filling up in advance.

- I arranged my classes at Yun Da directly with them -- I lived in HK at the time, so I just popped up and looked around. But you can do that too. email: ccfs@ynu.edu.cn. They're nice folks; not much English, but they'll probably try to respond if you send them a simple email.

- this address gives addresses for universities in Kunming that provide Chinese language study: http://www.studyinchina.net.cn/gxtxl/e_lxsyx_ynt.html

- Although it sounds risky, it is actually very easy to just show up and sign up for classes, whether at Yun Da or other places. They want students; they're not going to turn you down. That's essentially what I did and it was no problem. People in Kunming are amazingly friendly, and that tends to be true for these folks as well.

- in sum:

1. Kunming is a fantastic place. I love it here (I'm here with my family, and we're staying for awhile.

2. Everything here is remarkably cheap. I really don't know how or why those other programs charge US$ 5-6k unless they provide special classes, or lots of other services which you may or may not want. Or it might have to do with earing credits -- I don't need college credit, just need the language, so I don't know how that would work if you went directly.

3. If you speak some Chinese already, Kunming is easy to get around and it's easy to arrange everything with the schools. If you currently speak none, it's more difficult, but shouldn't be that bad.

good luck and feel free to ask more questions or send me a direct email.

[stevester]

To Nathanuk88 and lostinchina,

Thanks for your responses!

nathanuk88: I can't change my font to Chinese simplified because I need to the microsoft windows CD to install the font and, my computer being on its last leg, cannot read CDs anymore. Thus, I'm stuck with the fonts I have. Is there a way to download the font directly from a website?

lostinchina: Thanks so much for your information. These are the details I've been looking for! I did the same google on Yunnan University, but it was a slide show for a international student exchange program through the University of Vermont so it didn't really fit what I was looking for (truthfully, I didn't go through all the slides, but I didn't see any mention of class schedule or program cost). I think I'll be going to the Kunming College of Eastern Languages as I've heard a few good things via this forum and they may have more classes to offer than Yunnan Uni or Yunnan Normal Uni. I'll be arriving in Kunming near the end of August so if you're still living there, then maybe I can buy you a cup of...tea? Thanks for your help.

[jimmychua1981]

Hi

I've been emailing Yunnan uni for weeks now but they haven't been replying.

I'm want to study there this autumn so really need to get in touch. i've been using the ccfs@ynu.edu. email address but i suspect it might have changed, hence the lack of reply.

Does anyone know the email address of the person i should contact?

Also, is Yunnan Uni the one with the nicer campus, with the old colonial buildings, or is that yunnan normal.

Thanks, Jimmy

[TB0111]

I'm going to Kunming at the end of August this year and wondering where to apply: Yunnan University or Normal University. Many people prefer Normal University but I cannot find information on this school. Here's something I found about Chinese course of Yunnan University.

See you there.

[Jose]

I can't change my font to Chinese simplified because I need to the microsoft windows CD to install the font and, my computer being on its last leg, cannot read CDs anymore. Thus, I'm stuck with the fonts I have. Is there a way to download the font directly from a website?

You can try this link -> http://www.sino.uni-heidelberg.de/edv/sinopc/chinese_fonts.htm

[jimmychua1981]

hi

the contact email for Yunna normal uni is

yehua_yang@hotmail.com

i'm not sure whether yunan uni or yunnan normal is better for teaching chinese but i visited kunming last year and thought the Yunan uni campus was really nice. much more pleasant than most chinese uni's which all look like public toilets.

the yunan normal campus was ok, and the classes are a bit smaller i think. if yunan uni don't get back to me i suppose i'll end up going to yunan normal anyway. can anyone tell me which uni is better located, in terms of being closer to shops, markets, restaurants, bars, clubs etc.

thanks, jimmy

[TB0111]

The contact for Yunna uni is

Shen Yun (Office of International Exchange Programs, Yunnan University)

Tel: 86 – 871 – 503 - 3815

Fax: 86 – 871 – 518 - 3424

Email: shenyun@ynu.edu.cn

and for Yunna normal uni is

- one my cousin has just given

Ms Zhou

Email: zyf30627@yahoo.com.cn

- one I found

编辑部信息

地址：云南省昆明市一二一大街298号云南师范大学学报编辑部

电话：0871－5516820

网址：

http://www.ynnu.edu.cn/ynnu/table/view/table/index_temp.php?class_id=4

电子邮箱：ynnucff@sohu.com ynnucff@yahoo.com.cn

注：ynnucff为Yunnan Normal University Chinese for Foreign的缩写。

[Tsunku]

I guess most of the questions here have been answered, but as for location -- Yunnan Normal, Yunda, Yunnan Science and Tech University, Yunnan Nationalities University, and several others, are all located within a 5-10 minute walk from each other, and are all convenient to the center of the city, cafes, bars, wal-marts, etc. Location shouldn't really be a consideration in Kunming when it comes to choosing a school.

[jimmychua1981]

i've been trying the shenyun@ynu.edu.cn email adress to get hold of someone at yunan uni's chinese course but still no joy.

does anyone out there have a different email address for the place?

I'm starting to think ot may not be a good idea to study there anyway. if it can't get its act together and reply to some emails its probably not the sort of institution you want to be spending hundreds of pounds and several months of your life at either.

still i'll give it a few more weeks, so any other contacts would be much appreciated.

also how much can you earn teaching english in kunming. i was getting about 120RMB an hour in Hangzhou last year, but i suppose the rates are lower in Kunming.

thanks, jimmy

[TB0111]

hi jimmychua,

I just sent an email to Shen Yun and received the response in the same day! So, I think this contact is good. Maybe he/she is in a vacation.

I decide to go there with a tourist visa, and then, choose between Yunnan and Yunnan Normal.

[jimmychua1981]

Hi

i was planning to go to Kunming to study from this september till next january but i'm having second thoughts. I've studied for a year in Hangzhou 2 years ago and thought i'd go to kunming now because the weathers good, and i it seemed quite a fun place to be. however now i have a few concerns,

1. the universites all expect u to live off campus in private apartments- doesn't that make mixing with chinese students and practising your chinese hard? i don't want to be living completely in ex pat land.

And how much hassel is it to sort out your own flat anyway, is it pretty straightforward to find peole to share with?

2. everyone seems to be saying the nightlife in kunnming is crap- i think the nightlife in china is crap full-stop (even beijing and shanghai arn't great) but is Kunnming really bad by chinese standards, or just western ones.

3. how easy is it to get work teaching english. theres alot of foreigners in kunming so does that make it hard to get decent work. i was getting 120RMB an hour in Hangzhou, what can you expect in Kunnming?

4. the other main palce i'm considering is dalian but i'm put off by the weather- will i be freezing my arse off from october- january? and is it a fun/interesting place to be in general?

any views/opinions on any of the above points would be most appreciated.

cheers, jimmy

[sui.generis]

Hi

i was planning to go to Kunming to study from this september till next january but i'm having second thoughts. I've studied for a year in Hangzhou 2 years ago and thought i'd go to kunming now because the weathers good' date=' and i it seemed quite a fun place to be. however now i have a few concerns,

1. the universites all expect u to live off campus

[/quote']

Nah. Yunnan Normal has a foreign student's dorm that's open to ya, and I've known some other foreign students who've lived in the chinese dorms here to get some uber chinese mixing and practising in. I'd be surprised if Yunda didn't allow both as well.

[jimmychua1981]

hi

i know yunan uni and yunan normal do have accomodation for foreigners, but its expensive, and they seem to only expect u to stay there for a while b4 u find you rown flat.

as for living in chinese student dorms i don't think i could handle that perosnally- 6 to a room, crammed onto triple level bunk beds with no matresses, no heating or air con or hot water. i like to think i'm no ponce but thats not my idea of a fun.

so does anyone else have any views on kunming? (see my last post)

[stevester]

From my short exposure to Yunnan Uni, Yunnan Normal, and ELEC, here's what I found:

ELEC is cheaper ($600/semester) and I believe the instruction is the same as the two universities, but the facilities aren't as nice...well, the classrooms are probably the same, but you don't have any extra cirrcular activities available and you don't have a campus to roam. If you're serious about studying Chinese in a classroom, this may be your best option (better yet, hire a private tutor for cheaper). They do not have lodging available (I don't count the one room, four bunk bed, shared bathroom as accomodation). The class size may be smaller here.

Yunnan University has a nice campus...but you don't study on it. You study in the Chinese Language classrooms across the road, the tuition fee is $700. Calligraphy, Chinese painting, kung-fu, and HSK prep classes are available for free along with cooking for a minimal fee. You may also have access to Yunnan Uni library, gym, and such, but I haven't looked into this. I like my classes and my teachers, but I'm not happy with the office support. I did arrive two weeks late so that may be the reason, but I felt the staff to be unhelpful in trying to procure my visa. I had to visit the office seven times to pay my tuition (they were closed before and after classes...hmm, quite convenient for the students). They did give me a sheet telling me what I needed...almost three weeks into the sememster. My classes are a bit big (24 students+), but that's partially because some teachers are more popular than others.

Now this isn't from firsthand experience (anyone want to chime in their experience?), but Yunnan Normal Uni seems like the best choice (in retrospect) (though I heard the teacher's college has the best instruction). When I made a brief visit (after enrolling in Yunnan Uni), they have everything written down and posted on the wall about the student visa and they help you through the process the first day of class. They also have more extra cirricular classes available (also free) and it's located on campus so meeting Chinese language partners is easier. The cost is the same as Yunnan Uni ($700), but they also seem to have some social support to help people get to know each other (sports activities and trips around Kunming).

Texts, hours of study, and semester length, I believe, are all the same for all three schools. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy studying at Yunnan Uni and everyone knows where it is and knows the name, but Yunnan Normal is probably the better deal. Feel free to ask any questions as I'm studying Chinese now in Kunming.

[hakkaboy]

You said a room in a flat in Kunming would be $120-240 a month. Does that mean getting **your own** flat would be 2-3 times that price? Are there any classifieds on the Internet that relate to Kunming accommodation?

[stevester]

The Yunnan Uni Dorm costs 25-75 rmb a day depending on which room you get. My place costs 1100 rmb a month for a two bedroom, kitchen, livingroom, bathroom, fully furnished apartment. My place is on the mid to higher end of rent. If you get a roommate(s), you can get rent down below 500rmb/month. Hope that helps.

[hakkaboy]

Thank you, that was helpful!

[DaveD]

Hi guys,

Im planning to come to Kunming next week to undertake a four-week Chinese language course with either ELCEC or Yunnan Uni (whichever really gets back to me first). Never been to China, let alone Kunming, so if anyone out there at the moment, would be great to hear from you for arrival tips.

I have a couple of questions:

1) How easy is it to arrange student accommodation in Kunming? I'm not sure if the unis have available rooms on campus, so will prob stay in a hostel for a couple of days whilst I sort out a room somewhere. Is there any way to arrange accommodation from this end?

2) How can I find a good personal tutor? I've heard these can be cheaper (and more effective!) than class tution.

3) Really odd question...does anybody know if there are any footwear shops in Kunming where I can get hold of some walking boots. Going trekking after Kunming and considering buying my gear there rather than here as probably cheaper.

Any info/ insight would be gratefully appreciated!

Cheers:help