I'm sure there may be some threads on this somewhere but wanted to see if anyone has recent/current experiences with the Chinese programs at Yunda. I'm planning to be in Kunming this summer (I'm a semi-resident of Yunnan for at least a few months every year as a graduate student conducting research). This summer I have a grant from my university to take language classes at Yunda for six weeks, though I've has some trouble getting any definitive info out of them about their programs.
Their website clearly states that even during summer vacations they regularly offer 1-1 student to instructor lessons in Mandarin and that one can request such instruction at any time. However when I sent them application paperwork they responded after I indicated my desired study period was from June through August that school is not in session in in July and August and they would only invite me for the one month in June. That part is not a problem since I have plenty of colleagues at various places who can invite me for an F visa. But, what concerns me is whether or not Yunda's Foreign Studies school will actually live up to what they say and allow me to register for 1-1 lessons after June because my grant is predicated on me actually taking Chinese classes for a total of six weeks while in China? Anyone have experience with them on this? When I wrote back to the office there after their explanation regarding my application and explained my intentions I simply got no response and when I had a colleague from a research institute at the university call them for me they told her that they were not going to accept my application unless I altered it to be for only one month since there are no formal classes in July. Any thoughts? Seems like the typical Chinese bureaucracy I've come to know after many years but I just want to have some idea that I won't show up in June and then have them tell me that they don't offer any mandarin lessons or something to that effect.
There are several recent threads on this, including on Yunda.
I realize that there are a lot of threads and have looked through them, just looking for any additional info anyone can provide. Most of what people have written seems to be pretty mixed and hit or miss as far as 1-1 instruction being available over the summer.
Why dont you just go to a language school? I've had no experience with universities so i cant say for sure, but certainly the process at, for example KCEL, is a lot easier than what you describe. Just turn up on a tourist visa, give them some cash, and they will sort everything for you. Can either do 1on1 or small class. Classes usually only 2 or 3 people, instead of 20+ in a uni.... Happy days.
Just reread your post and noticed you have a grant, so disregard my post!
For sure it would make my life really easy to just take lessons at KCEL or Keats and I've thought of that, but my grant was explicitly approved on the condition that I would be enrolling at Yunda and I'll need to show proof of course completion in September when I get back to the states. I think for June it will be fine since Yunda will still be in session and they already told me I could enroll then. I only need six weeks/120 hours of instruction, so at this point I think I'll just end up really squeezing my schedule here in the states to get back to Kunming by mid-May or just offer Yunda enough extra money to find me a teacher for two weeks into July. If nothing else works, I'm sure throwing more money at them hopefully will.
You really need to speak to Yunda, as it sounds like you are asking for something that has not been done before. Therefore I doubt if anyone on this site will have the specific experience you want people to share.
Tell Yunda you WILL sign up. Ask them the name and contact details of the teacher, and the person organising this.
If they use the word 'difficult', it most probably won't happen. Don't accept a promise as evidence that it will happen. This is China, promises mean nothing, plausible deniability is everything, taking responsibility is unheard of.
There are face issues. People will have difficulty saying 'we can't', and will never admit, "I don't know".
You must be persistent with Chinese and re-ask the questions until you get a solid answer that is not in the least bit vague. Much of the time you will get an answer to a question you did not ask, that usually means "I don't know, but find it impossible to say this due to face issues, please ask me a question that I know the answer to".
Reading between the lines. It ain't gonna happen.
Business people here will rip your hand off, chew the meat off the bones, and then suck the marrow out of the stump. But civil servants (servant my a**) are born to shirk all responsibility or any work that is not explicitly in their job description. They won't care about the money, it's not gonna come their way, no commission.
Just worked it all out. Will manage to arrive back in Kunming mid May and get in two weeks of classes plus another four in June and fulfill the six week requirement of the grant without having to worry about whether or not Yunda will provide 1-1 instruction over the summer. Plus this gives me much more time to be doing my own thing and working on research once I'm done with Putonghua classes in June. They just confirmed receipt of my application paperwork, said all is in order, and I'm good to go! Don't even have to do anything with visas or residence permits since I already have a 90 day F and short term studies less than six months are allowed on an F. Yunda even just confirmed this for me in writing.
I think in the end folks in this thread are completely right, they may advertise summer self directed coursework with 1-1 instructors but judging from how much of a pain it was to get them to commit to this I would not recommend that anyone try or rely on it. In my case I was still able to make things work but maybe this experience can at least be use to someone else here in the future. Summer Chinese classes at Yunda just ain't gonna happen even if they say they offer them.
