Dalian Ruiwen Language School
For the past two months I’ve been studying at a little place called Dalian Ruiwen Langauge School (大连瑞文语言学校). “Ruiwen” means, roughly, auspicious letters, and sure enough I’ve really enjoyed studying there. I’ve found it much better than the Dalian University of Technology, where I studied last year.
As it turns out, if all you want is to learn Chinese and don’t care about accreditation, most of the Mandarin language programs for foreigners at Chinese universities are terrible deals relative to what’s also available at private language schools. A semester now at the Dalian University of Technology costs 8500RMB plus a 500RMB registration fee, or about US$1300. (I paid around 1000RMB less, but I don’t remember exactly how much and this year’s price is more pertinent anyway.) For that one gets, officially, eleven 100-minute classes per week. Should we assume that I actually studied to the end (I didn’t), that semester of 17 weeks should total to 187 classes. But, one really must subtract for holidays, test days, sports days, movie days, and mind numbing “speech competitions” (of course some of those cost the school money to put on, but I sure wouldn’t have paid if I had a choice so I count it as time wasted). That brings us to, let’s say, 170 proper classes. Each class is split with a ten-minute break in the middle. With large numbers of unmotivated students there is easily a wasted five minutes at the beginning of each class, and after each break, as students slowly peter into the classroom, sit down, and only eventually shut up. To be generous, we can say that each class is really about 90 minutes of teaching. To just finish this quantification before getting into the qualifications, that price comes out to about 53RMB per 90 minute class, or US$7.50.
That quantifies pretty cheap from an American perspective, but the qualifications are yet many. First and foremost are the class sizes. DUT promises to keep it’s classes under 14, but that turns to be only half true. It’s half untrue because after doing a poor job of student placement, many students move themselves up and down the levels, and in so doing end up clumping in some classes; the class I was in for most of last year ended up with about 20 students or so. The class size promise works out yet half true, however, because lots of people never come to class. Some students wouldn’t come no matter how great the classes were – these are mostly the Korean, Japanese, and Russian university students who are here as part of their major and really don’t care. Other students, like me, want to learn Mandarin, but sometimes don’t go to class because:
A) 8 a.m. is too goddamned early when nobody’s paying me and I’m not getting grades,
B) it’s listening class or any other class with a horrible teacher and a worse curriculum,
or,
C) you’ve made too many friends who too often nefariously present you with more interesting things to do.
To name some other qualifications, only half the teachers are any good, the pace is very slow (albeit something that can be remedied, as I did, by skipping a level every once in a while until you catch up again), and only the most disciplined and/or antisocial could help but speak one’s native tongue with one’s new classmates and friends outside of class times, all the time.
To get back to talk of money, let’s compare the above figure of 53RMB(US$7.50)/90mins. with the prices at Ruiwen. There I’ve been taking two 90-minute classes per day, which start punctually and, with no break, really last 90 minutes. Each day I have one private lesson, at 80RMB(US$11)/90mins., and one lesson with usually just one other student, but sometimes two and often none, for 40RMB(US$6)/90mins. That’s an average of 60RMB(US$8.50)/90mins. for classes with an average of, roughly, 1.4 students total, and it costs just one dollar more than at DUT.
Of class size is also not everything. My teachers have been spectacular. My main teacher, Feng Laoshi, is a wonderful older woman from Haerbin who’s clearly been teaching Mandarin for decades. (She told me she once taught a class of 40 North Koreans, that they were very hard working students, but had very sticky fingers.) Then there’s Zhang Laoshi, the younger girl who taught the HSK prep. class I refered to in my last post and lets her best sense of humor shine when the other students don’t show up, which is much of the time. Finally, Hou Laoshi, who clearly put a lot of time into preparing a short-term character writing class specifically for my somewhat special needs; I know lots of characters, but have been writing them all wrong, ugly, and with the wrong hand.
Having worked as a teacher really changes the experience of being a student. It makes it really obvious when your teachers are doing things wrong, and also obvious when you’re faced with a teacher much more experienced than you. My teachers at Ruiwen are just that. But, and this is the really important part, when there’s only one or two of you, and you choose your own curriculum, if you don’t like something all you have to do is ask to change it.
The figure for DUT of 53RMB(US$7.50)/90mins. only reflects the real price per class attended if you actually manage to attend every class. If you miss as many as I did, calculations start going skewing strongly in favor of a private school. For the dollar more of 60RMB(US$8.50)/90mins. I’ve been learning nearly twice as quickly at Ruiwen than I was at DUT, and enjoying my classes even more than that. Most important of all, to be perfectly honest, I schedule my own classes. Unless someone’s paying me or giving me a degree I’m not waking up at 7am everyday ever again. My day at Ruiwen starts at 10.
I’m openly writing this in the hope people stumble across my page and consider studying at Ruiwen. If that’s you, let me still give you some words of caution: if you’re new to Dalian and you go straight to Ruiwen, you’ll need to be very proactive in making friends. The biggest benefit of going to one of the university programs is the social aspect. While it may take away from your Mandarin practice to run around with other foreigners, we all get lonely and everyone knows studying abroad is about more than just going to class and learning a language, it’s also about having a great time. Nevertheless, if you’re the socially proactive type, all you’d have to do is check out some of the expat websites like daliandalian.com and dalianxpat.com, start going to the listed events and the recommended cafes and bars, and strike up conversation. The expat community here is vibrant and welcoming, so you’ll have no trouble if you take those first steps!
Ruiwen is located at the edge of downtown Dalian, on a shaded street off of Gao’erji Lu, a main transit artery, only a few blocks from Olympic square. (The closest landmark familiar to any Dalian expat is Hopscotch Bar, which is only a block and a half away.) It’s a private school, and as such a business and flexible, so expect that prices can change but are negotiable and they’ll be based on how many people are in your class. If you’re interested in studying there you can find contact information at the bottom of this page, or call English-speaking Wang Laoshi at +86 13940888549.
April 25th, 2009 at 9:35 am
shut the heck up about teaching. and while ur at it stay out of china and the pi
June 10th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Ignore chinesemaster, obviously just a 王八羔子 with too much time on his/her hands (but not, apparently, enough time to finish a second sentence.)
I’m writing to say thanks for this blog entry — I’m studying at Ruiwen right now thanks in part to your writeup, and I’m finding it very nice so far. You’ve covered the benefits pretty well so I won’t repeat your words, but I’ll rather agree with them and encourage others to check the place out if they’re looking for a place to study while in Dalian.
As an intermediate-level student (probably a bit below where you were at the time) I find the teachers are setting the difficulty level and pace just about right for me. Can’t vouch personally for how they’d do at beginning or advanced levels but I assume they’d be similarly good. They’re also easy to deal with, very straightforward and up-front about everything. I set everything up with them via email before arriving in Dalian and the classes and other stuff were all exactly as promised when I got here.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:46 am
Thanks Steve for confirming the good review of Ruiwen. I should start taking classes there in late June 2009. The contact person Ms Wang has been very nice in her emails and offered to pick me up from the train station and help me find a private apartment.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Hi,
I am 42 years old, Italian national living in Switzerland. I would like to stay in Dalian for one year in 2010 to learn Mandarin. What can you suggest? I prefer Dalian rather than Beijing or Shanghai because its smaller and perhaps cleaner.
Kind regards,
Carlo
September 28th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Hi Carlo,
I just got back from Dalian, and from studying at Ruiwen language school. Dalian is a midsize city. Going to downtown is very easy with the buses. If you go I suggest you rent an apartment in southern part of the city(Xinghai square), along the beach, where the air is cleaner. Some Japanese students at Ruiwen stay there, and they are satisfied. Also, it is close to the school. Ruiwen school offers great value, considering you will mostly get individual instruction. The teaching staff and administrators are very supportive, and will help you on welcoming you, finding you lodging, assisting you on day to day matters, and making sure you are making progress. The most important part is you will practice your chinese everyday with people in the neighborhood, waitresses, shopkeepers. Also, you will most likely be the only European student, which means you will be forced to use chinese. Wang Chungmei and one other teacher, Chang laoshi write and speak english so that they can explain the lessons in english, or assist you on daily concerns. Don’t expect Dalian to be a resort, though. It is a typical chinese city with plenty of traffic. Also, I suggest you avoid August because it is too humid, hot, and muggy at that time.
My chinese progressed greatly for my 3 months that I studied there. I am a a beginner student, but now I can converse on basic daily topics. This school is good for intermediate level as well.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Was looking through reviews of Chinese language schools on Dalianxpat and found both your review and the link to this blog. Really really useful post, thanks a lot.
May 4th, 2010 at 4:42 am
Hi. I was wondering if you knew where I might live if I studied here for 6 weeks. Could I find an apartment for that amount of time? Does the school have lodging? Most of their website is in Chinese (which I, sadly, can’t read in the slightest) and don’t know what it all says. Thanks!
May 24th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Christine,
From what I experienced, any apartment rental of less than 6 months you do have to pay somewhat of a premium. Even so, compared to the US or UK rates will seem quite cheap.
If you attend Ruiwen, there are a lot of nice, modern apartment buildings within walking distance. The people at the school can help you find a place – they put me in contact with several places nearby, most of which were reasonable. Unless prices have changed wildly in the past 2 years, I think you could have your own studio in a modern building for 6 weeks for around US$600 or less. People aren’t that interested in renting for so short a time and that estimate does include the premium I mentioned.
And yes, their website is very useful, but there are a few people there who can read and write enough English that you could email them and get some answers.
I also tried going through a rental broker which found me some decent places too, but I don’t know off-hand which ones are going to speak English.
Finally, you should try the http://www.dalianxpat.com/ forums – there may be people looking for roommates or subletters.
Hope that helps!
October 23rd, 2010 at 4:20 am
Hey there,
I’ve been learning Chinese at Austria University for 1 1/2 years before I came to Dalian. At the moment I am studying at Ruiwen. This is my second month there, so I can give an athentic view of the School.
Let me start with something common: If you really want to dive into the Chinese Language there is no other way than studying at a school and/or university. As long as you are not a real Genius (or being married to a Chinese): Forget about learning it only by yourself.
This being said, I have chosen Ruiwen as a private School (instead of a official University) because:
I found most of the teachers really experienced at teaching Chinese to Foreigners, they are taking care of common mistakes, use pinyin where it’s necessary and explain to the point you really understand.
The classes are really small (max 4 students): at the moment I have Grammar Class which is 1-1 and Spoken Language which is 1-4 (unless you are really good it makes no sense to have this one 1-1). You can also attend: Listening Class, Reading Classes and so on.
The teachers are really flexible. For the 1-1: You can choose the book, the speed and time of the class. You can also switch teachers if you find it necessary (for example if you desperately need an English speaking one).
The only thing that I am missing at Ruiwen is some Multimedia Stuff. A Tape Recorder for the Listening Class is as far as it gets. There are no computers, no beamers and no microphone-recording systems.
Last but not least: The staff at Ruiwen is warm-hearted, encouraging and welcoming. I consider this very important, because they are also eager to help you finding your way through the City, searching Apartments (the school also has one) and so on. I found them open to any question I had.
So go ahead and learn some Chinese ;-)
December 12th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Hi, i’ve been studying Chinese language in my country for more than a year and i feel that i don’t improve much.. i’ve been thinking to go to China for short of time (maybe a semester or a year) i wonder, is there in Dalian any university or private school that have scholarship program?
if i go to Dalian Ruiwen private school, can i work part-time job there to support my financial living cost?? is there any part-time job there? thanks.
January 1st, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Hi, the only way I really know of to get a scholarship for studying Chinese in China would be to get that scholarship from a university in your home country. I knew some students who had scholarships like that.
As far as part-time work, there are lots of teaching jobs in Dalian for people with advanced english skills, and there is some demand for teachers of other languages too, but it sometimes takes some time to arrange these jobs so you’d have to be able to survive until you found something. There are also visa considerations, because on a student visa you cannot legally work.
I hope that’s helpful!
March 29th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Hello! I am considering studying this summer at the private school you mentioned. However, I’m a beginner and fear that I would not be able to interact as well in such an immersed environment. My other option is to stay in Beijing (where I will be attending Beijing Normal University). Could you offer some advice? I have studied Mandarin for only 3 months.
Thanks!
April 5th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Derek, the teachers at Ruiwen are very patient, and have taught people with well less then 3 months background in Mandarin. A few of the teachers have a minimum of English, for when you’re really stuck, but if you’re really serious about your studies you’ll really benefit from an fully immersive environment. Of course, that doesn’t answer the question of whether or not you’ll have a good time! I think that depends on how patient you are at the beginning, and at how out going you’ll be to find friends outside of school. Dalian is a great town with plenty of ex-patriot-friendly socializing, but if you’re in a tiny school like Ruiwen, you’ll have to find it on your own. Hope that helps.
May 3rd, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Hi: Is there a website for the school at Ruiwen? Would they cater to students who have previously studied Mandarin but need a refresher at the interm/advanced level? I’m interested in going to China to study for a year to improve my Mandarin skills for translation work. Thanks for any suggestions.
May 6th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Karen, looks like the link I had for them is now dead. Google found me a new URL: http://www.ruiwen.org But, sadly that address is giving an internal server error! Maybe try the page again in a week or two?
As far as your other questions, since they only do very small or even individual classes, I think no matter your situation (short of already being fluent :) they could cater to you.
June 9th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
I have been taking online classes with one of the teachers at Ruiwen, Zhang Xiao Hua, so the school is still functioning as usual. I will ask her about their dead link website and when they plan to fix it.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:38 am
I found the new/updated website for Dalian Ruiwen language school. http://enshop.ebdoor.com/Shops/975279
June 23rd, 2011 at 2:57 am
I spoke with the school administrator/teacher, Zhang Laoshi, and the following week she had the school website fixed. So now, the school website is back online. The web address is: http://www.ruiwen.org/english.jsp Ruiwen has a separate website that targets Japanese students. http://baishi.p1.bindsite.jp/ruiwen/
August 6th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Hector, thanks for the link!
I am looking at Ruiwen as well as a few other smaller, private language schools. They do not look like they can provide student visas. How did you get around this? I’m looking at potentailly teaching English to get a work visa, but I’ve saved up and can afford to just study and definitely want to avoid the bigger universities! Unless the bigger unversities have an open enrollment where I can get a visa and take courses elsewhere….?
August 9th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Hi Phil,
When I was there, Ruiwen was able to get student visas if you would be studying there for at least a month or so. If they can’t get visas any more, then the rules must have changed quite a bit. And of course if you want to study for less time than that, you could just get a tourist visa. Also, when I was there, it was much easier to get a student visa through Ruiwen than it was to get a work visa to teach English; I had several friends who had considerable difficulty getting work visas.
July 6th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Good post. I spent some time here really liked the place.