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<span style="font-size: medium;"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6676" alt="Rob . Chengde student" src="http://ltl-chinois.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Rob.png" width="220" height="280" />Rob, 20 from the UK</span><span style="font-size: medium;">: </span>

I found Chengde a nice break from the bustling city of Beijing. It was a very interesting experience as there was no chance to speak English which really helped me with my conversational Chinese. LTL organised for me to join a football team in which I would play every weekend. The team would invite me to their football club where I could practice my Mandarin while making friends. In regards to immersion, there couldn´t be a better city, with great tourist sites like the Emperor´s Summer Palace. I would recommend anyone who wants to be thrown in the deep end to really improve their language skills to come to Chengde.

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<span style="font-size: medium;"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6678" alt="Kirsen" src="http://ltl-chinois.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Kirsen.png" width="220" height="210" />Kirsen, USA</span>

In Chengde, it’s easy to focus on studying while being saturated in Chinese culture. My homestay family was very friendly and hospitable. They brought me around town, taught me how to make dumplings, introduced me to their friends and we even spent a weekend in my host mom’s hometown. I also often hung out at the same coffee shop, and it wasn't surprising to bump into the same local people on a regular basis. If your goal is to improve your conversational Chinese, Chengde definitely provides a lot of outlets to practice.

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