Program Overview

The CLS Program in Tainan provides an intensive 8-week language learning environment designed to cover the equivalent of one academic year of university-level Chinese study. Students receive a minimum of 20 hours per week of formal classroom instruction that focuses on intensive reading, writing, speaking and listening practice. Formal language instruction is supplemented with additional cultural activities and classes, such as calligraphy, martial arts, seal engraving and Chinese medicine.

Additionally, students meet with a language partner several hours each week to practice language skills and engage in learning outside the classroom with native speakers through activities such as eating out together, visiting local sites and discussing current issues. On weekends, students in Tainan participate in a variety of cultural excursions to explore the rich culture and history of their host city and surrounding areas. Past excursions include trips to Taipei and Kaohsiung, as well as a community service trip in Zuozhen. These activities are designed to deepen the students’ understanding of Chinese and Taiwanese culture, as well as the Chinese language through interaction with local Taiwanese people.

CLS students in Tainan live with host families, providing them with the opportunity to experience life in a Taiwanese family and further develop their language skills outside of formal program activities. It also allows students to gain insight into cultural norms and day-to-day life in Tainan. The CLS program in Tainan also incorporates a language policy that requires scholarship recipients to speak only Chinese during all program activities, with one another, and with all staff.

The CLS Program in Tainan is hosted by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). NCKU was established in 1931 in Tainan. It is renowned for its programs and research in engineering, technology, architectural design and medicine. As one of Taiwan’s leading integrated research type universities, NCKU has nine colleges covering the fields of Liberal Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Management, Medicine, Social Sciences and Bioscience & Biotechnology, NCKU currently offers 40 undergraduate degree programs, 76 master’s degree programs, and 54 doctoral programs.