Team

Culture Yard’s team is made up of a multi-national group of individuals – between our Beijing staff we almost cover every continent and speak 15 different languages! This talented group of people have come together from all points of the world to make Culture Yard what it is today. Each bringing their own skill and experience in various fields to engage and improve our classes, workshops and daily activities. The mixture of cultures and backgrounds that make up Culture Yard’s team has made our aim of being a unique language school in Beijing that focuses also on the culture behind a language as well as the language itself very exciting. 

All of our staff are always willing to help with any question you have about a workshop or class, just contact us at contact@cultureyard.net and someone will get back to you with a quick reply!

Ilya: world traveller, teacher and entrepreneur. After finishing his East Asia and economics studies in the Hebrew university, Ilya moved to Beijing to work on his Mandarin in 2008. After spending more than two years teaching and studying in different schools and cities across China, Ilya decided to open a school of his own with the belief that language could and should be taught differently. With his goal in mind Ilya spent a year looking for the perfect location around Beijing, the most suitable learning environment, best teachers and learning materials to make sure that Culture Yard will not be just another language school. Ilya speaks English, Hebrew, Russian and Chinese and is currently studying Dutch, French and Spanish.

Klara: Klara was born and raised in the Czech Republic, yet she has lived in many countries andexperienced many cultures in her life. During her Management of Tourism bachelor degree she had the opportunity to live in France, Taiwan, and the UK, giving her a wider perspective on global business and culture.  Klara has been in Beijing since 2008, initially working for an American High School as the international student coordinator while studying Mandarin and travelling around Asia. Since then she decided to go back to Europe to get a MA in Chinese Studies at Leiden University in The Netherlands and came back to Beijing earlier this year with perfect Mandarin and a deeper love for the city and its people. Klara is our Office Manager and speaks Czech, English, Mandarin, German and French.

Keyong: Keyong is Culture Yard’s full time-Chinese teacher and is helping develop the Chinese education program. He received a degree in Japanese and English from Beijing Renwen University in 2010. Keyong has had experience working with Chinese education as he was the Chinese team leader at That’s Mandarin for two years where he gained a lot of experience in liaising between teachers and students, creating personal language programs for students as well as making sure teachers are maintaining a certain standard in their classrooms. Keyong has taught all levels of Chinese, from beginner, intermediate and advanced levels to also assisting students with their HSK and Diplomacy examinations. He is currently teaching our intermediate – advanced course Chinese Through Media.

Xiaohui: Xiaohui was born in Wuhan and received her Master Degree of linguistics in Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) after a Bachelor Degree in Hubei University for Chinese Language and Literature. She used to teach international students beginner Chinese in BLCU and advanced Chinese for students from Harvard and Yale Universities. After graduation, Xiaohui lived in France and travelled through most of Europe while working in Inlingua as a Chinese teacher. She is experienced enough to know the culture and lifestyle differences between East and West and always curious to discover something new. Xiaohui is currently working as senior Chinese teacher in Culture yard and she is fluent in English and French (intermediate level).

Ged: Ged is our English Education Coordinator and currently teaches Business English. Ged was brought up in Cambridge, UK and completed his Law degree at Warwick University before living and working in France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. His teaching experience includes IELTS, TOEFL and Legal English. In his last position, Ged was an English language advisor to a politician in the European Parliament in Brussels and is still working with the European Commission in China. His international business and government experience has given him the skills needed to introduce the western business culture to Chinese students in his class. He speaks English, French and German, and is studying Mandarin.

David:  David was born and raised in Beijing. After graduating from Beijing University of Technology with a Bachelors degree in Management, David worked in the retail and sales industry for over two years. David is going to continue his higher education in business and hopes to go study in the United States at the end of the year. David works as a course adviser for Culture Yard’s English program and focuses on maintaining and organising a suitable English program for every student.

Camille: Camille graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University with a BA in Chinese Language and Literature.She previously worked in the Tokyo Gallery’s PR department as their main PR representative, which allowed her to see another side to the Beijing cultural scene. Camille is now our Chinese Marketing Supervisor and is working closely with local businesses and other cultural centres like Culture Yard.  She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

Ryan: Ryan first came to Beijing in 2009 on a language exchange from his university in the UK. Since graduating in 2011 with aBachelors degree in International Business and Chinese he has travelled much of Asia and returned to Beijing to improve his Mandarin and start a career. Ryan has a deep rooted interest in photography and cultural exchange between China and the West and is now a part of Culture Yard’s Foreign Marketing Team. He can speak English and Mandarin.

Letitia:  Letitia was born in Beijing and graduated from Capital Normal University with a BA in Biotechnology. In 2010, she went to the United States and studied there for one year as an exchange student. During that time, Letitia further improved her English language and had the opportunity to meet people from different countries deeply attracting her to the differences between cultures. Letitia speaks fluent Mandarin and English and is currently working as an office assistant at Culture Yard.

Workshops:

Ariel: Miami born artist and educator, Ariel Mario Tudela attended the New World School of the Arts and Florida International University where he studied painting, drawing and photography.  He went on to be an exhibition designer and coordinator at the prestigious Miami Art Museum where he helped set up many exhibitions for high profile artists and artworks, working directly with artists and curators. Ariel has also been teaching painting to children as well as adults since the age of 15. He has been in Beijing since 2007 and is currently teaching with Juren (巨人学交 Schools as well as organising the Art History Class and Discussing American Culture workshop here at Culture Yard. Ariel speaks fluent English and Spanish, and conversational Mandarin.

Giulia: Italian native Giulia Falato has been in Beijing for two years, where she studied ‘Teaching Chinese as a Second Language’ at the Beijing Language and Culture University. She has worked as a translator since 2007 and has gained a lot of experience working with languages and different cultures. Giulia is also an Italian teacher at Peking University and is responsible for the external liaisons between Peking University, the Italian government and academic institutions. She has a good idea of what foreigners need to know when they first arrive in Beijing, which is why she is in charge of our weekly Survival Chinese Workshop. Giulia knows exactly how it feels to be a new comer in this crazy city and her workshop reflects that. She speaks Chinese, Italian, English and Spanish.

Joshua:  While Joshua was doing his degree at in Beijing at the Peking University he was very involved in the university’s student groups.He was the president of the Student’s Calligraphy and Painting Association, which got 3rd place in the top 10 associations at PKU. He has always had a deep interest in learning about different cultures and travelling. Joshua organises our Chinese culture workshops and is working hard on increasing the blend of local Chinese culture and the Ex-pat community in our centre. Joshua speaks fluent English and Mandarin. Joshua hosts our Calligraphy and Mahjong workshops.

Peter: Peter Carney is a freelance British photographer based in Beijing, China. Peter has over 5 years experience working inBeijing, Seoul and London as a photographer. Peter’s work has been exhibited internationally and published in several major publications including, The Times, The Independent on Sunday, The Korean Times, China Daily and GEO Italy.  He is represented by Demotic Photo Agency and his work has been exhibited internationally and won several awards. Peter hosts monthly Photography Workshops and Seminars at Culture Yard.

Emma: Emma received her degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language at the Beijing Language and Culture University. Before working at Culture Yard Emma was working with international film directors as their translator and helping them interact with local businesses. She was also a private Chinese teacher at the English First language-training centre. Emma is hosting our CExploring Chinese Social Trends every Monday evening.

Check out our language teachers!