About Culture Yard

Brought together by a passion for the Chinese language and culture, our team consists of native local educators and international China enthusiasts. We started teaching Chinese language and culture in a small traditional courtyard in Beijing, and now we teach online to students from all over the world.

Our Story

Culture Yard was founded in 2009 by Ilya. Ilya came to China to study Chinese but was disappointed by the options available to him for Chinese classes. Rather than sit by idly and wait, Ilya had an idea: start his own Chinese school! Ilya knew how he wanted to be taught, so he found himself a hutong courtyard in Beijing and built a team with the same vision and passion for Chinese. Culture Yard quickly made a name for itself with its communication-based classes and a focus on speaking Chinese for practical, daily communication. Culture Yard has grown immensely since its inception. From when the doors opened, we have seen the advent of WeChat, grown our staff to nearly 20 members, won several awards for our work in Chinese education, and are now ushering in the age of online education. All the while, we remain committed to offering the highest quality of Chinese classes and teaching students to speak Chinese like a local.

Our Teaching Philosophy

As Chinese language educators, we believe in the Three C’s: Communication, Culture, and Community

Our classes are based around the principle of using Chinese to communicate. The materials and approach we use are carefully selected and designed to help our students start speaking Chinese in their daily lives right away, both comfortably and confidently.

We also recognize that culture is intertwined with language. Our classes include lessons on how culture shapes life in China to help students understand and overcome culture shock and better understand the world around them.

Finally, we at Culture Yard are a community. Through our classes, students forge friendships with people from all over the world. Teachers, staff, and classmates come together via WeChat in our large school group as well as smaller class groups to practice Chinese, keep each other accountable for homework, share life advice, and offer encouragement.