With summer in full swing now, our schools in Beijing and Shanghai is seeing a rise in the number of students visiting. Particularly interesting are the groups of teenagers traveling alone without their parents from miles away to study Chinese in China. Brave souls, they are.

One particular group landed in Shanghai just in time for the sunny weather. Dressed in their colourful T-shirts and cool sunglasses, the teens explored Shanghai’s Old Town, walking into Yu Garden to see the Chenghuang Temple and took a boat ride on the famous West Lake in Hangzhou. And of course, no trip to Shanghai would be complete without visiting the famous Shanghai Bund.

That’s Mandarin is expecting more groups like this, especially with the addition of Mandarin as a second language choice in schools in Europe, North America and many other places. Learning Chinese is much more than just listening or speaking the language. Immerse yourself in the culture and you’ll walk away with much more than you’d ever expect.