An Adventure for the Whole Family
We spent our June holidays doing something wildly different—and absolutely unforgettable. My three kids and I traded our usual routines for ten jam-packed days in Nanjing, China, attending a local school entirely in Mandarin. No English and no regrets.
If you’re curious about what it’s like to throw your family into full Mandarin immersion in China… read on. Here’s why we did the Nanjing Mandarin Immersion Camp, and what you should know before you go. Spoiler: It was magical and meaningful.
What Is the Nanjing Mandarin Immersion Camp?
Held twice a year—June (Summer) and end November (Autumn)—this camp is based in Xing Zhi School, a local government school in Nanjing that caters from kindergarten through junior high. That means children of all ages are welcome.
What makes this camp so special? It’s a family-focused immersion experience, primarily organised for Singapore-based families but open to others too. Your kids attend regular classes alongside Chinese students on weekdays, and the whole family gets to explore Nanjing’s rich cultural gems and tourist sites on weekends. In the afternoons there are also thoughtful family activities to do at the school like jade stamp carving, calligraphy, mask-making, and tea appreciation. It’s hands-on for parents too, and you need to be willing to do this to make the most of what the camp offers.
Every part of the program is conducted in Mandarin—from the classes to the excursions, and even the WhatsApp group chats. I don’t speak a word of Mandarin (more on surviving that later!), and I still had an amazing time. For kids, this setup was gold—it forces them to use Mandarin to connect, learn, and laugh.
With more than 20 years of experience, the organisers (shoutout to Mr. Tan and wife Jenny!) have this camp down to an art form. It’s educational, hands-on, safe, and a lot of fun. My eldest is already asking when we can go back for the Autumn Camp.
I had been eyeing this camp for a few years. A friend – Claudia, of Ms Claudia’s Bento- posted about her experience at the Nanjing Mandarin Immersion camp in 2024 with her boys. Her advice was invaluable before we embarked on the same journey 12 months later, and wishing we’d gone sooner.
School Life: What It’s Actually Like
This was the beating heart of our trip. The kids attended regular school days with their Chinese peers—and loved it.
Xing Zhi School in Nanjing has humble roots as a small rural village school but has grown into an impressive institution with its own museum, tea plantation, and full-sized running track. You can feel the passion and care of the teachers, and the school’s mission to “spread love” is beautifully displayed on the walls.
Here are a few things that stood out about school life in China:
- 10-minute play breaks every 50 minutes – and the kids really play with joy and gusto – be it hopscotch, skipping ropes, football, etc to maximise their break time.
- Synchronized mass eye exercises and pressure point massages every few hours following a routine blasted through the PA system
- Uplifting music instead of bells between classes (yes, they dance into break time!)
The Xing Zhi School Principal, Mr Yang, generously held a special session with the parents explaining the mission of the school’s founder 陶行知 Tao Xing Zhi (there’s a whole Museum about him off campus – some info here) and shared an inspiring story of how he encouraged rural students, especially girls, to attend school. We later visited the Tao XIng Zhi museum and laid flowers at the founder’s grave in his honour.
But perhaps the most lasting impact? From experiencing school in China, my children can have an deeper appreciation for the importance of learning a second language to unlock new friendships and cultures, and also how privileged they are to be growing up in Singapore. The kids exchanged contact details with their friends, and hopefully this is the start of a friendship which goes beyond this trip.
What We Loved Most
- Seamless and safe logistics: Mr. Tan and Jenny think of everything. From airport pickups to seat-belted buses, and food suggestions, everything was smooth, and on time. The Nanjing camp schedule is thoughtfully planned, and the camp organisers along with school teachers accompanied the tour bus at all times, including meeting us at the airport.
- Cosy neighborhood: We stayed in Pukou, a quiet, friendly residential area which is a short bus ride from the Xing Zhi school. I felt safe letting the kids roam a little—and yes, they even had their own hotel room! There was a supermarket and bakery beside the hotel which had everything we needed. Some of the local classmates even rode around to the hotel to hang out after dinner with us! They’d leave their bicycles outside of the hotel, and were not afraid of anything being stolen nor roaming around late in the evenings. Bonus: free laundry and 24/7 bubble tea shops just downstairs.
- Total authenticity: This isn’t a curated tourist trap. Your child joins morning assemblies, flag-raising ceremonies, PE lessons, and everyday school life. The kids and parents get a very genuine experience of Chinese school life. Something which I was tickled pink about was that things my kids had learnt about in Singapore textbooks (or read in Mi Xiao Quan) about school life in China, they were actually about to see with their own eyes.
- The food! The duck alone deserves its own blog post: salted, roasted, stuffed in baos or Peking style… every version was better than the last.
Handy Tips Before You Go
💵 Money Matters
Cash is still king—yes, actual paper and coins! While Alipay worked (with a 3% fee), credit cards often didn’t. I couldn’t use WeChat Pay either at many places as it required a local SIM. If in doubt, bring plenty of cash. Everywhere we went took cash. Some vendors looked at us funny like they hadn’t seen coins in years, but no one couldn’t/wouldn’t take them.
📶 Internet & Apps
China’s internet is famously tricky. Google, IG, WhatsApp? Blocked. But:
- Data roaming worked great (3GB lasted us 10 days) and gives you access to Whatsapp and foreign sites too. Although personally I loved being disconnected.
- e-SIM is handy if you want to pay with apps like WeChat or access local discounts
Must-download apps:
- WeChat (messaging & optional payment – if your children want to keep in touch with their local classmates, this is basically the only option)
- Didi (China’s Uber/Grab, which has English interface and doesn’t need a local number)
- 高德地图 (Gaode Map / AMap) – Chinese equivalent of Google Maps. Baidu map is another option. Google maps did actually have coverage in the touristy areas, but GPS wasn’t accurate. Apple Maps worked with better coverage and accuracy.
- Notta.AI – real-time live translation app (life saver – although it will chew through data fast!)
- Google Translate – download the Mandarin dictionary before your trip so it works offline
🧳 Packing Advice
Leave room in your luggage! There’s a visit to a giant bookstore (the prices are shockingly good and range is eye watering) and the hotel offers Taobao deliveries. Oh—and buy/bring a stamp collecting book for the kids. Most museums and tourist spots offer unique commemorative ink stamps, and it’s such a fun souvenir. All the mainland Chinese domestic tourists were doing this, and we didn’t catch on until the end.
🎧 Surviving Without Mandarin
I went in Mandarin-clueless and lived to tell the tale. The tour guides and school staff spoke exclusively in Mandarin. This is wonderful way to be fully immersed, but there were also key pieces of information I missed out on, or rich cultural insights that I didn’t get the benefit of until I used a live-translating app. If you don’t understand Mandarin, I’d recommend you test out some translating apps yourself, and have something ready for China. My trusty Alpha Egg translator pen didn’t quite cut it due to limited Wi-Fi access—so plan your tools wisely.
Notta.AI ultimately helped me follow guides and key instructions. This app will live capture and translate… so if you have roaming data to spare, this will be the lifeline needed for non-Mandarin speaking parents to understand the tour guides and instructions. You’ll need a premium subscription for a month (I thank a clever fellow parent on the tour for sharing this one with me).
Do note though – this trip is really designed for full immersion and the organisers encourage all adults and children to speak Mandarin with each other too, so I did have a fairly ‘quiet’ week.
💩Squatty potties
Kids need to be ready for squatting. Practice before you leave – find some cleaner options in Singapore. Then pack own tissues and have clothing which is fit-for-purpose!
So, How Can You Join?
There’s no website or snazzy brochure. You’ll need to follow the organisers on Facebook and drop them a message. The Nanjing Mandarin Immersion Camps run:
- June – similar weather to Singapore, just not as humid, which is perfect for strolling the stone walls and historical sites
- November – cooler autumn vibes, ~10°C. I’m sure it’s very pretty season filled with colours.
Each trip caters for about 50 people in total. Ours was a mixture of both smaller and larger families – some with just one parent, and others with grandparents and aunts in tow. Kids ranged from 4 to 15, and it was a nice balanced mix.
We paid full price for the whole family and are not affiliated with the organisers. We did sign up early and enjoy the early bird discount 🙂
The upcoming November camp is from November 29 – December 7 2025 and taking signups at this link: 2025 Nanjing Immersion Trip 南京中华文化浸儒及亲子学习活动
Final Thoughts
This Nanjing Immersion Camp wasn’t just about immersing in Mandarin—it was about connection. Culture. Curiosity. Courage. For ten days, we stepped into another world and came out the other side a little more open-minded, a lot more appreciative, and yes—craving more duck.
If you’ve been considering a Mandarin immersion experience for your family, this one is absolutely worth it if you’re willing to give it a go.
I’ll pop up some videos on my IG, so check that out for less words and more visuals 🙂