CatPlatt's Forum Posts

But I just remembered she is out of the country for the next month....

There is a Canadian chiropractor here who knows about natural medicine, she runs a business called Tianfu Wellness and you can contact her at karen@tianfuwellness.com She is not a naturopathic doctor but she is a very good chiropractor and also does acupuncture and other therapies and can advise on diet etc. I see a naturopathic doctor in the UK and Karen is the closest I have found here in Chengdu.

Harmony Dental has English speaking dentists including Dr Wan. Their number is 85192312 but the receptionists don't speak much English.

We went there for a day a few years ago. You need to leave chengdu very early in the morning to make it worthwhile, we left at 8 am and with delays on the road didn't get up the mountain until afternoon, we met another family who had left at 6 and they got a full days ski-ing. My husband and son rented skis and ski-ed for a couple of hours but there are only a few runs and most people there are complete beginners. It's not much if you are used to ski-ing in north america or europe, but maybe better than nothing. And it's a good day out, the kids can play in the snow and the cable car ride is fun. You can also hike down (or up) the mountain, and there are several hotels to stay in, but I don't think anyone spends more than a couple of days there.

Hi sthrn1s,

We have a ten year old (and a five year old) son at QSI and I would also be happy to talk with you about our experience with the school. My son has played a wide variety of sports there over the past 6 years. You can email me at cPlatt55@hotmail.com if you want to get in touch.

In terms of sports, there are community activities in addition to those provided by the schools. Chengdu Youth Sports League has two soccer seasons a year, the next one will start in March. There are also a couple of tennis teachers in town who offer group lessons for kids. You can find information on the Chengdu International Women's Club website or I can email you the details. All the best.

Oooookaaay - but don't whine at me for expressing my opinion about other opinions! This is getting a little bit silly.....

Anyway I just wanted to add another fact, as opposed to opinion, which is that QSI now has 50 plus students in their middle and high schools, so they are also getting up there in terms of numbers. Plus they are the only secular middle/high school program in Chengdu. As pointed out above, CDIS is a conservative Christian school, which some people want and others do not want integrated into their education. It depends what you are looking for.

To claim a statment like "if you want to send your kid to QSI, then either you have to join that clique of people who have nothing to do, or you prepare to be talked about like Britney Spears" as "common knowledge" as opposed to slander is laughable. I actually laughed out loud reading it. Common knowledge? This statement is the personal opinion of one person of high-school age who does not even attend the school. In the experience of people who actually attend QSI, the school community is varied and friendly and welcoming. "Radcookie" cites a 12 year old at QSI who had no homework? The 12 year olds I know there have plenty of homework, so who knows what this child was doing. I know several people who moved in the opposite direction: there are examples of people moving their children between schools in all directions if you look at the overall situation.

Furthermore, my experience of Etonhouse was completely the opposite of what "radcookie" says: if anything the school improved when the new principal started and I found the staff responsive and helpful without fail. They are moving to an impressive new campus this year and they are a great school, definitely worth considering for elementary level.

People reading these statements can take them into account, but there is no sensible way to make a decision about schools apart from visiting them in person, speaking with staff and principal and assessing your own family's needs and preferences. It's also worth noting that Chengdu's international community is not currently large enough to support 5 international schools, so there is a certain amount of competition between them for new students. Fortunately the schools mostly rise above this and have established a sports league and other cooperative events.

Hi Louise, I am from the UK and have lived here for 5 years, we have 2 kids aged 9 and 4. The 9 year old is at QSI and 4 year old at Etonhouse Chinese division, but will move to QSI next year. Both are good schools but QSI has larger classes and many more kids in the age range of your children. It follows an international American curriculum but the teachers are from all over: US, UK, Australia etc. Etonhouse uses the Primary Years Program which is an international curriculum based on the UK curriculum, but they have a smaller student population and classes do combine different ages - however the teachers are excellent and do a good job with this. QSI has a separate age for each class but they used to have combined classes and I found it had a lot of advantages for my son. So I don't think it's necessarily a problem. There is a new school that opened this year in the south of the city: Leman International School - they are just getting started so still have small numbers and I don't think they teach 12 year olds. Anyway the only way to choose is to come here and visit the schools. I would recommend QSI but you really have to make the decision based on your personal impression when you visit the schools. One thing you can be sure of is that your kids would have a good education here in Chengdu, with plenty of friends and good access to extra-curricular activities. You can contact me via the Chengdu International Womens Club at chengduiwc@gmail.com if you want to ask any further questions - ask them to forward the email to Catherine Platt. See you in Chengdu!

We have one son at QSI and one at Etonhouse Chinese division and both are excellent. Etonhouse will offer you a discount on fees in the Chinese division if you want your child to attend on an international schedule (ie with Christmas and summer vacations) rather than the Chinese schedule, and also they pro-rate for half days. QSI has a scholarship program for 5 year olds and up. I suggest you visit both, speak with teachers and staff and decide which one will suit your child best.