When I started working with Luke, I had one specific goal: to pass the MTLE subtest 2 for Chinese Mandarin. This test is one of the licensing tests required for teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language in Minnesota. For a native speaker of Chinese, the licensing tests do not pose a serious challenge, but I am not a native speaker. Prior to meeting with Luke, I had already taken several years of Chinese at the university level. I had also been accepted to the licensing program at the University of Minnesota for teaching Chinese, and I had passed the first subtest. Nonetheless, subtest 2 was a daunting challenge for me because it required me to speak and write spontaneously, so I decided to hire a tutor to help me.

I am glad I chose Luke to help me with this task. He understood what I needed, and he was flexible enough to let me go at my own pace and adapt to what I wanted to work on. In particular, I was happy that he was willing to let me practice speaking on topics, both related to the test and my own personal interests. I appreciated being able to discuss cultural matters with a native speaker.

Like most students of Chinese, I learned about Chinese New Year in my Chinese classes, but I feel that working with Luke really helped me deepen my knowledge of such cross-cultural situations. The short-term benefit of such knowledge, of course, is that it helped me pass my test. But the long-term benefit is that I feel I can build on that knowledge to expand my understanding of China and Chinese culture, and to inform my teaching practices in the future. Thank you, Luke, for sharing your language and cultural insights with me. I shall be forever grateful.

Minneapolis, MN

Luke is an excellent tutor, and I highly recommend him. I saw Luke for 6 weeks prior to taking a college Chinese language placement exam. He listened closely to my needs and schedule, and came to our first meeting with the books we needed and a lesson ready to go.

Not only was he an engaging teacher, but he also introduced me to useful study tools and Chinese art and culture. After 6 weeks I felt very confident going into my test, and got into the level class I was hoping for.

Thanks Luke!

Minneapolis, MN

I highly recommend Mr. Wang as a Mandarin Chinese tutor.  He is an excellent teacher, being very patient in explaining, and as necessary repeating, the difficult nuances of speaking and reading Mandarin.  He is a master in integrating technology into his teaching method.  Building vocabulary lists that students can easily review when they are on the internet, allowing them to review at their own convenience.  He makes learning enjoyable by integrating Chinese language videos, stories, and news items, as appropriate, to allow the student to listen and try to comprehend different speeds of speaking and slightly different accents of a variety of Mandarin speakers.  

Mr. Wang has excellent English communication skills which assists in conducting his lessons.  Any questions that arise he is able to address and he understands English idioms which, in my experience, is not the norm for someone who was not born in an English speaking country.  Overall his communication and interpersonal skills are excellent.  

Mr. Wang is flexible in arranging time to tutor his students.  He will strive to accommodate his students' requested times to the best of his ability.   This assists in allowing his students to take his classes when the students' have time.

If you are looking for a hard-working, patient and all around excellent Mandarin teacher, I highly recommend Mr. Wang without any reservations. 

Faribault, MN

I moved back to Minnesota in 2013 after living in Beijing, China for three years. I wanted to continue my Chinese studies so I sought a tutor. I looked on many different tutoring websites and talked with many different tutors before coming across Luke's website.

I wrote him an email detailing how I would like to study and what I would like to study. I chose to meet Luke because he was very accommodating to my specific requests and gave me a discounted first lesson. The first lesson was great! He wrote up a lesson plan and gave me access to materials to start studying from right away. Luke is a great tutor and I have really enjoyed learning from him.

St. Paul, MN

Luke worked with my son during the summer of 2011 to go through a whole year of curriculum for Mandarin Chinese school so that my son could skip a grade. 

Luke grew up in China, so his pronunciation and tones are perfect.  He also has a very updated usage of Mandarin of mainland China.  He is very gentle, patient and professional.  In addition to the lesson books, he was able to insert in additional materials to help my son expand the scope of learning. 

Most impressive of all, Luke has an exceptional spoken tone that makes his Chinese sounds so clear and musical.  My son enjoyed his lessons with Luke and was able to pass his placement test with flying colors.  I would highly recommend Luke as a tutor for Mandarin Chinese.

Roseville, MN