At Masons Au Pair, we offer more than just childcare or tutoring—we create life-changing international exchange experiences. As part of our au pair in China program, each participant lives with a welcoming host family, becomes a true family member, and supports English language learning while gaining real-world Mandarin skills. It’s an immersive student exchange experience designed for open-minded international students and young people looking to connect with a new culture.
Recently in Chengdu, our incoming au pairs joined a hands-on cultural workshop in cloisonné enamel painting—known as qiǎ sī fǎ láng huà (掐丝珐琅画). This enriching activity brought together foreign exchange students, host parents, and local coordinators to explore Chinese heritage through traditional art. These events go far beyond sightseeing—they help international exchange students make friends, build confidence, and truly feel at home in their new host country.
Rather than learning Mandarin from a textbook, our participants practiced real conversations during the workshop. Following instructions in Chinese, asking questions, and socializing with native speakers helped improve their language proficiency and social skills. It’s the kind of practical education abroad experience that makes student exchange programs so rewarding.
For anyone interested in spending a gap year or academic semester abroad, becoming an au pair through our international student exchange program is an incredible opportunity. You’ll meet new people, enrich your worldview, and create lifelong friendships while living with a host family in China.
What is Cloisonné Enamel Painting (掐丝珐琅画)?
Cloisonné enamel painting, known as qiǎ sī fǎ láng huà (掐丝珐琅画) in Mandarin Chinese, is a traditional Chinese art form that dates back to the Ming Dynasty. This intricate craft blends artistic precision with deep cultural symbolism, making it a valuable part of many language and cultural exchange programs across China. Originally used to decorate vases, jewelry, and ceremonial items, cloisonné continues to be a powerful tool for introducing foreign exchange students to different cultures and artistic traditions during their international experience.
The process of creating cloisonné is both detailed and meditative—an ideal fit for exchange students, interns, and language learners alike. Participants begin by shaping ultra-thin copper wires into floral or symbolic patterns. These are carefully glued onto metal or ceramic surfaces. Then, each section is filled with enamel powder, blended with water, and eventually kiln-fired to produce a glossy, glass-like finish. It’s a hands-on way to immerse oneself in local traditions while gaining confidence through experiential learning.
For our au pairs living with host families in China, this workshop was far more than just an art class—it became a unique opportunity to practice conversation with a native-speaking instructor in a real-world setting. While following instructions, asking questions, and repeating new vocabulary aloud, participants improved their spoken language, pronunciation, and overall language comprehension—all essential for anyone hoping to study abroad or work in language instruction or child care in the future.
Workshops like these don’t just enrich the student exchange program—they also build real-world skills that prepare participants to volunteer, intern, or even become a host themselves someday. It’s an unforgettable example of how international programs can connect people, build friendships, and foster deep cross-cultural understanding.
Learning Mandarin Through Art: A Hands-On Language Experience
The cloisonné enamel painting workshop wasn’t just an afternoon of creativity—it was a vivid example of immersive language learning within a real international exchange setting. As our au pairs designed their own enamel artwork, they followed Mandarin Chinese instructions from a native-speaking artisan, absorbing new vocabulary through practical, everyday interaction—just like one would in a true homestay accommodation.
Instead of memorizing textbook phrases, participants learned Mandarin through action. They used practical vocabulary related to colors, tools, and movements—terms like brush, bend, mix, and polish—to carry out their artistic process. This hands-on, kinaesthetic learning approach boosted listening comprehension, pronunciation, and helped develop real-world spoken fluency—skills that every international student, exchange student, or foreign exchange participant needs when adapting to a new city or host country.
What set this workshop apart was its ability to connect language acquisition with visual tasks, physical movement, and authentic conversation. Whether a beginner or more advanced speaker, each au pair gained confidence by using Chinese in a meaningful and supportive context. The goal wasn’t perfection—it was communication, connection, and progress. This is what it means to truly immerse yourself in a student exchange program.
At the heart of the Masons Au Pair in China Program, activities like this help young people develop social skills, make friends, and spark a deeper passion for language education, international programs, or even careers in teaching abroad. For many, it’s also the beginning of lifelong friendships and global curiosity that lasts well beyond the academic year.
Every part of our au pair experience—from cultural workshops to family meals—is crafted to enrich your personal journey, foster new friendships, and give you a true home away from home.
Cultural Bonding Beyond the Workshop: From the Studio to Daily Life
After completing their designs, our au pairs in China gathered around a shared table, sipping traditional Chinese tea and chatting in both Mandarin Chinese and English. The studio, filled with laughter, creativity, and vibrant colors, became more than just a classroom—it turned into a space where language immersion met real human connection, and where international students could truly meet new people and feel part of a local community.
This relaxed, post-activity moment reflected the spirit of the Masons Au Pair Program: using shared experiences to build friendships, create a home away from home, and foster deep cross-cultural understanding. Participants swapped stories about living with host families in China—helping with child care, learning how to cook dumplings, celebrating Chinese holidays, and picking up practical vocabulary during everyday conversations with their host parents and children.
Even though each foreign exchange student came from a different country and language background, they all discovered the same truth: language learning is most effective when it’s experienced, not memorized. These small, spontaneous moments—filled with smiles, gestures, and shared laughter—are what transform a student exchange program into a life-changing journey of cultural exchange and language fluency.
At Masons Au Pair, we know that language acquisition doesn’t just happen in the classroom—it thrives in the kitchen, during playtime with host children, and yes, even in a cloisonné enamel painting workshop. Every activity in our program is designed to help participants enrich their communication skills, make new friends, and feel part of something bigger.
The workshop may have only lasted an afternoon, but its impact was lasting. Our au pairs didn’t just take home handcrafted art—they left with improved Mandarin proficiency, unforgettable experiences, and a stronger bond with the culture they now call home. This is what makes our au pair program in China more than just education abroad—it’s a deeply rewarding and truly transformative experience.
Lasting Impact: How Cultural Immersion Builds Confidence and Global Skills
While the cloisonné enamel painting workshop lasted just one afternoon, its impact reached far beyond the studio walls. For our international au pairs in China, it became a shining example of what a real cultural exchange program can offer: a powerful blend of Mandarin language learning, creativity, and meaningful human connection—all in one unforgettable, hands-on experience.
By working side-by-side with a local Chinese artisan, participants followed step-by-step instructions in Mandarin Chinese, learning new vocabulary and applying it immediately in a real-world context. This was not rote memorization—it was authentic language immersion, where each question, direction, and small interaction helped build spoken fluency and true communicative confidence. This is exactly the type of activity that transforms classroom learning into usable, everyday language skills.
But the benefits went even further. This workshop developed essential global soft skills such as adaptability, cross-cultural awareness, empathy, and resilience—traits that are invaluable for those pursuing language instruction, international education, or simply looking to thrive in a multicultural environment. These are the qualities that help exchange students, interns, and future volunteers succeed wherever they go.
None of our participants were professional artists or certified ESL teachers. Yet through this immersive au pair experience, they became creators, learners, and cultural ambassadors. They returned to their host families in China not just with a beautiful souvenir—but with enhanced Mandarin proficiency, higher self-confidence, and a deeper understanding of what it means to truly live with a host family, teach abroad, and grow within an international student exchange program.
Language and Culture: What Makes the Au Pair Experience in China So Valuable
Living abroad as an au pair in China is about far more than assisting with child care or doing light household chores—it’s a fully immersive language and cultural exchange experience. Every day, our international au pairs are surrounded by spoken Mandarin Chinese, naturally absorbing tones, pinyin, grammar patterns, and everyday vocabulary straight from native speakers in real-life situations.
Through daily conversations with their Chinese host families, au pairs gradually improve their listening comprehension, pronunciation, and spoken fluency. Whether they’re helping a child with English homework, shopping at a local market, or attending cultural workshops like cloisonné enamel painting, they’re not just studying Mandarin—they’re living it. It’s the kind of learning that builds real-world communication skills and connects with the local community.
This type of homestay accommodation in China creates the ideal setting for meaningful and long-term language acquisition. It bridges the gap between theory and practice by allowing students to use Mandarin Chinese in everyday contexts—understanding Chinese characters, noticing dialect differences, and improving through immersion-based repetition. Each moment becomes a mini language lesson, delivered in the context of genuine social interaction.
Unlike typical classroom-based language courses or short-term study abroad programs, the Masons Au Pair China Program provides constant, personalized learning. Participants describe the experience as deeply rewarding, transformative, and more effective than anything they’ve experienced in a traditional school environment—because they’re applying what they learn in real time, whether at home, around campus, or during cultural exchange activities.
This is what true language immersion looks like: personal, continuous, and practical. It’s about becoming confident, socially skilled, and fully engaged with a new culture—not just as a visitor, but as a member of the host family, a student of life, and an active participant in a vibrant international community.
Ready to Live the Experience? Join Our Next Au Pair Program in China
If you’re looking for a cultural exchange program that goes beyond the basics of teaching English abroad, the Masons Au Pair program in China is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. This isn’t just another language course or internship—it’s a full Mandarin Chinese language immersion program combined with a real homestay accommodation in the heart of Chinese life.
As an Au Pair with Masons Au Pair, you’ll live with a Chinese host family, support English language learning for young children, and actively participate in everyday family routines. But that’s only the beginning. You’ll also receive free Mandarin lessons, attend authentic cultural workshops—like our unforgettable cloisonné enamel painting event in Chengdu—and develop lifelong soft skills that will shape your future in international education, child care, or study abroad opportunities.
You don’t need to be fluent in Mandarin or have professional qualifications in teaching. Whether you’re a gap year student, a recent graduate, an aspiring teacher, or simply someone eager to meet new people and dive into intercultural communication, this au pair in China experience is your chance to grow, learn, and connect.
Our program is built for individuals who want to discover China from the inside—not just as a visitor, but as a true member of a host family, a participant in the local community, and a globally minded explorer. You’ll return home with stronger language proficiency, deep cross-cultural understanding, new friendships, and the confidence to thrive in any international setting.
👉 Applications are now open for our next group of international au pairs. Spots are limited—so if you’re ready to combine travel, Mandarin learning, and cultural exchange into one transformative journey, don’t wait.
Click here to apply now and begin your adventure with Masons Au Pair—where language meets culture, and friendships last a lifetime.