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✦ Matteo Ricci Exchange

From the first interview to the journey home

With Nice Exchange 耐思优 you never face this experience alone: we guide you step by step through every stage.

Matteo Ricci Exchangeby Nice Exchange 耐思优

Portrait of Matteo Ricci, Yu Wenhui, 1610
Matteo Ricci painted by Yu Wenhui, 1610
✦ The name

Why Matteo Ricci?

Matteo Ricci did not get to know China by observing it from the outside. He learned the language, built relationships and spent years trying to understand its culture.

A culture is not something you get to know simply by visiting it. You have to live it.

The Matteo Ricci Exchange comes from the same conviction: language, relationships, everyday life, time, immersion. Hence the promise that guides everything — live China from the inside.

✦ East and West

A bridge between two worlds

Getting to know a culture means entering into dialogue with the people who live it.

Painting of European and Chinese scholars gathered around a table

The Matteo Ricci Exchange is built on this conviction. Studying Chinese, everyday life with the host family and the relationships that grow along the way are not side activities: they are the heart of the programme. It is in this dialogue, made of questions, shared habits and new words, that two cultures stop looking at each other from afar and begin to understand each other.

✦ Departure seasons

Every season is a different China.

You do not have to pick an exact date straight away. You choose a season: the final date is set later, on the basis of the matching and the host family’s availability.

  • Cherry blossoms in Wuhan in spring

    Spring

    March — May

    Complete application by

    31 December

    In this period you could experience:
    Qingming Festival · Dragon Boat Festival · Chinese spring and local traditions

  • The sea at Sanya, on Hainan Island, in summer

    Summer

    June — August

    Complete application by

    31 March

    In this period you could experience:
    Dragon Boat Festival · Qixi, the Chinese Valentine’s Day · summer life in Chinese cities

  • Autumn in Hangzhou

    Autumn

    September — November

    Complete application by

    30 June

    In this period you could experience:
    Mid-Autumn Festival · National Day and Golden Week · Chongyang Festival

  • Deadline extended to 30 October

    The Temple of Heaven in Beijing under the snow

    Winter

    December — February

    Complete application by

    30 September 30 October

    In this period you could experience:
    Chinese New Year · Lantern Festival · winter traditions and everyday life

Many traditional Chinese festivals follow the lunar calendar, so their dates change every year. What you actually experience depends on your real departure date and on how long you stay.

01 — The journey

Five stages. One continuous support.

We guide you step by step, from application to coming home, thanks to the joint work of the Italian and Chinese teams.

Stage 04 — Before departure

You only need to get ready.

The part everyone dreads, solved

A visa for China, without the embassy

You send your passport to our partner visa agency: they handle the whole process and send it back with the visa already inside. No appointment, no paperwork to chase.

  • Specialised agency
  • Home collection
  • Health

    Accident insurance

    Arranged directly by Nice Exchange before departure.

  • Travel

    International flight

    We take care of booking the return flight.

  • Documents

    Paperwork

    We check together that everything is complete before you leave.

  • Culture

    Online training

    A session on daily life and cross-cultural communication.

Alessandra during a Chinese calligraphy lesson

Pre-departure training

An online session designed by our team to prepare you practically, personally and culturally.

  • 01 How to speak English with children naturally and effectively
  • 02 How to handle culture shock
  • 03 Differences in communication between Italian and Chinese culture
  • 04 Values, habits and cultural differences in everyday life
  • 05 Digital payments, transport and the apps you cannot do without
✦ How it works

From the first message to China.

The Matteo Ricci Exchange does not start the day you get on the plane. It starts earlier: getting to know each other, working out whether the experience suits you, building your profile and looking for a compatible host family.

  1. 01

    Let us meet

    First contact and introductory call.

  2. 02

    Selection

    We look at motivation, English, adaptability and fit with the experience.

  3. 03

    We build your profile

    We prepare the application to present to the host families.

  4. 04

    We find the right match

    We look for a compatible family and set up a video call.

  5. 05

    We get you ready to leave

    Documents, visa and pre-departure training.

  6. 06

    You leave for China

    The local team meets you on arrival.

  7. 07

    Your everyday life begins

    Host family, Chinese, the city and support throughout the stay.

✦ Matching

We do not simply assign you a family. We look for a fit.

The matching starts from your profile, from who you are and from what the host families can offer.

We introduce one family at a time and set up a video call together with the Italian and Chinese teams. After the call, both you and the family have two days to give your feedback.

If both sides want to go ahead, the matching is confirmed. If either side feels it is not the right match, the search continues.

The host family is never imposed.

✦ Matteo Ricci Exchange

The first step is applying. We build the rest together.

Every experience begins with a simple application. We stay by your side at every stage.

Apply or ask a question You can use the same form just to ask for information: it is not binding.

✦ Answers

Frequently asked questions

How does the selection work?

In three steps: online application, a first introductory call with the Italian team and an individual interview.

Who handles the Chinese visa?

The visa is handled by a specialised agency: you simply send your passport to the agency, which manages the whole process and returns it to your home with the visa already issued. No embassy appointments needed.

How is the host family chosen?

The family is not simply assigned. We identify a family compatible with your profile and introduce <strong>one family at a time</strong>. A video call follows between participant, host family, Italian team and Chinese team; after the call both sides have two days to give their feedback. If both want to go ahead, the matching is confirmed; otherwise the search continues. The matching is never imposed.

When do departures happen?

Departures are organised in four seasons. Spring: leave between March and May, complete application by 31 December. Summer: June–August, by 31 March. Autumn: September–November, by 30 June. Winter: December–February, by 30 September (this year, exceptionally, by 30 October). You choose a season, not an exact day: the final date is set on the basis of the matching and the host family's availability.

What if there are difficulties with the host family?

The team steps in as a point of reference and mediator between participant and family: we look at the situation with both sides and work towards a suitable solution. We do not promise a guaranteed change of family, but nobody is left to handle a difficulty alone.

What happens on arrival in China?

The Chinese team welcomes you at the airport and takes you to the host family. From that moment both teams remain your point of reference for the whole experience.

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