My DH is chinese and he wanted to come home for awhile. Its good for the kids to be with their family here and experience this side of life. DS2 was born here and so will the next 1 although the have overseas passports.
It can be very lonely expat wise here. Apparently there are about 1000 of us permanently here but don't think many of them are families with children and certainly haven't managed to bump into them. Perhaps also because DH is chinese we havent been exposed to any expat network here? Mum certainly has a good thing going up in Beijing. Her best friend lives there and afew other expats she knows from home but she has also made afew chinese friends.
What kinda lessons you doing? With a person or online? I havent picked up as much as what we had hoped (but first 2 years I was surrounded by dialect not mandarin) so Im looking to start some form of lessons too. I can do basic stuff like buy from the market, tell the kids off etc but nothing very useful let alone hold a conversation. How are your kids going in school? they pick up the language so fast! DS1 didnt know any mandarin when he started kindy but within afew months could talk and understand everything the teachers said.
How long are you here for? We will stay afew more years I think