Spring Semester

CCS sophomore students have been enjoying their exchanges at Peking University and National Taiwan University this spring semester. In Beijing, their agenda has been intense, as many take advantage of the full 20 hours of weekly instruction that PKU offers by taking two elective courses in addition to the required grammar and speaking courses.  On top of their classes they have joined all sorts of activities aimed at enhancing their Chinese skills and fostering international connections. Jisu Lim and Kiwook (Kevin) Moon volunteered to host the Chinese Contest for Overseas Students (留学生汉语大赛).  Visits to prominent landmarks (e.g. the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven) were combined with attending cultural events, such as Peking Opera, and participating in an adaptation of Farewell My Concubine. During these months, students have also taken the opportunity to travel all around the country. Gansu, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, Chongqing and Inner Mongolia are but a few of the destinations this exchange has led them to discover.

"The depth to which I have been able to discuss and learn more about sensitive times in Chinese History at PKU has been surprising, and furthermore doing it fully in Chinese is just quite fun." (Austin Bliss – CCS Student on exchange at PKU)

"Wandering around the city and its traditional hutongs, or visiting the Old Summer Palace, gave us a much broader, deeper understanding of Beijing and China to the extent that, after just a few months, we even feel like locals in the city. We would like to thank CCS for this amazing opportunity!" (Zhuo Ruoshi – CCS Student on exchange at PKU)