Study Abroad China Program Language Partner Handbook

By Program Assistant Ben May 09’

1 Contents

1 Introduction of this program 3 1.1 History ...... 3 1.2 Our goal ...... 3 1.3 About Chinese Langugage Partners in our program ...... 4

2 Chinese Language Partners 5 2.1 What kind of people we are looking for...... 5 2.2 What you need to do...... 5 2.3 Interview ...... 6 2.4 Assigned Language Partners ...... 6 2.4.1 How can you benefit more from your language partner? 6 2.4.2 How can I fit in? Become friends with them? ...... 7 2.4.3 How do I find a topic? ...... 7 2.4.4 Why my language partner doesn’t reply my text message? ...... 7 2.5 Group Events ...... 7 2.5.1 Orientation ...... 8 2.5.2 Group Trips ...... 8 2.5.3 On Campus Games ...... 11 2.5.4 Farewell Dinner Party ...... 12 2.5.5 Camping ...... 12 2.5.6 Your Ideas Needed ...... 12 2.6 Comments from former language partners ...... 12 2.6.1 Maria, Liu Yue ...... 12 2.6.2 Ray Wang ...... 13 2.7 Comments from our US students ...... 13 2.7.1 Nathan Baker, Hampshire College ...... 13 2.7.2 Jenny Purser, College of William and Mary ...... 14 2.7.3 George Bayuga, Seattle University ...... 14

3 Other Helps 15 3.1 Tour Guides ...... 15 3.2 Photographer and Directors ...... 15 3.3 Student clubs and associations ...... 15

4 Places to go 15 4.1 Dinning Places ...... 15 4.2 Clubs and Bars ...... 16

2 1 Introduction of this program

1.1 History Established by American University in Washington, D.C., the Beijing Pro- gram has been in China since 1985. Still maintaining a strong institutional affiliation with AU, the program began to operate independently accepting students from other universities in the fall of 2004. It is our belief that China will emerge as an economic and political pow- erhouse in the not so distant future. Culturally and politically different from the US, the most powerful nation in the world, China’s ascendancy necessi- tates dialogue and understanding not just at the governmental level but also at the grassroots level. It is the mission of our program to promote such understanding. It is also in keeping with American University’s efforts at globalization. Our host institution, Peking University is the most prestigious academic institution in China. The program is affiliated directly with its academic units, the School of International Studies and the History Department where American students interact with China’s best students. In the fall semester, our students study side by side with Chinese students in the same classes. The program has a wide range of courses to suit various needs of students and all courses, except the advanced Chinese classes, are taught in English. It also has a long established travel program and internship practice, among others. It also creates other opportunities for students. For example, in the fall of 2004, three of our students appeared on China’s Central TV, discussing American presidential election for half an hour. We also take students to nearby villages to study rural economy and peasant life. After attending our study abroad program, we hope that students will gain a multi-faceted, systematic knowledge of Chinese culture and society. We welcome all students, regardless of race and gender, to apply to our program when they consider going abroad to study in China.

1.2 Our goal To gain a better understanding of Chinese culture by: 1. Providing courses, in English, on economics, business, politics, foreign policy, philosophy, history, art and literature, women’s studies, etc. 2. Immersing students, who so desire, in Chinese language. 3. Engaging in internships at institutions and corporations. 4. Traveling extensively to all regions of the country.

3 5. Taking classes together with Chinese students.

1.3 About Chinese Langugage Partners in our program Chinese language partners are a huge part of our program. Most of them are Peking University students who can help US students get used to living here in Beijing, in Peking University. We have plenty of activities to help learning Chinese language and culture as well as simply make friends. Everyone is welcome to join us, of course. However, there are too many people applying, as a result we have to do interviews sometimes.

4 2 Chinese Language Partners

2.1 What kind of people we are looking for.

Lots of people ask me whether they should be excellent in English. Well, because US students in our program are from diﬀerent levels, (some of them can speak Chinese really well, while some of them know nothing about the language at all. ) we need people as the following:

1. Interested in American and Chinese culture.

2. Willing to help other people.

3. Be able to explain things patiently.

4. Have enough time to participate in our program.

So anyone, no matter what class you are in, no matter whether you are a graduate student or an undergraduate, no matter what major you are studying, no matter what school you are in (as long as you can manage to join our activities on time), has the opportunity to join us.

2.2 What you need to do.

This is not a job. Everyone is trying to have fun and at the same time learn something. So I suggest you do the following:

1. Set a 2 hour section every week just for mutural language learning.

2. Do not argue with them about religion or political problems. Harmony! Harmony!

3. Help them with their life here. And tell them how to become Peking University students who enjoy living here.

4. Attend group events. Sign up according to the instruction

5. CHECK EMAIL EVERYDAY. Keep your cell ON.

6. Read every email I sent carefully. And reply accordingly.

5 2.3 Interview We have to have this interview because we have heard some complains about language partners from our students. We are only doing this to prevent that from happening and to ﬁnd a small group of people who can join us long-term. The sign up webpagewill be open from now on. We always take applica- tions. However, we only schedule interviews when needed, like at the end of every semester. (Because the schedule of US students is a little bit diﬀerent from PKU students, for instance, their fall semester starts in late August, instead of early September.) Interview information will be sent by emails. Please check your email if you have applied. The interview is mainly about personality and communication skills. The language partner interview has three parts: • Self-introduction; • Culture Questions about Chinese history, Architecture, Politics, Arts, Music, Sports, etc.; (Tour guide applicants will be asked more questions in this part. ) • Language Questions: Explain some Chinese in English; Those who pass the interview will get email notices from us. And those who are not as fortunate will get notices when extra emergency help needed. As a result, please keep in touch. After passing the interview, you’ll be on our language partner name list, from which US students can choose their language partners. Those who receive good feedbacks from our US students will be on our list the following semester, while the others will have to go through the interview again, if you still want in our program.

2.4 Assigned Language Partners US students will chose their language partners based on the information provided by the program at the beginning of every semester. Though there are no rules about what you must do as language partners, I really suggest you can make sure that at least 2 hours each week will be spent in language learning. Here are some frequently asked questions and my suggestions.

2.4.1 How can you beneﬁt more from your language partner? Be a FRIEND, not a language partner. Hang out with them, help them become a Peking University student, not just a foreign visitor. And do not use

6 them for language learning. Find your mutual interests.I really recommand you can do some sports together, like swimming, pingpong, badminton, ten- nis, etc. US students in our program are nice people, don’t be shy to ask them out. And when they say no about your invitation, don’t worry. Probably, they really have something else to do. Have fun!

2.4.2 How can I ﬁt in? Become friends with them?

Well, there are indeed some culture diﬀerences. Most US students go out at least 2 nights in a weeks, however, most Chinese students I know never go out... I think go to bars and clubs occasionally wouldn’t hurt. It’s part of their culture to hang out at bars, clubs or dinners. Especially, during some holidays, such as Halloween, Thanks Giving, etc. Another thing I really recommad is that INVITE them to dinner. Having dinner and KTV are the major Chinese past-time. Let them talk with your friends, too. And invite them to join a students’ club or association with you.

2.4.3 How do I ﬁnd a topic?

Besides their homework, you can pretty much talk about anything. Joining a student club together or doing some volunteer work together are great choices. One of the most popular topic is MOVIES. Americans LOVE movies. Last but not least, Chinese culture itself can provide you more than your imagination. Just relax!

2.4.4 Why my language partner doesn’t reply my text message?

Because most Americans prefer calling. And they are not familiar with the Chinese texting system. So just call them when you need to. Relax, talking over telephone is harder than talking in person, just say:sorry, will you please speak more slowly?

2.5 Group Events

Everyone can join us in group events. Detail information will be send out by emails, like how to sign up, time and place to meet, what to bring, etc. Usually sign up by google docs. It’s easier to ﬁle. Group events usually includes Orientation, Group Trips, and Games on Campus.

7 2.5.1 Orientation

At the beginning of everysemester, we have orientation. Your job is to show the US students around the campus. The schedule will be sent to you right before orientation, because we have to arrange language tests and other stuff for the US students first. Here are some places that come to my mind: o³the medicine house bßèthe noodle house n-Ãthe dinning card center: where they get dinning cards ~—Pthe Baozi Place: one of their favorite zíŒ|the Yellow Table iŽ…Wumei Minimart: There is a table selling cell phone SIM cards. Zž…Boshi Market ·ŽPThe Gym ¡—-ÃQÜžl¤The Internet Office Ò0The Triangle Place: where they can join student clubs and associations '²the Memorial Hall: concerts, movies, shows Ê 0–a…Paradiso Cafe; the coffee house ”ÛS²: the Tracks ”Û8ó†the swimming pool RS†the Pingpong Stadium ®@the Post Office kfh/Þ:h¢h¹the Ticket Office f”èãîfúBike shop öw¹Spthe Print Shop * VWeiming (Unnamed) Lake þf†the Library ¯ƒfbthe Environment Dept. Building. Ð>: ATMs Make sure you know those places.

2.5.2 Group Trips

We have group trips to several cultural places in Beijing, like the Forbid- den City, Summer Palace, 798, Lama Temple, etc. Also we’ll visit some places for fun, like the Silk Market, CuanDiXia Village, YunMeng Mount., Huanghuacheng Great Wall, etc. Plan might be changed. Everytime sign-up according to the rules in the notiﬁcation email and reply accordingly. Don’t be late for anything. Pay attention to what the teachers have to say. AND OF COURSE STICK TO THE US STUDENTS.

8 These group trips are great opportunities for you guys to get along, make friends, and FIND LANGUAGE PARTNER on your own. Please do your own homework about these places. I really suggestwikipedia and our library! Read more books wouldn’t hurt. From my experience, many Chinese students do not know enough information about these places. What a pity! I am sure that after a little bit reading, you’ll ﬁnd lots of interesting stories and details behind these tour spots. Here is the article you can ﬁnd on wikipedia about the Summer Palace. This is just a start.

Summer Palace From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coor- dinates: 39°59251.003N 116°1628.043E For other uses, see Summer Palace (disambiguation). Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing* UNESCO World Heritage Site State Party China Type Cultural Criteria i, ii, iii Reference 880 Region** Asia-Pacific Inscription history Inscription 1998 (22nd Session) * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. The Summer Palace or Yihe yuan (traditional Chinese: $Œ; simplified Chinese: •Œí; pinyin: Yíhé Yuán; literally "Gardens of Nurtured Harmony") is a palace in Beijing, China. The Summer Palace is mainly domi- nated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water. The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometers was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. In its compact 70,000 square meters of building space, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures. The Summer Palace started out life as the Garden of Clear Ripples (traditional Chi- nese: *; simplified Chinese: *í; pinyin: Q+ngy+ Yuán) in 1750 (Reign Year 15 of Emperor Qianlong). Artisans repro- duced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. Kunming Lake was created by extending an existing body of water to imitate the West Lake in Hangzhou. The palace complex suffered two major attacks–during the Anglo-French allied inva- sion of 1860 (with the Old Summer Palace also ransacked at the same time), and during the Boxer Rebellion, in an attack by the eight allied powers in 1900. The garden survived and was rebuilt in 1886 and 1902. In 1888, it was given the current name, Yihe Yuan. It served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who diverted 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally desig-

9 nated for the Chinese navy (Beiyang Fleet), into the reconstruc- tion and enlargement of the Summer Palace. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park. Contents [hide] 1 Location 2 Longevity Hill 2.1 History 2.2 Buildings 3 Images 4 External links [edit]Location A panorama shot taken in winter View over Kunming Lake towards Yu Quan Hill with Yu Feng Pagoda. The Summer Palace is easily accessible from most parts of Beijing. Head north at Suzhou Bridge on the north-western 3rd Ring Road, north at Sihai Bridge on the north-western 4th Ring Road, or south at the northern 5th Ring Road at the Zhong- guancun/Beiqing Road exit. Public transportation also reaches the Summer Place. [edit]Longevity Hill [edit]History When the Jin Dynasty emperor Wányán Liàng moved his capital to the Beijing area, he had a Gold Mountain Palace built on the site of the hill. In the Yuan Dynasty, the hill was renamed from Gold Mountain to Jug Hill (Weng Shan). This name change is explained by a legend according to which a jar with a treasure inside was once found on the hill. The loss of the jar is said to have coincided with the fall of the Ming Dynasty as had been predicted by its finder. The Qianlong Em- peror of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), who commissioned work on the imperial gardens on the hill in 1749, gave Longevity Hill its present-day name in 1752, in celebration of his mother’s 60th birthday. The hill is about 60 meters (196.9 feet) high and houses many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich in the splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty [edit]Buildings On its southern slope, Longevity Hill is adorned with an ensemble of grand buildings: The Cloud-Dispelling Hall, the Temple of Buddhist Virtue, and the Sea of Wisdom Temple form a south-north (lakeside - peak) oriented axis which is flanked by various other buildings. In the center of the Temple of Buddhist Virtue stands the Tower of Bud- dhist Incense (Fo Xiang Ge), which forms the focal point for the buildings on the southern slope of Longevity Hill. The tower is

10 built on a 20-meter-tall stone base, is 41 meters high with three stories and supported by eight ironwood (lignumvitae) pillars.

2.5.3 On Campus Games 09’ Spring, we held an Amazing Race Peking University. It was a game played in teams including both US and Chinese students. We all ran around campus and play games. This kind of games will be held more often. Check out pictures here: Amazing Race PKU 09’ Pictures Here are the first clues handed out for the game, you can get a brief idea of what kind of game, and how fun it is! 1. Peking University students some times seek extreme physical chal- lenges. One of the most famous club is the mountain climbing club. They once conquered Mount. Everest. Go beyond the lake and find their rock. Your challenge waits there for you. 2. ï ,^8 you can name whatever can be named, but it might not be the true name This is from one of the Taoism Classics. Chinese culture is filled with dilemmas and paradoxes. Find the place on the island of the unnamed lake. Do the traditional Chinese sport. 3. LÊ‚, a Chinese idiom, meaning take it easy, dont care too much. It also features all the most famous spots on campus: the tower, L(T), the lakeÊ(V), and the library‚(þ). Find out how Chinese students spend their study life around the þ. You are becoming one of us. 4. May 4th, is national holiday for the youth, because in 1919, college students in China pulled out a democracy event that reformed China into a modern country. And as usual, Peking University was the main force for that. This is why we call a lot of places here ”Û. Go to the tracks under this name, team work! 5. Chinese food is Chinese Culture! Eating is the main way of Chinese people hanging out. Here around Peking University, you can experience food from lots of places in China. Some food is delicious, some , well is full of surprises. It is noon, right? Follow the direction of the sun, find out the food with flaming effect. 6. As you know, this campus used to be royal gardens. And one of them is called Lang Run Garden, it used to be the working office, when the Dragon Lady Cixi was having fun in the Summer Palace and still not letting go of her government. Find our guy, he/she will show you what to do.

11 2.5.4 Farewell Dinner Party After all the fun time we gonna have, at the end of every semester, there will be a farewell dinner party. There will be a theme and of course lots of performance and games. As a result, language partners will help US students brainstorm, prepare and work for the shows together.

2.5.5 Camping Sometimes we go camping together. This April we went to HuangHuaCheng Great Wall and camped on the Great Wall. It was really cold out there, but we had so much fun playing games, chatting and of course camping. The view was beautiful. Everyone had a great time.

2.5.6 Your Ideas Needed I know that you must have plenty ideas about group events. Please contact me. Bring me ideas. Contact me with this email: [email protected]

2.6 Comments from former language partners 2.6.1 Maria, Liu Yue I’ve only participated in this program for only a semester but now I feel deeply related to it. I gained much more than I put in. Its not only about a serious improvement of speaking and listening skills, but more importantly, the valuable friendship and all those memories that could benefit me afterwards. 9 months ago I barely had any chance to talk to English speaking people, not to mention to be friends with them. But now I have friends all over the United States, from New York to Hawaii. Not all of them are from this program, but truth is, once it opens the door for you, you get the chance to walk in and see a whole different world, with a bunch of friends there waiting for you. I met with James, Andrew and Jake from Boston College through the program last semester. We hung out and had fun together now and then. Honestly it was not easy at all to get to know them at first since I couldnt follow them and had trouble talking. I was stuttering. It was totally awkward. But things were getting better. The thing is, you just have to talk even they arent patient enough to listenbut they always are. We got along quite well. The day they departed I felt heartbroken. I thought

12 we could never meet again. But as it turned out, only three months later, we met again in Boston. It felt so unreal unless it was real. This semester I took part in the program again and met some new friends, among them a few cute Hispanic girls. Knowing that I was going to US, they did everything they could to help me prepare for my trip. Amanda helped me to pick out all the clothes I needed, and Cynthia even gave me her blazer. Back at home I have friends to ﬁgure things out for me, and across the Paciﬁc I have friends waiting for me. Isnt that wonderful? So if you are interested in cross-cultural communications, or if you simply want to improve your oral speaking skills, this program is more than enough. Just come and talk!

2.6.2 Ray Wang I appreciate this chance to communicate with American guys. They are so energetic and enthusiastic. My language partner is Peggy, she is so funny. We had a great time together, such as dinner, birthday party. Through this program, I knew more about the USA and their culture. As no doubt, my spoken English improved a lot, Peggy correct me patiently, I owe her a favor. I have to say, the games were so fantastic. Amazing race shocked me a lot. We running, searching and eating, Teamwork and taking risk strengthened unity.

2.7 Comments from our US students 2.7.1 Nathan Baker, Hampshire College I did the immersion track at the Beijing Program of Asian Studies for spring semester, 2007. This consisted of taking a number of Chinese language courses, which added up to about 5 hours a day. On top of this, the program gave me the opportunity to meet with language partners once or twice a week on my own time. I’ve never been so immersed and overwhelmed with something like I was during this program. It really forced me to learn the language in all aspects including speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The teachers were also excellent and challenging, making me more motivated to keep up with all of my work. By the end of the program, I was able to conﬁdently carry out interviews with local Beijingers for my senior thesis.

13 2.7.2 Jenny Purser, College of William and Mary

I had an absolute blast living in Beijing, and traveling throughout China with this program. My time there taught me more about the Chinese culture in three and a half months than I ever could have imagined. I made life-long friends not only with the students whom I traveled and lived with, but also with ’language partners’ that I met at Beijing University. I would love to go back, and I plan on doing so sometime in the near future. I get really excited when people express interest in going abroad in that region, and I have recommended the Beijing Program of Asian Studies to anyone interested in studying in China.

2.7.3 George Bayuga, Seattle University

The Immersion Program at the Beijing Institute of Asian Studies is the most accommodating Chinese Language program in which I have participated. I found that the workload was aptly suited to allow for free time in the city while also being rigorous enough to significantly improve my Chineseparticularly in the fields of reading and writing. In addition to a very small class size, the program also offered me one-on-one tutors and language partners at my own convenience. On the whole, I have found that my Chinese has improved at least three fold since arriving. At the beginning of the semester, I could barely write complete sentences in Chinese. Now, I am able to write formal essays. Though it must be understood that in the process of learning how to write, there is much self-motivation involved. I spent many hours practicing characters on my own and practicing dictation with my tutor. Nonetheless, with the combination of experienced Chi- nese teachers and many hours of practice, I am now preparing to participate in the Chinese proficiency exam. I have also found improvement in my spoken Chinese. Because I am a heritage speaker, I already had a basis for speaking Mandarin. The Im- mersion Program’s emphasis on having a comprehensive language class, however, expanded my vocabulary, range of grammatical expression, and listening comprehension. Moreover, because one’ progress in speaking is structured such that it runs parallel with one’s ability to write, I am now capable to speak in a more formal academic language. I would highly recommend this program to any serious student of Chinese.

14 3 Other Helps

3.1 Tour Guides Our program will host some forum and academic tours every now and then. Spring 09’, we cooperate with YASP to guide a tour from UPenn, most of which major in photography, visual art, architecture, etc. They had a great time here. These tour guides are paid a little bit. Well, we have a budget. But it is indeed a great opportunity for people who are better in oral English, Chinese history and art etc. We are looking for people who can work in our program long-term.

3.2 Photographer and Directors We were wondering to make our own DV ads and of course great photos wouldn’t hurt, either. Contact us if you are interested, or if you know some- one who is interested.

3.3 Student clubs and associations We are open to student clubs and associations in PKU, too. If you are heads in these clubs and associations, and you are interested in holding events with our students, feel free to contact us directly.

4 Places to go

Here are some information about places that most US students are interested in.

4.1 Dinning Places Besides those places on campus, following places are really good. Grandma’s Kitchen:This is one of US students’ favorite American Restau- rant. They have the best milk shake. Hot Pot with Free Beer:Well beer is the most attractive part :P Crow’s Nest: It’s near PKU. Pizza and everything American. Pyro Pizza: It’s a great pizza place, we had our welcome party here spring 09’. Others in the google listing here:Restaurants In Beijing Feel free to add some more.

15 4.2 Clubs and Bars Well there are tons of clubs and bars in the Sanlitun and Gongti area. And Houhai area, too. I recommand the following: Babyface, Mix, Coco Banana, Propaganda, 13 Club, D22, etc.