Spend the Summer Studying in China with Choate!
Location
China: Beijing
Description
Study in China and improve your language skills while immersing yourself in an amazing culture. You will have a month to study spoken and written Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute where classes are taught by experienced, native speakers. You will also have the chance to explore China as we visit their spectacular destinations.
Each student will live in a dormitory community for two weeks and stay with a Chinese host family for two weeks, while attending classes four hours each week day. Afternoons are devoted to a variety of activities, such as calligraphy, painting, and dancing. Students who study in China also have an opportunity to attend selected cultural events, such as the Beijing opera.
Our program starts with a one-night orientation session on the Choate campus. The group is then transferred to JFK airport and arrives in Beijing the next day. During the academic portion of the study in China program, students travel on weekend excursions, exploring China and its culture. Typical weekend excursions include:
* Weekend 1 - Great Wall and Ming Tomb; shopping in Silk Alley
* Weekend 2 - Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven
* Weekend 3 - Forbidden City, Palace Museum, Beijing Opera and Laoshe Tea House
The group then enjoys a final 8-day excursion through China:
* Day 1 - Xi'an: first Emperor of China's 6000 life-size terra cotta warriors; Huaqing Hotspring; Banpo, a 6000-year old archaeological site located in the Yellow River Valley
* Day 2 - Travel to Suzhou: visit the Huqiu (Tiger Hill); Shizilin (Lion Grove Garden, the summer home of I. M. Pei family); Liuyuan (Lingering Garden)
* Day 3 - Travel to Zhouzhuang; see well preserved village of Ming Dynasty and Ming Architecture
* Day 4 - Hangzhou: boat ride around the West Lake, see enchanting Three Pool Mirroring the Moon and Lesser Yingzhou Isle; view Fish at Flowers Harbor; walk along Suti Causeway
* Day 5 - Hangzhou: tour the Lingyin (Soul Retreat) Temple, one of China's most famous Buddhist monasteries, and Tomb of Yue Fei; romantic taste of Longjing Tea in Meiwu
* Day 6 - Travel to Shanghai: a tour of the city; visit to the Pudong district; Nanpu Bridge; cruise on the Huangpu River
* Day 7 - Shanghai: tour the Yu Garden; the Jade Buddha Temple: the Shanghai Bund; the Children's Palace (China's Gifted and Talented Program)
* Day 8 - Departure for JFK airport, where program ends
Highlights
For more than 30 years, Choate has offered a variety of international study opportunities in the summer to motivated high school students entering 10-12. The China Program accepts high school students of all levels, including those who would like to begin the study of the language.
Academic Credit: A written report will be sent to the student's school upon request and is always sent to parents. Strong language students have the opportunity to accelerate as much as a year in language as determined by their degree of improvement.