This past summer in China, TBC connected students from Notre Dame School of Manhattan and Xavier High School with some of Beijing’s local elementary students. The young children were shy at first, but they eventually loved interacting with their new American friends. The children come from families who work in various farming regions in distant provinces throughout China, and they were sent to study in Beijing for better opportunities. The American students were touched to hear each child’s story.
For the most part, the children had previously never had the chance to interact with foreigners so closely, let alone some big kids from America. To them, America was an unfamiliar place on the other side of the world, having much different types of people and values from China. Despite such unfamiliarity, the children got along with the American students very well. They loved hearing stories about what daily life is like for an American high school student, and they got to understand how similar life really is in a city like Beijing versus a city like New York.
The American students got to hear presentations from the children as well, who showed off their developing skills in speaking English. Given praise, helpful advice, and encouragement, the children felt less shy talking to the students and felt a safe environment in which to make mistakes and learn. Questions for the Americans and elementary-level conversations started rolling in. The American high schoolers also got to ask a lot of questions and gave the children opportunities to teach them things, too.
With commitment to upholding Jesuit values, students focused on helping the children with arts and crafts, answering questions about life back home, and making them feel loved and respected in various ways. Despite a language barrier, students and children still bonded over jokes and popular internet memes. Even the youngest children, who knew extremely little English, opened up and showed their bond by roughhousing and drawing funny pictures for the Americans. Some children enjoyed the company of students so much; they asked for multiple pictures with them to preserve and cherish all the memories they made together.
When it sadly came time for students to say goodbye, it was even more sad for the children. Many asked when they would next see the Americans. The bittersweet departing truly showed how much the students served as good friends and role models for the children, and from then on, America and Americans did not seem so different and unfamiliar after all.
This past summer at The Beijing Center (TBC), students from Marquette University took TBC’s Chinese language courses for college credit. TBC’s program offers an intensive, immersive curriculum in the heart of Beijing.
This past summer in China, TBC connected students from Notre Dame School of Manhattan and Xavier High School with some of Beijing’s local elementary students. The young children were shy at first, but they eventually loved interacting with their new American friends.
This past summer, The Beijing Center (TBC) accompanied Loyola Blakefield High School, Boston College High School, Xavier High School, and Notre Dame High School to tour multiple famous attractions in China, including Beijing’s Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and Great Wall.
In the summer of 2026, The Beijing Center (TBC) hosted Loyola Blakefield High School, Boston College High School, Xavier High School, and Notre Dame High School for visits to renowned attractions and immersive experiences in Chinese daily life.