One of the most interesting books TBC has in historical collection the original Latin edition of Historia Tartaro-Sinica nova, written by the Belgian Jesuit Francois de Rougemont, and is his eyewitness narrative of the Ming-Qing Transition. That includes the Manchu campaigns against Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) and the foreign missionary activities in China in the mid-17th century.
On December 8th, Anderson Pedroso, President of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and esteemed member of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU), embarked on his first visit to China. On the 29th of the same month, President Pedroso had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, where the Pope commended PUC-Rio for its contributions to human and social development through its robust educational and research initiatives.
One of the many perks of living in China as an American is the price of day-to-day living. At my home university, Seattle University, I may have to spend $10-$15 for a single meal, I can expect to pay $1 to $2.50 per meal at one of UIBE’s four canteens. Most frequently, I eat at the International Plaza canteen which is conveniently situated in the basement of the dorm building where all TBC students live. Another one I frequent is the halal canteen which is not too far away from my dorm building and has two floors. Occasionally I will go to the first canteen which has four floors and the second canteen. All canteens at UIBE have a variety of foods to eat and choose from so that I never get sick of eating the same thing every day.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the only Jesuit institution in mainland China, The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies (TBC) gathered friends and alumni on the evening of 28 November to cherish the sweet memories of the past and look forward to the bright future.
On December 1st, The Beijing Center (TBC) participated in the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific region’s Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) International Liaison Officers, hosted by Sophia University in Japan. Representatives from various AJCU schools, such as the University of Hong Kong, Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, and Sogang University in South Korea, convened to address and forge solutions to issues identified during the AJCU Leadership Meeting earlier in August in the Philippines.
Earlier in TBC’s blog series, we introduced the missionary-produced atlases of China, shedding light on their geographical contributions. If you’re intrigued, feel free to explore it here. However, the missionaries influence went beyond mapping terrain that they also played a crucial role in documenting significant historical events. Join us as we uncover their accounts, revealing a narrative that goes beyond maps and extends into the rich tapestry of China’s history.
Before arriving in China, many of my close Chinese friends and neighbors would tell me tips and tricks on navigating the markets as if they were treacherous roads. At that time, I didn’t take it too seriously. I already had some sense of what night markets are like from previous experiences in Asian countries, so I was confident I knew how it worked. I had no idea how vital those tips would be on the Silk Road Excursion this semester.
TBC Student Nabeeha Misbah introduces a student project made as a final for her TBC1100 course, Silk Road Excursion: a way for students to more deeply contextualize their experience after two weeks of travel westward from Beijing at the beginning of the semester.
Bishop Stephen Chow S.J. of Hong Kong was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis during a ceremony at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on September 30, 2023. Dr. Simon Koo, the Executive Director of The Beijing Center, was invited to Vatican City to celebrate Cardinal Chow’s elevation.
Following the insightful discussions at the 2023 CHINA Town Hall event in Beijing on October 12, the Kunming Liya Center, a satellite site of The Beijing Center (TBC) and a partner venue of the 2023 CHINA Town Hall, organized an in-person discussion on October 20. The participants from the U.S., France, and the U.K. represented various fields, including medicine, business, self-media, and public welfare. After watching the interview with the U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, TBC’s Executive Director, Simon Koo, led the discussion on the theme of “What Changes Are Needed to Adapt to Life and Work in Kunming after the Pandemic.”