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. The program spans the duration of either 4 or 8 weeks, accrediting students with either 3 or 6 college credits in Chinese language. Aside from the bureaucratic logistics of receiving college credit, this program truly provides a huge leap in Chinese fluency and understanding of Chinese culture for students who wish to take it, due to its highly immersive environment and very competitive staff to student ratio. Our student this summer, Addyson, said: “I never thought I would improve so much in speaking Chinese in such a short time span. I took Chinese for so many years [back in the States], yet what I learned then does not even compare to what I’ve learned now.”
Addyson was forced into a linguistically immersive environment in the busy metropolitan area while taking classes in the morning from 9:30-12:15, 7 days per week. For the days that there was no morning class, supplementary cultural experiences were provided, including tours to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, and much more. Three hours of intensive Chinese language learning were still provided later in the day. Under this schedule, Addyson had plenty of time to experience Beijing’s traditional and modern culture while also sharpening her skills in Chinese.
Under the program, Addyson had lots of free time to experience what daily life is like for a local Beijinger. As she is a student in Milwaukee, she stated that she felt safe everywhere in Beijing, and that daily life feels a lot more secure and protected than back home. She could walk alone anywhere at midnight. She was fascinated by the mix between traditional culture at places like the Great Wall and Forbidden City, as well as incredibly modern culture, infrastructure, and everyday convenience. “Doordashers will be 45 minutes away on a bicycle and still not arrive within an hour. But when I order on Meituan, the food arrives almost instantly.”
Addyson described her experience in Beijing as one of her favorites of all time, and she will always cherish her memories of being in China. She plans on returning to China whenever she can, and she “will never take this experience for granted.” TBC was lucky to have Addyson as a student as well, and we are delighted to hear about her positive experience.
TBC loaned three rare books to The Great Confucius exhibition at the Beijing Confucian Temple and Imperial College Museum, showcasing the spread of Confucian thought in Europe and centuries of cultural exchange.
On September 21, 2026, TBC contributed 29 rare books and maps from its collection to the Sino-French Cultural Heritage Exhibition at the Beijing Administration Institute.
TBC participated in the 2026 INCLUSION Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, where Executive Director Dr. Simon Koo joined discussions on AI, human-centric values, and the implications of technological innovation for society.
TBC joined the 2026 AJCU-AP Annual Meeting in Solo, Indonesia to exchange perspectives on AI, Jesuit higher education, and regional collaboration.