Student Life

We foster a vibrant student life by encouraging interaction between students, roommates, faculty, and the community at large. Opportunities include the following:

Traveling Seminar

Each semester Middlebury in Beijing takes students on a week-long traveling seminar. Locations and curricular goals can vary from semester to semester. Regardless of location or topics studied, however, this is an opportunity to get outside of the classroom, and outside of Beijing, to expand upon what has been learned to this point in the semester and engage with China and its culture in a variety of contexts. 

Roommate-Led Activities

Chinese roommates are not only an integral part of a student’s everyday life, but an integral part of the program as a whole. Roommate-led activities in the past:

• Making dumplings
• Learning “Chinese poker”
• Majiang
• Learning to play the Erhu
• Carving stone seals

Chinese Table

Middlebury in Beijing organizes a weekly Chinese Table where students have the opportunity to casually converse with teachers and learn important food culture and vocabulary, all while enjoying a delicious local meal provided by the program.

Cultural Reimbursements

The Cultural Reimbursement Program is designed to encourage students to get out and explore the city independently or with their Chinese roommates. Every student is granted a limited amount of weekly funding to use towards culturally-focused activities.

Local Excursions

The program staff organizes weekly activities which are designed to showcase the gems of Beijing and different facets of Chinese culture. Activities outside of the classroom push students’ understanding of contemporary China and complement their coursework. Some previous excursions:

• Local art gallery visit
• Walking tours of Beijing
• Meeting with a local journalist
• A badminton tournament on campus
• Chinese cooking class

Extracurricular Classes

Extracurricular classes are offered each semester depending on student interest and availability. These classes typically meet once a week and are designed to offer students cultural knowledge in a more relaxed, casual setting. Previous extracurricular classes:

• Chinese tea ceremony
• Calligraphy
• Traditional Chinese painting
• Chinese Opera face painting

Capital Normal University Student Clubs and Campus Life

Students are encouraged to participate in campus life and foster relationships with Chinese classmates. Below is a list of active clubs at Beijing’s Capital Normal University which students are eligible to join: