Semester in Beijing: Chinese Language
Host Country & City
Everything about China is big. Its population, 1.3 billion, is the largest in the world. Its area 3,705,405 square miles (9,596,960 square kilometers) is the fourth largest, after Russia, Canada, and the US, while it also has the world's largest labor force, with 803,300,000 workers.
China has one of the world's oldest people and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. It has the world's longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of such major inventions like paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. Historically China's cultural sphere has been very influential in East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing system being adapted, to varying degrees, by its neighbors Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It is a multi-religious country where Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism co-exist, with the first three being more widespread.
The People's Republic of China is a unified, multinational country, comprising 56 nationalities. The Han people make up 91.02 percent of the total population, leaving 8.98 percent for the other 55 ethnic minorities.
Undoubtedly, as China grows and develops it will become more and more influential, while with its human resources and development rate it will soon became one of the dominant players on the world scene. By becoming acquainted with the Chinese language and culture you will be a step ahead in embracing the forces that will be shaping the future.
Beijing
Beijing is China's capital and second largest city, after Shanghai. It is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the country, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Before 1949, the city was known as Peking in the Western world, while after that the city's name returned to Beijing.
It is believed that Beijing was the largest city in the world from 1425 to 1650 and from 1710 to 1825. Now it is the 17th largest city in the world with a population of about 17 million.
Most Beijing residents belong to the Han Chinese majority. Other ethnic minorities include the Manchu, Hui, and Mongol. A sizeable international community exists in Beijing, mostly attracted by the fast-growing foreign business and trade sector. Many foreigners live in the densely populated northern and eastern sections.
Overall, Beijing is a remarkable city to study abroad in and will give you insight into China's past, present, and future. You will witness thousands of years of art, culture, and history that are rooted in Beijing's long-standing place at the center of Chinese society. At the same time, Beijing is the political and cultural hub of present-day China and, as such, is setting the pace of China's current modernization, development, and growth.
