Winter Immersion in China offers a program of intensive study in Chinese Language plus a range of cultural arts classes such as Chinese instrumental music, calligraphy, acrobatics, kungfu, tea appreciation and chess. Designed as a mixed field-study group for college students and young professionals (17-35 yrs) based in Zhengzhou City, Henan this program will be hosted by associates of Huayun US-China Culture Exchange in partnership with AiCenter, Inc. Participants will be housed in home-stay arrangements with local families in the city and truly experience the everyday life of northern Chinese in the plains area.
STUDY PROGRAM
Students will attend daily lessons (4x a week) in Mandarin Chinese and twice a week in a range of music and cultural arts subjects. In addition, language partner sessions and planned activities with local Chinese (e.g. cooking, shopping, visiting with elders, trip to the post office, etc.) will immerse students in the rhythm of everyday life and culture in China. Weekly demo-workshops by experts will expose students to a diversity of fields at a professional level including performance and visual arts, taichi, sports, traditional games and crafts.
TOURS & SIGHTSEEING
Wrapping around the Yellow River, guided tours to historical sites include the famous Shaolin Monastery in Songshan, ancient preserves of Luoyang and the Song Dynasty relics of Kaifeng. In addition, the prosperous city of Zhengzhou itself offers cultural and arts attractions representing both the old and new urban China of the great plains. At term-end, a tour of the Capital City of Beijing will feature visits to the Great Wall, Tiananmen & the Forbidden City as well as a walkabout in Old Beijing District.
PROGRAM CULMINATION
Working with Chinese teachers & langugage partners, students will produce speeches in Chinese and their own performance program and exhibition of their work as a summary culmination to their program. A proficiency certificate test in Chinese language will be conducted as a course-end requirement modeled after the HSK exam.
COST & REQUIREMENTS
Fee: $2480.00 (includes tuition, meals, accommodation and road travel) Additional round-trip airfare NYC-China: Estimated $1000. Other cost: $130 for visa application fee; $300 spending money for Beijing.NOTE: Online Online applicants may receive refund or need pay balance depending on actual airfare and visa fees.
Application (with Waiver & Consent) required. Deadline: Nov 30th 2009.