China: Language, Cultures, and Ethnic Minorities

Homestays

Student with her urban homestay father in Kunming

The China: Language, Cultures, and Ethnic Minorities program includes two different homestays, allowing students to experience daily Chinese life in both urban and rural settings. Other accommodations during the program include hostels, educational institutions, or small hotels.

Kunming Homestay
Students spend two weeks with families in urban Kunming, exchanging cultural information and insights and interests. Through this experience, students gain a far deeper understanding of China's increasingly complex and economically stratified society. When possible, students are placed in homes with families that share common professions and interests related to a student's Independent Study Project (ISP) topic. In many cases, the homestay family becomes an important contact for students as they explore the role of ethnic minority cultures for their ISP.

Student with his rural homestay father in Shaxi

Shaxi Rural Homestay
In the rural Bai nationality farming community of Shaxi, students experience a more traditional way of life. Students may help their host families with daily chores, including farming, milking, and producing goods to be sold at the local weekly market. Students gain firsthand knowledge of minority cultures and witness the profound changes occurring as a result of increased development and tourism.