China: Chinese Culture and Ethnic Minorities
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Explore China's extraordinary cultural diversity in Yunnan Province, one of the world's most anthropologically and ecologically diverse locations.
Based in Kunming (Yunnan Province), this program examines the social, historical, and cultural factors shaping and sustaining China’s minority communities. Topics of study include:
- Traditional Chinese cultures and beliefs
- The growing gap between urban and rural life in China
- The impact of tourism on minority cultures
Students learn from leaders at academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations such as Yunnan Nationalities University, The Nature Conservancy, Save the Children (UK), Yunnan Eco-Network, and the Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge (CBIK).
Yunnan Province serves as a hub of NGO activity in China allowing students to closely examine the evolution and modes of operation by which these organizations must work with the government in order to accomplish their objectives.
Intensive Mandarin Instruction
Students can rapidly advance their Mandarin through the program's intensive language component, which yields six academic credits. Interested students may also select to undertake an additional 60 hours of intensive Chinese in lieu of the traditional independent study project, granting them a total of ten language credits.
Excursions to Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, and Beijing
Program excursions bring students into close engagement with local scholars, medical, and development professionals, as well as Daoist, Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian religious leaders. Learn more about the program’s excursions.
Living with host families—through the program’s two homestays—allows students to experience daily Chinese life in urban and rural settings.
Students discover China's rich multicultural history and gain broadened perspectives on the major issues and challenges confronting China today.
| Yunnan: The Cradle of Cultural Diversity The China: Chinese Culture and Ethnic Minorities program is based in southwest China's Yunnan Province, known for its exceptional cultural diversity and impressive natural beauty. Home to 25 of China's 55 officially recognized minority groups, the region's complexity challenges what many erroneously believe to be a monolithic culture. Sharing its border with Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar, Yunnan Province provides a rare glimpse into southwestern China, where South, Southeast, and East Asian cultures uniquely intersect. Yunnan's diverse topography ranges from snow-capped mountain ranges to semi-tropical rainforests and boasts more than 18,000 plant species. The region is home to an outstanding array of animals, including the Asian elephant and the protected Yunnan golden monkey. Within this diversity, ethnic minorities, cultural organizations, government officials, and nongovernmental organizations work to maintain the culture and identity of many of China's most ancient and prominent minority nationalities. |
Duration: Fall/Spring, 15 weeks
Program Base: Kunming
Language Study: Mandarin
Prerequisites: None
Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3296
Mailing Address:
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA