Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

On June 12, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) held its 34th Commencement Ceremony to celebrate the hard work and resilience of the Class of 2020. Though we have been honored to host many graduations over the past three decades, this year was our first virtual ceremony, emerging from the social and travel restrictions in place as a result of the current global COVID-19 pandemic. It was an immense honor to have two recent HNC graduates , Andrew Meador (HNC '18) and Wang Qilong (HNC '17)  share their experiences and encouragement with graduating students as commencement speakers; b oth of whom served on the frontlines of the pandemic in New York City and Wuhan, respectively. Despite this being uncharted territory, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center community, spread far and wide across the globe, came together to host a celebratory and meaningful virtual graduation ceremony. B elow are a few highlights: Commencement Speakers Andrew Meador (HNC '18) , Special Operations Forc...

Name:  Amanda Walencewicz (HNC '20) Program:  Certificate in Chinese and American Studies Hometown:   St. Clair Shores, MI, USA Undergraduate Institution and Major:  Tufts University '17 - BA International Literary and Visual Studies; Chinese How did you become interested in China? Have you had any prior experiences here? I was interested in China from an early age, which came from things like calligraphy and traditional architecture and Disney's Mulan, these touchstones that represent Chinese culture to the average American. From the vantage point of suburban Detroit, it seemed like this radically different and kind of unknowable place. So when I was offered the chance to take Chinese in high school it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, that would finally allow me to dig a little deeper into this culture. I made my first trip to China after my first year of studying the language, and it was sort  of bewildering. There's nothing in Chinese clas...

Student blogger Brandy Darling (HNC Certificate '20 + SAIS MA '21) reflects on her nature-filled winter break trip to Thailand in light of Earth Day 2020.  Earth Day 2020. The 50th year anniversary of a new environmental revolution. People all around the world participate in a movement to create a healthier and cleaner world. In 2012, more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions. I enjoy being in nature, and being in a big city makes me crave alone time in a scenic place. Even though there are a great number of big cities in China, there are many scenic destinations across the country, such as the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the beautiful beach of Yalong Bay in Hainan, and even the parks on Chongming Island near Shanghai. Holidays and weekends at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center are great times to explore nearby Chinese cities and towns.  F or this past Winter Break, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to travel to another Asian country: T...

Name: Morgan Brown (HNC '20) Program: Master of Arts International Studies, China Studies concentration Hometown: Phoenix, AZ Undergraduate Institution and Major:  University of Colorado Boulder; Chinese Language and Literature, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology How did you become interested in China? Have you had any prior experiences here? I happened to stumble upon China during my Sophomore year of high school when I saw a poster advertising an exchange program with a sister school in Chengdu. They needed more people to host students who were visiting from China for 10 days and I volunteered to help. We then had the opportunity to reverse exchange, traveling to Chengdu for 10 days on a scholarship provided by my school to stay with the same people who we had hosted. Traveling to China for the first time was an amazing experience, and completely changed my life. My host family tried to give me the real China experience and I was blown away by the food, culture, sense of...

COVID-19 has impacted students all around the world. Cady Deck, HNC Certificate '19 + SAIS MA '20, interviewed current HNC students about adjusting to online classes and stay-at-home orders.  Contributors Joe (HNC Certificate to MAIS): Guizhou, China Dwight (2nd year MAIS): Nanjing, China Morgan (2nd year MAIS): Washington, DC Randall (HNC Certificate + SAIS MA, China Studies): South Carolina Alex (HNC Certificate + SAIS MA, International Development): Washington, DC Ryan (HNC Certificate + SAIS MA, China Studies): Washington, DC Empty Metro station in Washington, DC. How is the adjustment to online classes going? Morgan: The adjustment to online classes hasn't been too bad. Luckily, I took nearly all of my classes at the HNC during my first 3 semesters. This semester I am only taking one class so I can focus on writing my thesis. The class I’m taking, 全球环境基础 (Global Environmental Fundamentals), has been as good as can be expected! Professor 张海...

You've seen our "HNC Word of the Week" series on Instagram , now see these words used in a sentence!  This vocabulary list provided by current Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) students includes frequently used terms and definitions in courses at the HNC. To add to your understanding, our students have also included a brief sentence for each term. Stay tuned for more HNC course vocabulary lists! 改革开放 gǎigékāifàng to reform and open to the outside world; Refers to China's economic reforms initiated in the late 1970's by Deng Xiaoping 改革开放 以后, 中国的 经济经历了快速的发展 。 和平崛起 hépíng juéqǐ peaceful rise; refers to the theory proposed in 2003 by advisers of President Hu Jintao that China's rise to political and economic prominence will be peaceful--unlike that of ascending world powers in the past 为避免发生像过去那样的大国冲突, 胡锦涛主席指 出 和平崛起 道路。 软实力 ruǎnshílì soft power ...

Student blogger Will Putzier (Certificate '20 + Johns Hopkin SAIS MA '21) shares pictures and experiences of his travels throughout India during the HNC Winter Break over the Chinese New Year holiday. I was fortunate enough to travel to India with an American friend before the spread of the virus accelerated outside of China. As another massive country undergoing tremendous change, it was a thrilling and eye-opening trip. Our travels were broadly split between the north (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) and the south (Kochi, Munnar, Goa, Mumbai). India’s cultural and natural diversity was astonishing. I was captivated by the Mughal architecture of northern India. Humayun’s Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, and the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah were some of my favorites. The Taj Mahal is rare among world famous sites in that it still manages to exceed expectations. The grandeur of the mausoleum was moving. Besides the sights, I loved the food and watching people on the streets. Dawn at Humayun...