30 Things to Love about the HNC

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s 30th Anniversary Celebration is just one week away! In honor of the 30th anniversary year, we have compiled a list of 30 things to love about the HNC.

1. HNC graduates become part of the 2600 HNC alumni network who occupy positions of responsibility in all areas of China’s global relations.
2. The HNC has intellectual freedom to discuss, debate and learn with Chinese peers and faculty.
3. HNC students form a dragon boat team and participate in the Nanjing dragon boat competition, a time honored tradition in China. This year the HNC team placed third in the final competition!

   

   2016 HNC Dragon Boat Team

4. Nanjing is less than a 2 hour train ride away from the international center of Shanghai.
5. HNC Students and faculty have access to the HNC’s uncensored library with over 120,000 volumes in Chinese and English.  

   

   Hopkins-Nanjing Center Library

6. Students get one-on-one attention from faculty members with small class sizes and weekly office hours.
7. HNC grads can be found at Apple, the U.S. Treasury, U.S. State Department, the U.S.-China Business Council and in jobs where China matters around the world which emphasizes China’s continued importance.
8. Students have free access to a 24/7 fitness room at the HNC in addition to discounted rates at all of Nanjing University’s facilities. 
9. HNC students have the opportunity to take multidisciplinary classes—from environmental law to game theory to anthropology.
10. There are opportunities to learn about Chinese culture through calligraphy, Tai Qi and Erhu classes.
11. Every year HNC students form a student band (or two) and perform at HNC events throughout the year.
12. The HNC has modern facilities including heating and dryers—a rarity in southern China.
13. Double the holidays! The HNC celebrates Chinese and American holidays like the Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
14. HNC students (and professors!) hang out and chat at the HNC’s student-run coffee shop.
15. The HNC career treks bring students to organizations in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing to hear firsthand from professionals in the field. 

    

    2016 Beijing Trek
16. The HNC hosts talks from leaders in the field. The HNC has welcomed Former US Sectary of State, Henry Kissinger, Former US President George Bush and former US Ambassador to China, John Huntsman Jr.—just to name a few.
17. The bilingual environment extends outside of the classroom. International and Chinese students live together as roommates in the student dorms.
18. The HNC students participate in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. In 2012 and 2016, the HNC team placed in the finals in DC—an extraordinary result for a small institution with no law school.

    

    HNC 2016 Moot Court team at the Jessup International Law Moot Court finals

19. Faculty members take students outside of the classroom on field trips to international organizations, power plants, rural villages and court rooms.
20. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center makes every effort to support students with funding their education. 100% of students who apply for financial aid by the application deadline of February 1st receive a fellowship.
21. There are endless activities to take part in: board games in the lounge, movie showings, student interest groups that range from philosophy to basketball.
22. Students, faculty and staff show off their skills in ping pong, badminton and billiards tournaments.
23. A full-time Career Services Officer invites organizations to the HNC, holds skills workshops and provides assistance with internship and job searches. 
24. HNC students give back to the Nanjing community by volunteering as student teachers at local schools. 
25.  The HNC is a multicultural community with about 15% of students coming from countries other than the US and China. This year we have students from South Korea, Israel, Jamaica, Peru and Russia—just to name a few.
26. Students use holiday and summer breaks to travel all around China and Asia. Students’ self-travel have taken them to places like Japan, Cambodia, Sichuan, Huangshan and Guangdong.
27. The HNC is located in the heart of Nanjing and yet close to Xuanwu Park and Purple Mountain.
28. The HNC curriculum reflects current issues facing China’s global impact and US-China relations. Courses range from China’s Development and Environment to the Politics of Rural China.

    

29. MAIS students research, write and orally defend theses all in Chinese. Past topics have included the Role of the Maritime Militia and the Challenges of Building a Child Protection System in China.
30. The HNC was founded just after the US and China formalized relations. With 30 years of history, the HNC continues its longstanding commitment to US-China relations.