Beijing 2008 Olympic Tour

Experience Chinese Culture and the Olympic Games in Beijing
August 2008

The London Confucius Institute will organise a three week study tour in Beijing during August 2008. The tour combines the study of Chinese with experience of Chinese culture and the first Olympic Games in China. The tour is open to all, but special consideration will be given to those studying Chinese at SOAS.

Programme

The tour programme is designed for people who want to learn or improve their Chinese and experience Chinese culture while visiting Beijing as it hosts the first Olympic Games in China. The programme consists of Chinese language classes at various levels based upon informal assessments at the start of the programme, activities related to Chinese life and culture, and entrance tickets to a couple of Olympic events.

Partner institution

Cost

Fees for the three week programme are £950.00 GBP. This includes accommodation, food, inner city travel, Chinese lessons, cultural activities, visa fees, and airport pickup but excludes international air travel, and entry tickets for the Olympic Games. Registered participants must buy their own air ticket to China. Participants must also pay for any additional accommodation beyond the duration of the programme (from the night of 29th July to the night of 18th August, 21 nights in total).

Registration and payment

Registration is on a first come first serve basis. The deadline for registration is Friday 14 December 2007. Interested participants should fill in the registration form below and return it to the London Confucius Institute together with a deposit of £200 GBP (make cheques payable to SOAS). In case of cancellation, the deposit can be refunded if cancellations are received by Friday 28 March 2008.

LCI can assist registered participants to obtain a visa. If you wish us to help with your visa application, send your passport, completed visa application form, and full payment to us by registered mail between Monday 23rd and Friday 27th June 2008. LCI will be responsible for applying for entry visas from the Chinese Embassy. Passports and visas will be returned to participants within a week by registered mail. If your visa application is unsuccessful, you will be refunded in full less the service and visa application fees of £40 GBP.

The number of participants is limited to 80 so early application is encouraged to guarantee a place.

Teaching objectives

• To familiarise students with Chinese culture, history and events through visiting historical sites and watching the Olympic games
• To enhance students’ Chinese learning through practising simple daily dialogues, exercising Taiji, learning Chinese songs and calligraphy

Organising principles

• Combining class teaching with cultural experience
• Combining traditional Chinese culture with language teaching
• Combining Chinese history and culture with the experience of modern Chinese civilisation

Party

• Taiji performance by overseas students
• Chinese zither performance by Chinese students
• Performance by Chinese and overseas students

Mandarin language classes

• Speaking
• Listening comprehension
• Reading comprehension
• Comprehensive language skills of Mandarin
• Class size: 15-20 students per class

Accommodation

International Communication Centre, North China Power Electric University, Zhu Xin Zhuang, Deshengmenwai, Beijing, PRC

Website: http://www.ncepu.edu.cn/
Fax: 0086-10-51976111
Tel: 0086-10-51976000

How to get there

... Pop-up map

Airport pick-ups will be available free of charge between 27th and 29th July 2008.