Harvard moves Chinese language programme from Beijing to Taipei
- Course to be based at National Taiwan University, replacing a partnership with Beijing Language and Culture University
- Covid-19 restrictions had forced the course to be suspended, with its director also citing a perceived lack of friendliness from the host institution
Harvard is moving its Chinese language programme from Beijing to Taipei next year, its organiser said.
Jennifer Liu, director of the Harvard Beijing Academy summer study abroad programme, told student newspaper The Harvard Crimson that the decision was made because of a perceived lack of friendliness from the host institution, Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU).
Liu said the programme faced greater difficulty getting access to the classrooms and dormitories it needed, compromising the quality it hoped to offer students.
And in 2019, the programme was notified that it could no longer hold celebrations on July 4, American Independence Day. It previously held a small party at which students would eat pizza and sing the US national anthem.
There had been worries that a subtle shift in the Chinese government’s attitudes toward US institutions was behind the unwelcoming environment, Liu said.