Why come to study in Beijing?

Looking down at Beijing from the clouds over the past 2000 years would have presented a remarkable sight. One would witness imperial palaces and fortresses engaged in an endless cycle of construction and destruction. From the 15th to the late 17th century, one would be looking down upon the largest city in the world, with its nation's empire reaching over the entire eastern globe and even sending emissaries across the Pacific to the Americas. Conquering armies would breach the city walls, first on horseback and later in tanks, only to be repelled, sometimes hundreds of years later, by liberating armies waving flags of yellow, purple, black and eventually a bright red. Looking slightly north, one would see a wall of stone slowly grow and expand like a two-headed snake over the mountain ridges, ever widening until it extended beyond the eastern and western horizons.

As these visions fade into memory, the palaces are replaced by skyscrapers, dotting the Beijing ladscape. City walls that repelled invaders for millennia have been demolished to make room for highways. Millions of bicycles have been substituted by taxi cabs, scooters, air-conditioned double-decker buses and subway lines. Meanwhile, businessmen have exchanged their government-issued garb for sharp suits, ties and matching briefcases as they enter corporate office buildings over seventy stories high.

Beijing is big; in its politics, its population, its acreage, its projects, and its reach. It is the great city of Cambuluc, written about by Marco Polo, located along the upper tip of the North China Plain. From Beijing, dynasties have ruled over nations thousands of miles away in every direction. To live and study in Beijing is to understand a culture and society whose history extends back into ancient times, flourishing a millennium before Hannibal sacked Rome, Charlemagne united France, or Jesus preached to crowds in the streets of Jerusalem. To comprehend Beijing is to witness 1.3 billion people on the cusp of international power, welcoming change with open arms while still cognizant of their illustrious past. To study Mandarin in Beijing is to study Chinese in the true home of the language that unites a billion people.

Beijingers will tell you that the city’s true greatness still lies ahead - hope floats high in this city, even higher than the much publicized smog. Only in Beijing can one ride a high-speed subway overlooking an imperial palace, party in a world-class night club housed in a 17th century traditional Chinese courtyard, or eat a gourmet dinner of Peking roasted duck fit for an emperor, followed by lamb skewers grilled over an open charcoal pit on the sidewalk. Beijing is a city where history meets modernity. Students and travelers lucky enough to make the journey to Beijing will experience another milestone in a civilization’s great history.

On top of all this, the capital is a fantastic plane to learn the Chinese language, since local Beijigers are renowned for speaking the most standardized and 'pure' style of Mandarin Chinese. If you learn Mandarin in Beijing you'll come away with the familiar Beijing accent which will be admired by Chinese speakers everywhere.

Beijing also houses China’s most prestigious universities, all located to the Northwest of the city in the Haidian educational district. Thanks to its grand history, world-renowned schools, exciting development and vast cultural heritage, China's capital city remains our most popular destination - study in Beijing and find out why!

Our two cents...

China’s capital city perfectly combines China’s past, present and future. It is a sprawling cosmopolitan urban metropolis that has, over the past few years, developed at a rate unparalleled across the globe, especially since the Olympic Games in 2008. In amongst this modern explosion Beijing is still home to some of China’s most famous cultural and historical landmarks such as the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Beijing is the cultural and political center of China. Located to the north of the country, the weather can be extreme: winters are typified by bitter cold coupled with bright blue skies and summers can be swelteringly hot, but don’t let that dissuade you from studying in Bejing - it's a a fantastic place to live. Home to the famous Peking Duck, Beijing’s standard of international cuisine is also excellent (you’ll be amazed at the quality of burgers, steaks and pasta you can find), and for pure language learning the city is second to none. All the locals speak Mandarin Chinese and there are none of the local dialects that can sometimes cause confusion in other cities. This coupled with Beijing being home to some of China’s premier universities, means that Beijing is our most popular destination for students.

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