Georgetown and China
乔治敦大学与中国

Forty-four Georgetown students attended the Winter Break in China program from December 28th, 2009 through January 10th, 2010. The trip included cultural excursions, visits to Chinese homes, and language classes spanning across three cities: Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai. Will Vogt (SFS 2012) submitted this photo from one of the Chinese calligraphy classes students could attend at Nanjing University. Other photos may be viewed in the slideshow below. Please go here to view a translated news article about the trip.

Winter Break in China

Georgetown undergraduates interested in studying in China can choose from ten different programs offered by the Office of International Programs. Class of 2010 students Isabella Bennett, Erin Boo, Christina Belsito, and Devin Corrigan (from left to right) recently spent a semester at Peking University. Overall, 88 Georgetown undergraduates studied abroad in China in 2008. For more information on study abroad in China at Georgetown, go to the Division of Overseas Studies.

Georgetown medical students have the opportunity to spend one month working in Shanghai at Huashan Hospital, on the campus of Fudan University Medical School. Students Ryan Nagoette (left), Liwu Chen (center), and George Chaucer Hwang (right) recently participated in this program, carrying out rotations in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ophthalmology, Anesthesia and general surgery. The students are pictured standing in front of the Chinese "Oath of a Medical Student." There are International Programs for Medical Students in over 20 countries across 5 continents.

In July 2008, Nick Miller (SFS ’10) participated in the 7th Annual Chinese Bridge Chinese Language Competition for Foreign College Students in Changsha, China. The contest, which was nationally broadcast by Hunan TV, was produced in the form of a talent show, with choreographed performances, interviews, and activities. During the course of the program, Nick performed martial arts, Peking opera, traditional Chinese magic tricks, and even advertised products on a live home shopping network. Competing against 120 students from 55 countries, Nick received Third Prize, receiving a scholarship to study abroad in China. To see a video of Nick from the show, click here.

Nick advanced to the finals by winning first prize in the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area competition, which is held annually at the Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland. A Georgetown student has won first prize in this competition every year since its inception in 2002. Other recent winners include Brian Timm-Brock (SFS ’09), Christian Perlingiere (SFS '07), and Angela Clubb (SFS '07).

Joseph Donovan Jr. (SFS '73) is the Consul General of the United States of America in Hong Kong. Previously, Consul General Donovan served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo (2005-2008), and the Director for the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State (2003-2005).

This bust of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, "father of modern China, who strove for the unification of the Chinese people," commemorates the opening of the Intercultural Center (September 24, 1982). The bust was commissioned by Eric Hotung ‘51 (C.A.S.). You can find this bust on the third floor of the Intercultural Center (ICC), to the left of the entrance.

On November 16, 1978, the Chinese men's basketball team played the Hoyas in an exhibition game at the DC Armory-Starplex. After President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai signed the Shanghai Communiqué in 1972, exchanges between China and the United States developed in the fields of science, medicine, trade, culture, and even sports. The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations facilitated these official exchanges, and co-sponsored a five-game tour of the U.S. by the men’s and women’s Chinese basketball teams in 1978. 

Up 9 points with 15:30 to go, the Hoyas missed 13 straight shots, allowing the Chinese to go on an 18-0 run.  The Hoyas would get no closer than 1 point the rest of the way, as the Chinese side prevailed, 75-69. Mu Tiezhu (pictured above) scored 11 points in the victory. Mu was believed to be about 7'6", and was dubbed by many as the 'Great Wall of China.' When asked about his team's performance after the game, Coach John Thompson replied, "The game program had a saying, 'friendship first, competition second,' and we took it literally."

In December of 1978, Georgetown University hosted the first group of Chinese exchange students to come to the United States since the founding of the PRC. These thirty-six students, mainly scientists and engineers in their late 30s and early 40s, studied English at Georgetown’s American Language Institute. The students are pictured above arriving at Dulles Airport. For more information, see this Georgetown Voice article from January 23, 1979.

The Sian-Fu Stone, an ancient Nestorian monument, was unearthed in 1623 and used by Jesuits as proof of the early introduction of Christianity into China. In 1919, Mrs. George Leary of New York City presented Georgetown University with a replica of the Sian-Fu Stone. This replica currently sits on the first floor of the Intercultural Center (ICC).

Charles Denby (LL.D '85), who attended Georgetown from 1841 to 1844, was the United States Minister to China from 1885 to 1898. Colonel Denby served under four different Presidental Administrations, and was well regarded for his diplomatic skills. In recognition of his role as arbitrator between Japan and China during the Sino-Japanese War, Denby became one of the few foreigners to have conferred on him the "Order of the Golden Dragon" by the Chinese empire. His book, China and Her People, remains an intriguing look at life in China in the late 19th century.