Study Abroad in China: Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin, China – Faculty & Staff

Harbin Faculty

Chinese Language Faculty

CET Harbin selects language teachers from the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) pool of language faculty. Most faculty have graduate degrees in Chinese language or language pedagogy. Some have taught at institutions in the US.

One-on-one faculty come from HIT and neighboring universities. All have higher degrees in their area of expertise.

Chinese Language Teacher Training

CET arranges a variety of training programs for its language faculty at all locations.

• Workshops. Each semester is preceded by a three- to five-day training workshop led by the academic director. Teachers view videos of successful classes, perform demo-teaching sessions and engage in peer critiquing.
• Class Monitoring. The academic director monitors classes daily. S/he guides lesson preparation to meet the specific needs of students. S/he also organizes “group preparation sessions” and meets with teachers to share ideas and discuss teaching strategies.
• Guest Training Sessions. In 1996, CET asked Dr. T. Richard Chi, then Director of the Middlebury College Summer Chinese School, to offer a series of special workshops to language faculty. Since then, CET has continued this tradition, arranging workshops by faculty experts annually. Recent trainers are: 
  • Ao Qun, United States Military Academy
  • Cui Shuqin, Bowdoin College
  • Li Kai, Oberlin College
  • Liu Xianmin, Vanderbilt University
  • Bai Jianhua, Kenyon College
  • Liu Yuehua, Harvard University
  • Cecilia Chang, Williams College
• Teaching at US Institutions. CET seeks opportunities for its teachers to fill temporary positions at US institutions. CET has sent faculty to teach at the Middlebury Summer School every year since 1997. CET instructors have also been selected to teach at universities such as Bowdoin College, Duke University, Kenyon College, Vassar College, Williams College and Yale University.

Harbin Staff

CET maintains full-time, bilingual staff at each of its study abroad locations.

The Academic Director oversees the curriculum, trains faculty and monitors courses. S/he works with faculty to accommodate specific student needs.

The Resident Director manages housing, local roommates, activities and student acclimation, health and emergencies.

The Resident Advisor supports the resident director in managing student acclimation, health and emergencies. Although a part-time staff member, the Resident Advisor lives in the dormitory and is available to support students around the clock.

Staff Bios

Ren Shujing, Academic Director

Ms. Ren Shujing received her BA in English from Dalian College of Foreign Languages in 1990. In 1996, she started teaching Chinese as a foreign language at the Harbin Institute of Technology. In that context, she taught a variety of classes in listening, spoken Chinese, reading and writing. Ms. Ren began teaching for the CET Harbin program that same year. During her tenure at CET, she has taught all courses, assisted with the arrangement of one-on-one tutorials, trained teachers of all levels and served as academic liaison for CET’s resident staff. She is the editor of Chinese language teaching materials produced for the Singapore College of Art and Literature. Currently serving as Academic Director of the CET Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin program, Ms. Ren manages and trains faculty, monitors academics and oversees the curriculum.

Li Yanqiu, Resident Director

A native of Harbin, Li Yanqiu joined the CET Harbin staff in fall of 2003 as Assistant Resident Director and moved into her role of Resident Director in 2007. Li Yanqiu has studied English at both Northern Union University (1993-1995) and Heilongjiang University (1999-2002), where she received her BA in 2002. She worked at the Kunlun Hotel in Harbin for a total of eight years where she eventually served as manager of the Personnel and Training and Front Desk departments. As a certified tour guide she has also led tours in many of China’s major cities. Li Yanqiu enjoys helping CET students immerse themselves in life in Harbin!

Eric Bratt, Resident Assistant

Eric’s first China experience was in the fall of 2006 when he participated in a semester program at Capital Normal University in Beijing. In 2008, he spent the summer studying Chinese language at Heilongjiang University in Harbin before returning to the States and graduating from Calvin College in spring 2009. From July to October, 2009, Eric was a CET Harbin student and subsequently remained in the city to conduct research on Manchu culture in contemporary China on a Fulbright research grant. He started his post as Harbin Resident Assistant in the fall of 2010.

Harbin Alumni

Hear what CET Harbin program alumni have to say! Click here to contact a former student.

Academic Advisory Board

CET maintains an advisory board of US-based scholars. The Chinese Language Advisory Board meets annually to discuss curricula and derive teaching standards. Board members visit the CET sites in order to evaluate programs and, when possible, conduct teacher-training sessions.

Dr. Madeline Chu
Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, Kalamazoo College

Dr. Shuqin Cui
Associate Professor of Asian Studies, Bowdoin College

Dr. Baozhang He
Associate Professor, College of the Holy Cross

Dr. Theresa Jen
Director, Lauder Chinese Language and Culture Program, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Xianmin Liu
Senior Lecturer in Chinese; Chinese Language Program Coordinator, Vanderbilt University

Dr. Jingheng Ma
Professor Emeritus, Wellesley College

Dr. Scott McGinnis
Academic Advisor; Professor, Defense Language Institute

Dr. Claudia Ross
Professor of Chinese; Chair, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures; Chinese Section Coordinator, College of the Holy Cross