Written by Alice Chen (Wofford College), Student Correspondent for Middlebury in Beijing, Spring 2025
Temple of Heaven (天坛)
Middlebury in Beijing students and roommates teamed up with CET students and roommates and we headed off to the Temple of Heaven together in a bus. It reminded me of my elementary field trip days!
The Temple of Heaven is a place where emperors performed ceremonies to worship heaven and pray for good harvests. We got really professional for our photos. You know, got to do what you got to do to get the best angle.
The Summer Palace (颐和园）
Middlebury in Beijing teamed up with CET again, but this time, to Beijing’s Summer Palace! The Summer Palace is an imperial garden, filled with beautiful natural landscapes and elaborate architecture, and was known to be a retreat for the imperial family in the summer. It is located perfectly with water in the front and hills in the back, hence why it was the perfect retreat to avoid summer heat for the Imperial Family! We went on a day where the wind was really heavy, but still, it was fun to be with everyone and explore the area.
Midterms: Goodbyes for Now with a Pizza Party
American delicacy: Domino’s pizza with soda.
After everyone wrapped up their midterms, we celebrated with pizza and soda in the office. It’s the last time we will see everyone together as we head off on our own journeys for Spring Break. However, fret not, after Spring Break we will meet up with everyone for a traveling seminar in Hangzhou!
Also, we got to celebrate a birthday, so that meant in addition to pizza we also had some cake. Yum. It was nice to be in a space with everyone again to relax and catch up after a hectic week of preparing for midterms. Bye for now as I head off to Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, then Hangzhou!