Photos taken by Jalen Walker (Washington University in St. Louis), Student Correspondent for CET Beijing, Spring 2024
Around Capital Normal University (CNU)
中国房子 (Zhōngguó fángzi, China House) is the home for CET Beijing students at Capital Normal University. Here, we share rooms with other CET students, as well as access to helpful amenities like in-building laundry and CET-specific study rooms and activity space.
The Central Radio & TV Tower is highly visible throughout the Capital Normal University campus, towering over 1,347 feet. One of the best places to appreciate the tower’s monumentality is right outside of the campus cafeteria—especially at night when its lights illuminate the sky.
Activities with Language Partners
During our first week alongside our language partners—local students at Capital Normal University—we participated in a scavenger hunt to help us get better acclimated with the campus, its facilities, and surrounding amenities. At each location, we took a selfie, and the first group to do so at all 15 locations was awarded a prize. In this picture, taken by my language partner 刘扬 (Liú Yáng), we’re standing in front of the main gate of the university.
After the scavenger hunt activity, a group of us and our language partners headed off campus for dinner. It began to snow on our way to the 烤肉 (kǎoròu, barbecue) restaurant at the mall, and we took a group photo to capture the moment.
Lanterns commemorating the celebration of the Chinese New Year are ubiquitous around Beijing. On our journey back to campus after a few hours of dinner and conversation, they shone brightly even as the snow continued to fall, guiding us back to China House to rest for the night and prepare for the next day of classes.
Weekly Chinese Table
On Friday, for our weekly Chinese table meal as a group with our professors, we went to the café on campus. We learned how to prepare the foods traditionally to celebrate 元宵节 (Yuánxiāojié, Lantern Festival), which marks the end of the Spring Festival. We all made dumplings, commonly made in Northern China, and 汤圆 (tangyuan), which are more common in the South, and ate together before attending the festival that night.
Lantern Festival at Shichahai Park
At the Lantern Festival in 什刹海公园 (Shíchàhǎi gōngyuán, Shichahai Park), the main attraction was, without a doubt, the 200-meter long dragon complete with blinking eyes. The dragon’s symbolic importance and auspicious nature are a constant in both ancient and contemporary Chinese culture. In the same way, it was a constant source of light and focus of general attention no matter where you were in the park.
The walkways of Shichahai Park were lined with small shops and street food vendors offering a variety of options to the many passersby who had come to celebrate the Lantern Festival. At this particular stand, I was able to purchase 糖葫芦 (tánghúlu), which is a traditional Chinese snack made of sugar-coated fruit on a bamboo skewer.
StillWater Café
On Saturday, Sophia—another CET Beijing student—and I took a trip to the 东城 (Dōngchéng) district of central Beijing to try out a café and get some work done in preparation for next week. After getting off the train, we had to walk 15 minutes through a crowded 胡同 (hútong, alley) to reach our final destination. A few hours later, when we made the return trip, we stopped at a few restaurants and picked up quick bites for dinner.
静水 (jìngshuǐ) StillWater offered a unique café experience that gave Sophia and I the opportunity to try specialty drinks while getting a couple hours of productive work done at the same time. One of the most noteworthy characteristics of the café was its outdoor courtyard that featured traditional architecture, outdoor seating, and even a small, heated pond. During our visit, we were seated in front of the window and got to observe the consistent stream of customers that would excitedly take photos in this area.