About PiB

About the Princeton in Beijing Program

Princeton in Beijing is a high-quality intensive program in intermediate and advanced Chinese language study for the serious language student. The faculty from Princeton brings to this effort more than three decades of leadership in the pioneering of intensive "total immersion" summer Chinese language programs in the United States; in addition to more than three decades of experience in producing Chinese language textbooks at Princeton University's Chinese Linguistics Project. To this experience is added the ultimate Chinese language environment -- China's capital city of Beijing.

PiB Group Photo

The Princeton Chinese Language Program has established its own distinctive pedagogy while developing a series of Chinese language textbooks based on the belief that a strong foundation with an emphasis on accurate pronunciation and grammar is absolutely necessary for language mastery. The "total immersion" approach includes such special features as: a student pledge to speak no language other than Mandarin Chinese throughout the session; individual tutorial sessions in the afternoons; constant contact with faculty and other students in campus life; and special lectures on aspects of China studies. Previous lecture topics have included "The Spirit of Modern Chinese Literature," "Climate Change: China's Policies and Actions," "Turning Chinese Language Ability into a Career," "Sino-US Relations," and "Cross-talking Cross-cultural Comedy."

Princeton in Beijing is unique among in-country Chinese language programs in its use of an American model, the Princeton University model. All teaching materials and methods, as well as techniques of testing, grading, and course evaluation, are from Princeton University. The teaching faculty in charge of courses is also from the United States. The Princeton in Beijing faculty combines this approach with their years of experience to provide students with an intensive learning atmosphere within the natural language environment of mainland China.