The University of Chicago Center in Beijing provides a physical presence to enhance and strengthen the University’s traditionally strong ties to Chinese thought and culture. Building upon more than a century of collaboration between scholars from Chicago and China, the Center in Beijing enables the University to expand existing activities and form new alliances and partnerships with universities, businesses, medical centers, policy groups, government agencies, and cultural organizations in China.
The center creates a base for University of Chicago faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates working in China. It serves as a gathering space for alumni throughout Asia and acts as a resource for Chinese researchers and students.
Focusing on three core areas where University of Chicago scholarship and the concerns of contemporary China intersect—business, economics, and policy; science, medicine, and public health; culture, society, and the arts—the center capitalizes on a substantial body of work already underway, including faculty research and programs for students. The center also houses the University’s Civilization Abroad program for undergraduate students and an intensive language training program, and supports research and study at all levels from each of the University’s divisions and schools and the College.
Located in the Haidian District of Beijing, known for its rich and fertile intellectual ecology of top universities, research academies, and government agencies, the 2,000 square meter center provides space for seminars and conferences, as well as faculty offices and study areas. Easily accessed by car or public transportation, the center is a welcoming environment of fluidity and exchange that brings together diverse perspectives and experiences. By supporting increased collaboration between Chicago and Chinese institutions, the Center in Beijing will further build upon the breadth and depth of the University’s historic engagement in China in many fields of study.