On July 18, 2015, the Summer Chinese Language students, along with a few public policy interns and new UChicago graduates, had the opportunity to visit several historical sites. Their day started with a tour of Beijing’s premier Lama Temple and ended with a visit to the historical Confucius Temple and the nearby Imperial College (Guozijian).
The students toured the Lama Temple with an expert guide who filled them in on the historical and religious significance of the temple’s halls and artwork. During the tour, the students also visited with Dr. Kaichao, a former Lama Temple monk and current research fellow with the Institute of religious studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Dr. Kaichao gave a short tour of the monk’s living and study quarters, and spoke about the significance of a number of statues and texts. Later in the day, the group visited the Confucius Temple and Imperial College.
Later this summer, the group plans to tour other historical and culturally significant sites, including the Temple of Heaven and the Hongqiao Market.
