哈佛語言項目從中國遷往台灣

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Harvard language program relocates from China to Taiwan

HUIZHONG WU

Wed., October 13, 2021, 2:49 a.m.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An intensive summer language program hosted by Harvard University in Beijing will relocate to Taiwan in summer of 2022, as the U.S.-China relationship remains strained.

The program is moving to Taipei and will kick off next summer with about 60 students who will take eight weeks of classes, National Taiwan University confirmed Wednesday.

The decision was in part “due to a perceived lack of friendliness from the host institution" in Beijing, according to The Harvard Crimson student paper, which first reported the move.

Every summer, according to The Harvard Crimson, the program “would typically host a small party to celebrate the Fourth of July, during which students and faculty would eat pizza and sing the national anthem.” But in 2019, the host university, Beijing Language and Culture University, said it could no longer host the event, Program Director Jennifer L. Liu told the paper.

Liu also said logistical issues impacted the decision. She told The Harvard Crimson that “BLCU did not provide a single dorm for all the students, instead requiring the program split the students into two different dorms of different quality, or to find a hotel that could keep their students together.”

Harvard has characterized the move primarily as an operational and logistical decision.

“The planned move of this program from Beijing to Taiwan has been considered for some time and reflects a wide array of operational factors," the school said in a statement.

Its local partner in Taiwan said the same in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the universities had been discussing the decision since 2019, and it was due to start in 2020 but was suspended because of the pandemic.

Beijing Language and Culture University’s news department did not respond to an email request for comment.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said he did not know the particular issue with the program when asked about the move. However, he said “China always welcomes international students to study in China, attaches great importance to protection of their legitimate rights and interests, and proactively responds to the students’ reasonable concerns and appeals.”

The program is designed for intermediate and advanced Chinese language learners, and like many other study abroad programs, it features trips to local cultural and historical landmarks. In Beijing, students would visit the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and go on outings with local university students, according to the program's former website.

Beyond memorizing vocabulary or grammar structures, students got a chance to interact with their Chinese counterparts.

“I learned what Chinese millennials do when they get ghosted on (dating app) Tantan, how Chinese media portrayed America’s 2016 election, and which Chinese popsicle flavors to stay away from,” one student said in March 2020 on a Harvard website describing his study abroad experience.

In Taiwan, students will be able to visit places like the National Palace Museum, which houses many of the treasures once hosted in Beijing's Forbidden City, as well as Taiwan's famed night markets and Yangming mountain.

“We hope to lay a solid Chinese foundation for the outstanding Harvard students in NTU's free academic atmosphere,” the university said in a statement.

Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, and Beijing has not ruled out force in reunifying with the island.

Translation

台灣台北（美聯社）- 由於美中關係仍然緊張，一個由哈佛大學在北京主辦的暑期強化語言課程將於 2022 年夏季遷往台灣。

國立台灣大學週三證實，該計劃將移至台北，將於明年夏天開始，約有 60 名學生將參加八週的課程。

據最先報導這一舉動的哈佛深紅色學生報聲稱，這一決定部分是“由於北京的東道機構被認為缺乏友好性”。

據哈佛深紅報報導，每年夏天，該項目“通常都會舉辦一個小型聚會來慶祝七月四日，在此期間，學生和教職員工會吃披薩並唱國歌。”但在 2019 年，項目主任 Jennifer L. Liu 告訴該報說, 主辦大學, 即北京語言及文化大學 (BLCU)表示無法再舉辦該活動。

Jennifer L. Liu還表示，後勤問題也影響了這一決定。她告訴哈佛深紅報說， “BLCU 並沒有為所有學生提供一個宿舍，而是要求該計劃將學生分成兩組住入不同級數的宿舍，或者找到可以讓學生們聚在一起的酒店。”

哈佛認為此遷移主要是一項運營和後勤決策。

該校在一份聲明中說：“該項目從北京轉移到台灣的計劃已經考慮了一段時間，反映了廣泛的運營因素。”

它在台灣的當地合作夥伴在周二的一份聲明中也表示了同樣的看法，並指出大學自 2019 年以來一直在討論這一決定，原定於 2020 年開始，但因病毒大流行而暫停。

北京語言大學新聞系沒有回復電子郵件的置評請求。

中國外交部發言人趙立堅在被問及此舉時表示，他不知道該計劃的具體問題。不過，他表示，“中方一貫歡迎留學生來華留學，高度重視保護留學生合法權益，積極回應留學生合理關切和訴求。”

該計劃專為中高級漢語學習者設計，與許多其他留學計劃一樣，它的特色是參觀當地的文化和歷史地標。根據該項目的前網站，在北京，學生們會參觀長城、頤和園，並與當地大學生一起郊遊。

除了記住詞彙或語法結構之外，學生還有機會與中國同行互動。

2020 年 3 月，一名學生在哈佛網站上描述他的國外經驗時說： “我了解到中國千禧一代被（約會應用程序）探探所吸引時會做什麼，中國媒體如何描繪美國 2016 年的大選，以及應該遠離哪些中國冰棒口味。”

在台灣，學生將能夠參觀諸如故宮博物院, 它收藏了許多曾經藏在北京紫禁城的珍品，以及台灣著名的夜市和陽明山等地。

國立台灣大學在一份聲明中說：“我們希望在台大自由的學術氛圍中為優秀的哈佛學生奠定堅實的中文基礎。”

台灣和中國在 1949 年的內戰中分裂，北京不排除武力統一台灣。

       So, an intensive summer language program hosted by Harvard University in Beijing will be relocated to Taiwan in summer of 2022. The decision is in part “due to a perceived lack of friendliness from the host institution". I am wondering if this lack of friendliness is part of a greater policy of the CCP to restrict outside influence going into China.