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Andrew Anderson-Sprecher, HNC Certificate 2006 and SAIS MA 2007, reflects back on his time at the HNC and his experience working for the American Institute in Taiwan.  Tell us about your current role. I am currently serving as the Acting Agricultural Section Chief at the American Institute in Taiwan. How did your experience at the HNC prepare you for this work? My experience at HNC prepared me for my work by giving me an in-depth understanding of China's economy and politics and rock solid Chinese language skills.   This was invaluable in helping me get job offers and making me successful in the jobs I took.  What was your most memorable moment when you were at the HNC? My most memorable experience was getting to see a Chinese court room as part of my judicial systems class.  It was a remarkable education on how China's legal system works. What advice would you give for current or future students at the HNC? Focus on building expertise rather than on the specifi...

Student life at the HNC is filled with many different events that are dependent on specific interests and community involvement! Here’s a snippet of my typical weekday at the HNC. Enjoy! 9:00am: I wake up and head to find breakfast on 金银街. It’s a street right outside of HNC’s East entrance and it usually has different vendors selling 煎饼 or 包子 for breakfast in the morning. This morning I grab some steamed buns filled with veggies and an egg soaked in spiced tea with soybean milk. Yum! 10:00am: After eating breakfast and getting ready for the day, I go outside into the HNC courtyard to study for my Chinese History Since 1949 class. I start a chapter of 《暴风雨的记忆》 an account on Qin Xiao’s experience during the 1960s Cultural Revolution. 11:40am : I head to the cafeteria for lunch. Usually the cafeteria opens from 11:15 to 12:30 so often times people head straight over after their morning class! After lunch, I go back outside into the courtyard to relax, talk and continue reading for my af...

Last weekend, I joined a group of HNC students and faculty on an epic and memorable walk around the Nanjing city wall. The wall traces the traditional city limits of Nanjing, originally built at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, but also continuously rebuilt during different time periods. If you follow the original structure of the wall as it encircles the city, the total distance is about 26 miles. Today, though still a defining characteristic of the city, the wall exists in segments, with some parts having been intermittently destroyed during the Sino-Japanese war, and again during the founding of the People’s Republic. More recently, parts of the wall have been restored as a cultural heritage site and popular attraction for visitors. We began our trek early in the morning on Saturday, departing from the HNC at 6 am. Although the early departure time was easier for some than others, it also offered a chance to see the city in a new light. Besides our troupe, most other early risers ...

The HNC commercial arbitration team recently got back from Vienna—the “city of music,” known for its baroque palaces and gardens—where we competed in the Willem C. Vis International Moot. The “Vis Moot” is often referred to as the Olympics of commercial arbitration; it attracts nearly 400 of the world’s best law schools annually. This was the first time HNC sent and funded its own team, which was composed of both Chinese and American students.   In our eyes, the Vis Moot was one of the best learning and professional development experiences of our school year. Not only did we improve our public speaking, debate, research, and legal skills, but we also networked with leading international lawyers and arbitrators. Most importantly, we made good friends with other students from around the world pursuing careers in international trade and international law. Moot competitions are basically an intellectual battlefield. Each opposing team comes armed with a bevy of legal a...

Most of my week nights at the HNC are spent studying in the library or occasionally preparing for exams or group projects together with classmates. This spring semester, Center students Chelsea Toczauer and Sasha Chopenko have worked together with American Co-Director David Davies to create a welcome new opportunity for Chinese and American classmates to get together, enjoy a movie, and discuss opinions over snacks and drinks. Every Monday night, there is a screening of a classic Chinese film, which is first introduced by the Director Davies who provides a few guiding comments and historical background to get the conversation going. Half-way through each film, we break for discussion and refreshments, which generally continues after the end of the film as well. . Some of the films featured this semester: The Love Eterne (1963), Fists of Fury (1972), and the Red Detachment of Women (1961) The other day I had the chance to sit down and talk one-on-one with Director Davies about his reaso...

During spring break, I accompanied a group of Chinese classmates on a field research trip for the course China on the Border: Provincial Relations on the Periphery taught by Professor Christofferson. While another group traveled to Heilongjiang province in northern China, we traveled to Yunnan, a southwest province boasting of rich cultural and regional diversity. The purpose of the trip was to visit Ruili, a city along China’s border with Myanmar in order to learn about China-Myanmar relations through the lens of various topics. These included non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Yunnan, Myanmar refugees in Ruili and the economic relationship between Myanmar and China. Going to Ruili was not meant to give us a comprehensive outlook on the relationship, but rather give us a firsthand account of people to people relations and grassroots projects along the border. Our team in front of Yunnan University! On early Saturday morning, we took the fast train from Nanjing to Yunnan’s capi...