Program overview
The Chinese Language and Literature graduate program, simply put, takes you deep into every aspect of the Chinese language and culture. You may study core courses such as Classical Chinese, Modern Chinese, Literary Theory, Ancient Chinese Literature, Modern and Contemporary Literature, and Linguistics. Different universities have different focuses—for example, Peking University and Fudan University emphasize literary studies, while Beijing Language and Culture University and East China Normal University are strong in linguistics and applied linguistics. This program is suitable for students who are sensitive to language, enjoy reading and thinking, and want to truly understand the logic of Chinese society and culture. Course formats include seminars, close reading of texts, fieldwork (e.g., dialect studies), and opportunities to participate in the collation of ancient texts or the construction of corpora. Chinese universities have unique resources in fields such as Chinese characters, phonology, and classical documents, and many professors are renowned scholars themselves.