In 2008, the All-China Summer Institute for the Study of the US offered Chinese professors of American Studies the opportunity to experience American culture and society first-hand.  Experiencing the history, culture, and politics of the US enabled these professors to create their own American Studies courses and curricula at their universities in China.

The program consisted of a week-long Pre-Institute Workshop held at Beijing Foreign Studies University and a three-week long visit to the US.  For the first two weeks in the US, participants stayed in Washington, DC, where they attended a series of lectures held at George Washington University, visited and toured historical DC sites and museums, and participated in discussions with prominent educational and political figures.  For the third week, the program continued with trips to Missouri, Nevada, and California.

The 2008 program was highlighted by numerous lectures, discussions, and meetings on American history and culture which enabled the participants to bolster their knowledge of American life.  These lectures focused on topics of ethnicity, race, culture, volunteerism, identity, and America’s relations with the world as well as American Studies methods of teaching. In addition, discussions and meetings with field experts on various elements of American social and political culture provided an interactive forum for participants.  These discussions included meetings with DC Solicitor General Todd Kim, US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Director Shinae Chun, and US Capitol Chief Historian Dr. Donald R. Kennon.  Institute participants were also able to visit monuments and sightsee in Washington, DC and the surrounding area.  Places visited included the Library of Congress, the National Archives, Gettysburg Battle field, the Eisenhower Farm and Institute, Mount Vernon, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Museum of Art. 

The participants’ journey across the country began with a visit to the “heartland” which showed the different characters and lifestyles that make up the American story.  William Jewell College hosted the Institute in Missouri.  Participants were treated to lectures by Jewell professors, a panel on student community service by Jewell students, a Midwest Jazz performance, a traditional barbecue and bowling, and a Church service and picnic.   To experience the American West, the Institute took the participants to Nevada.  The program continued with a visit to the Paiute Indian reservation and the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and Burrow facility.  These site visits allowed the participants to experience and learn about the legacy and challenges of western expansion, which was further touched upon in a lecture at the University of Nevada.  The program ended with a visit to San Francisco.  Visits to the San Francisco Court House and meetings with the first two Chinese American judges, Judge Lillian Sing and Judge Julie Tang, introduced the American justice system and the role that Chinese Americans can play.