The University will host a symposium entitled Chinese Politics and Society: Continuity and Change this weekend.
The symposium is the culmination of the year-long work of the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP), which is a partnership in business leadership between Tufts students and Chinese students from Hong Kong and Beijing.
"China will be one of the major players in international issues for years to come," said Heather Barry, associate director of the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL). "It's critical for us to understand China by looking at the potential of its future politics."
The structure and foci of the symposium were organized by the Chinese and Tufts exchange students after spending seven weeks in Hong Kong learning the dynamics of Chinese economics, politics and society.
Each Tufts student was paired with a Chinese student for internships in either Hong Kong's private or public sector.
The Tufts students also traveled to the mainland and attended pertinent speakers with their Chinese counterparts.
"Every time you go somewhere different from where you're from, you don't understand that you can have a connection with the people, that they're very much the same as you on a deeper level," said senior Sam Abrams, who is participating. "This connection is something he found while in Hong Kong."
According to Abrams, the Chinese and American exchange students lived together in dorms and cooperated with one another in the various internship programs. This was "the greatest volume and intensity of interaction" between the students throughout the program, Abrams said.
After returning to the U.S., the two groups planned the upcoming conference via e-mail and video conferencing and continued in their studies in anticipation of the Chinese students' arrival on the first of this year.
The trip to the U.S. and the cooperation over the symposium enhanced communication skills with people of divergent backgrounds, Peking University senior Lang Wang said.
"I got to know how to get along with people from a completely different culture," he said.
The Chinese exchange students also attended lectures here at Tufts, which "broadened my view," Peking University junior Shichao Zhuang said.
"The professors here care a lot about the students," she said.
TILIP has also forged a connection with the United States Military Academy at West Point. "We bring U.S. cadets to meet with University students from the [Chinese] mainland," said IGL Director Sherman Teichman. "It's a vital, vibrant exchange - an honest discourse between two very unusual groups."
According to Teichman, strained relationships in the past between the United States and communist China make this collaboration "absolutely unique.
"We hope to break down stereotypes," he said.
Chinese students said that the program was very competitive in their respective universities. "Two-hundred students submitted applications [for 10-15 spots], and many more didn't apply because they knew they had no chance," Chinese student Weyling Yeng said.
"It's important because it makes me more aware of where my interests lie. I'm learning I may have more potential when it comes to communicating with people and talking about problems," Chinese student Minchu Wang said.
The symposium will take place this weekend in Braker Hall. It will feature panels about Confucianism, as well as the intersection of societal and economic liberalization in China.
