I firmly believe that in order to fully understand what’s happening in the 21st century, one must engage with China. When history is taught next century, it will show that China played a fundamental role in how things went. But it’s not necessary to go into the distant future to see this - it’s already happening.

Jose Daniel Madrigal, Climate Reality Leader, Costa Rica

Benifit from our world class partnership

LSE and Peking University (PKU) are two of the world’s leading institutions for teaching and research. LSE is ranked second in the world for social sciences and overall twenty-sixth best globally. PKU is ranked second overall in China and thirty-first globally.

Choose one of our unique courses

Our innovative courses offer a truly exceptional learning experience with 48 contact hours over two weeks using a combination of lectures, seminars, trips and extracurricular activities. All courses are taught in English and have brought in a combination of outstanding faculty from LSE and PKU. We also offer a two-week pre-sessional Chinese Language Course for interested participants.

GY201 2018 Photo: Our 'Political Economy of Urbanisation in China and Asia: Globalisation and Uneven Development' students get a unique tour of the streets of Beijing with Professor Hyun Bang Shin

Mix with students and professionals from all over the world

In 2019, the LSE-PKU Summer School was attended by 472 participants from 42 countries across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the Americas, a quarter of whom were graduate professionals from different industries, governments and NGOs. Our programme is open to university students and professionals from all levels and locations, creating an unrivalled opportunity for global networking. Read what our students have to say about the LSE-PKU Summer School.

Class 2017 16.9 Photo: LSE-PKU Summer School Class of 2017

'It was fabulous to meet students from almost all the continents. Now I have friends from every part of the world. Most of my fellow students were very different because of their various backgrounds, but it was enlightening to be exposed to them. Best part is I am still in touch with them!" Aariz Raza Khan, University of Management and Technology, Pakistan

Explore one of the world's most spectacular cities

Beijing is one of the largest and most dynamic cities in Asia, providing a fascinating base from which to learn more about China's economy, business, politics and social policies. Nowhere else is the contrast between old and new quite so dramatic, and the PKU campus is itself a tourist destination with a beautiful lake and many examples of classic Chinese architecture.

Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is under the direct administration of the central government of the PRC. The city is widely considered as the political, cultural and historical centre of China. With a history of more than 3,000 years, Beijing has been the capital city for six dynasties in Chinese history. Due to its historical background, Beijing has conserved many royal palaces and parks of the ancient Chinese emperors, such as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. The city is also famous for its cultural heritage. One good example is Beijing Opera, which is a traditional form of artistic performance, and it is regarded as the quintessence of Chinese culture.

With the rapid modernization of China, Beijing has now become one of the most important financial and business centres. In terms of educational development, Beijing is one of the leading cities in China, where numerous prestigious higher education institutions are located. It also has many scientific research institutions, which makes the city an important base for China’s technological development and innovation.

In 2008, Beijing hosted the 29th Olympic Games. Since then, the city accelerated its pace of globalisation. At present, Beijing has developed exchanges with different countries and regions in economy, trade, technology, education and culture at both governmental and social levels.