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2011 Newsletters: April,
2011 Issue |
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Chinese Language Programme May Newsletter
Programme News 2011 UN Chinese Language Day Recap
We had a most successful celebration on 20 April. The three events organized by our programme, Calligraphy Workshops, Chinese Martial Arts and Dances and the Author's Talk were highlights of the day. The events were extensively covered by the Chinese press. Many of our students found their photos on websites in China. For photos taken that day, please click here.
Also on this occasion, the Ministry of Education of China donated a multimedia Chinese teaching and learning system to our programme. The system takes the form of a touch-screen TV preloaded with a tremendous amount of information for teaching and learning. Using cutting-edge technology, the system is a treasure trove or mini-museum of information about Chinese language and Chinese culture. At the touch of the screen, the teacher or the student can instantly access a myriad of resources, including videos, audios, photos, lectures, demos, and virtual tours. Users can access the system in Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. Our teachers will soon start using the system in their classes.
Chinese-related Event at
the UN Joint Concert on Friday, 20 May, 2011
Enjoy the Joint Concert by the United States Army Band and the Military Band of the People's Liberation Army of China at the UN General Assembly Hall on Friday, 20 May at 3 PM. Look for announcement on iSeek to see if tickets are needed. Both bands will perform again at Lincoln Center on 21 May at 2 pm. Our programme has limited tickets. If you wish to go to the concert, please RSVP to ho@un.org for tickets.
Chinese Learning
Resources Chinese Central
You can find almost anything and everything about Chinese culture and language as well as tons of resources at http://www.chinese.cn/. Chinese Grammar
You can take a video course learning some Chinese structure at http://www.clearchinese.com/videos/.
Video Lecture
A revealing inaugural lecture by Professor Roel Sterckx to mark the establishment of the Joseph Needham Professorship of Chinese History, Science and Civilization at University of Cambridge. Please click here to watch the video. To read the scrip, please click here. Articles of Interest Click on the titles to read the full stories of the following articles. 1. Where China Outpaces America From The
New York Times Here’s a fact about China that you may not know: people in Shanghai today have a longer life expectancy than Americans. A
child in Shanghai is
expected to live 82 years. In the United States, the figure is not
quite 79 years. (For all of China, including rural areas, life
expectancy is lower, 73 years — but rising steadily.) 2. China No. 1 economy by 2016: reports From Global
Times
As
bets continue on how soon China will take the crown, some economists
poured cold water on such projections, calling them flattery that mask
the true gap between the Chinese and US economies. 3. More U.S. kids adding Chinese to their ABCs From Reuters In Mandarin immersion teacher Kennis Wong's
kindergarten
class, her young pupils are making paper masks glued to sticks that
they twirl between their palms, showing a different face on each side. As more parents have sought to give their children an edge in an era when China is a rising economic power, school districts have expanded Chinese language programs and students from a wide range of backgrounds have joined them. From US
News and World Report French and Spanish
used to be the only foreign languages offered in high school. While
most students are still taking one of those two, languages like
Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic are increasingly being offered
in high schools, according to a recently released survey by the American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. If you are curious about what 1899 Harvard Entrance Exam was like, particularly the language part, please click here. From China
Daily While
China may have once been a favored destination for expats seeking
exotic experiences such as teaching English or learning Chinese, an
increasing number of people are flocking eastward to realize their
dreams. As the Chinese economy continues to grow, success is
flourishing not only for entrepreneurial Chinese, but also for foreign
residents with an eye for opportunity. This is the story of some of
those intrepid foreigners who have shared in the "China dream" - the
philanthropist, the actress, the restaurateur and the playwright. New
Publication 1. The Empress and Mrs. Conger: The Uncommon Friendship of Two Women and Two Worlds Published by Hong Kong University Press Price:
List Price: $35 | Amazon: $30.65 Grant Hayter-Menzies is the author of Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling and the biographer of stage and screen stars Charlotte Greenwood and Billie Burke. Community Events 1. The Buddhist Caves of Dunhuang: Treasure Trove in the Chinese Gobi Desert
Speaker: Dr. Mimi
Gates The Renwen Society at China Institute is pleased to present a special lecture by Dr. Mimi Gardner Gates on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Her illustrated lecture, entitled The Buddhist Caves of Dunhuang: Treasure Trove in the Chinese Gobi Desert, will situate the site of Dunhuang geographically, trace its intriguing history, discuss how the paintings and sculptures at the sacred and singular Mogao Caves were created and who were the patrons and artists, and what is going on today at Dunhuang to preserve art created over one millennium (4th-14thc.). Dr. Mimi Gates is a scholar of Asian art with a B.A. from Stanford University in Asian History; M.A. in Oriental and Chinese Studies from the University of Iowa; and Ph.D. in Art History from Yale University. Prior to moving to Seattle, she was at the Yale University Art Gallery, where she was Curator of Asian Art (1975-1986) and subsequently promoted to Director (1987-1994). Dr. Mimi Gates is Bill Gates' step-mother. This event is free for UN personnel. If interested, please RSVP to ho@un.org. 2. Chinese Archaeology and World Cultural Heritage
Date: Saturday, May 19, 2011 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. Location: China Institute, 125 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065
Dr. Fiskesjö will speak about Chinese archaeology in the context of global heritage issues, including the tensions between the values of national history and global perspectives on heritage and preservation. He will also address the threats to archaeological heritage sites in China, from looting driven by both international and growing domestic markets for collectibles, to the progress of cultural heritage work under way in China.
Professor Magnus Fiskesjö, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Cornell University. His research interests are Asian anthropology and archaeology, States, borders, and ethnic relations, global cultural heritage issues and museum studies. He has published more than fifteen articles, including "The Patriotic Collector: China and the Global Politics of Cultural Heritage and Repatriation," in Reclaiming Chinese Society, edited by Ching Kwan Lee and You-tien Hsing (London: Routledge).
3
The Film Society of Lincoln Center screens some of Taiwan's greatest
movies from the past half-century from May 6-19. Check
http://www.nycgo.com/events/
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