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Developed by the Open University of China, this application for iOS is a multimedia courseware for learning Chinese by reading stories about contemporary life in China via cartoons and dialogue bubbles. There are currently two versions: English-Chinese and French-Chinese, both available in the App Store.

The newly launched English-Chinese version will be FREE for a limited time (April 20 - April 30, 2012). For English version, search "Time to Talk Chinese: for Children" in App Store, then click download. For French version, search and download "Le temps de la joie: le chinois pour les enfants".

2. Reading List on China

Mr. Daniel Tuohy, a student in our programme and also an avid reader and collector of books on China, prepared a reading list on China for participants in the China Study Programme this summer. This list is also of great help to the other people. You can download the list at http://unclp.org/nandaprog/readinglist.pdf.

New Publications
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Chinese Under Globalization: Emerging Trends in Language Use in China

by Jin Liu and Hongyin Tao

As China experiences tremendous economic and social transformation in the reform years, language use in China has also undergone remarkable changes in the past couple decades:

The national obsession with learning the global English, which becomes both a resource for modernization and a course of contention
The expanding use of local languages and dialects in mass media, where standard Mandarin is promoted and legally prescribed as the principal language
The emergence of the Internet language that has become a creative source for constructing a distinct youth identity
The Cantonese writing system, which is traditionally based in northern Mandarin

Drawing on their backgrounds and expertise in sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and cultural studies, the authors offer interdisciplinary, insightful, and critical analysis of linguistic struggles and linguistic politics in contemporary China.

For more information click here.

Multicultural China in the Early Middle Ages

by Sanping Chen

In contrast to the economic and cultural dominance by the south and the east coast over the past several centuries, influence in China in the early Middle Ages was centered in the north and featured a significantly multicultural society. Many events that were profoundly formative for the future of East Asian civilization occurred during this period, although much of this multiculturalism has been obscured due to the Confucian monopoly of written records.

In his book, Multicultural China in the Early Middle Ages, Chen investigates several foundational aspects of Chinese culture during this period, including the legendary unicorn and the fabled heroine Mulan, to determine the origin and development of the lore.

For more information click here.

Virtual Tango

by Yubao Li

In his novel, Virtual Tango, Li reflects on the obstacles that Chinese men face when it comes to dating, marriage and love in the modern world. His story is an exploration of the racial, religious, educational, cultural, language and attitude barriers that often come between couples and one man's defiance of all these odds.

Although fictional, Virtual Tango is deeply rooted in the author's own personal experience in the US and China.

A Kindle edition is currently available here.

Community Events
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1. Annual Lecture on World Cultural Heritage

Lecture, May 1 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Global Heritage Fund at China Institute

Since its founding, the Global Heritage Fund has focused its efforts in developing countries and regions on preservation and responsible development of the most important and endangered global heritage sites. Executive Director, Jeff Morgan, and Manager of China Projects, Kuang-Han Li, will speak about the organization's projects in China, Including the Foguang Temple, Lijiang ancient town, the toulous in Fujian province, and the city of Pinyao.

For more information, and to register for this event, please visit the China Institute website here.

2. The American premiere of "North Bank, Suzhou Creek"

The American premiere of "North Bank, Suzhou Creek", produced by the New York Film Academy and directed by William Sun, will be staged on May 3, 4 and 5 at 8 pm, 101 Murray St. (St. John's University building), 2nd Fl Saval Auditorium. Admission is free. Click here for a poster.

North Bank, Suzhou Creek is a play with songs and music about Jews in Shanghai during WWII. It has a separate production running in Shanghai, directed by Mike Leibenluft and Jeffrey Sichel, two Jewish Americans, which has received extraordinary feedbacks from top artists and diplomats in Shanghai and is already invited to participate in this fall’s nationally sponsored Shanghai International Arts Festival by its artistic directors.

3. A Compelling Journey from Peking to Washington

Lecture and Book Signing, May 5 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Renwen Society at China Institute

Renwen Society at China Institute invites you to join in for an afternoon lecture and book signing by a leading proponent of US-China relations, Dr. Chi Wang.

As a professor of history and US-China relations at Georgetown University and founder of the US-China Policy Foundation, Wang has helped arrange countless cultural exchanges between China and America since the 1970s. During his tenure as head of the Chinese section at the Library of Congress, the collection has grown from 300,000 to over a million volumes, becoming one of the largest centers for China studies outside Asia.

Born the son of a prominent Chinese government official and general in the Nationalist government, Wang left China to study in the United States in 1949. In his book, A Compelling Journey from Peking to Washington: Building a New Life in America, Wang recounts his extraordinary childhood and his experiences living through one of the most turbulent periods in Chinese history.

For more information, please click here.

Free for UN personnel (check in with UN ground pass), but advance registration is requested. Please RSVP to http://www.quia.com/sv/569872.html.

4. Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe Performs The Lanke Mountain

Performance, May 19 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Asia Society

The Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, one of China's most renowned theater companies, is known for their extraordinary craftsmanship as they combine song, dance and poetry for the ultimate theatrical experience.

Using one of the oldest and most influential forms of Chinese opera, kunqu, the troupe of 20 performers will perform The Lanke Mountain, a tale of greed, ambition, betrayal and humor that at once harkens back to ancient times and resonates with contemporary audiences.

For more information please visit the Asia Society website here.

5. Exhibition: “Terracotta Warriors: Defenders of China’s First Emperor”

Runs through Aug. 26 at Discovery Times Square, 226 West 44th Street, Manhattan; (866) 987-9692 , discoverytsx.com.

Click here to read a New York Times review.

UN Chinese Programme http://unclp.orgrg