Pan, Dr. Wei-ping, Director

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Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®The Confucius Institute Publications Confucius Institute at Western Kentucky UniversitySpring 2011Confucius Institute Spring 2011 (Report)Dr. Wei-ping Pan DirectorWestern Kentucky Univeristy, wei-ping.pan@wku.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ci_pubsPart of the Asian Art and Architecture Commons, Asian History Commons, Bilingual,Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Chinese Studies Commons, and the CulturalHistory CommonsThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Confucius Institute Publicationsby an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact todd.seguin@wku.edu.Recommended CitationPan, Dr. Wei-ping Director, "Confucius Institute Spring 2011 (Report)" (2011). The Confucius Institute Publications. Paper 2.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ci_pubs/2ConfuciusInstitute2 Confucius Institute 3Confucius InstituteFrom the PresidentWKU is serious about building a significant Chinese presence across our campus and throughout Kentucky. This is an important foundation for the achievement of our vision to be a leading American University with International Reach. Our primary means of bringing the Chinese culture to Kentucky is the establishment of a Confucius Institute at WKU, the first in Kentucky. Through our partnership with Hanban, the Chinese headquarters for more than 300 Confucius Institutes world-wide, we have established a Chinese language program in the public schools in the South Central Kentucky region. We are creating a Chi-nese major in our Department of Modern Languages. We have brought exciting new Chinese performances to WKU. We have completed the Chinese Learning Center in Helm Library, which includes numerous Chinese interactive exhibits that will help our students learn more about Chinese history, culture, art and literature. With these accom-plishments and the many more to follow, we will strive to continue to make a lasting and relevant impact on the lives of those on our cam-pus and across our community. We value our partnership with Hanban, and we are grateful for the support provided by Madame Xu Lin, the Director General of Hanban, and her staff. The best is yet to come from our Confucius Institute.New Chinese Teachers on Their WayOur first-year teachers (11 of them teaching in 11 different schools in Warren, Barren and Logan Counties) have had a powerful impact on their schools, and because the word has spread about these amazing young people, we are fortunate enough to have the task of bringing in 18 additional teachers for the 2011-12 Academic Year. We are also adding three new counties to the roster: Allen, Meade and Simpson. These teachers, like their predecessors, will be working in elementary, middle, high school and community-based classrooms. With the in-crease of teachers and classes, this year the CI will potentially reach 3,000 students.4 Confucius Institute 5Confucius InstituteChinese Language Classes Offered to the CommunityChinese classes are not only offered to those lucky students in local elementary, middle and high school classes. They are also available to the community on an ongoing basis. The CI now offers Youth Chinese Language classes to any child interested in learning Chinese. These classes (Beginner and Intermediate) meet every Sunday from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. The structure of the class will differ from our school-based classes in that Chinese culture will be an important aspect during the second hour of instruction. Adult classes are every Tuesday and Thurs-day evening from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. They are geared towards busi-ness professionals that travel and work often in China, as well as those with a sincere interest in learning the language. All these classes are a permanent piece of the Confucius Institute’s itinerary as part of our commitment to disseminate Chinese language and culture.Author and Speaker Cathy Bao Bean at WKUIn collaboration with the WKU Philosophy and Religion Department, Cathy Bao Bean, author of “The Chopsticks-Fork Principle,” visited campus on February 3rd to discuss her life experiences as a Chinese immigrant growing up in the United States. Those experiences include marrying an American artist and raising a child together. In her lecture Ms. Bao Bean explained that you can never fully let go of one culture in order to fully embrace the other. Instead, aspects of each will continue to bear out depending on the situation. The compromise is usually a melding of the two. The Confucius Institute hopes that this first lecture will be an example of the many partnerships they hope to foster with departments across the campus.6 Confucius Institute 7Confucius InstitutePresident Gary Ransdell Hosts Chinese Faculty and Staff at Chinese New Year CelebrationThe evening of February 4th may have been cold, but a warm reception greeted WKU Chinese faculty and staff at the home of President Gary Ransdell. In a gesture welcoming the coming of Spring and the New Year, Dr. Ransdell and his wife, Julie, hosted a traditional Chinese New Year reception, complete with lucky Red Envelopes and traditional food. It was a first for WKU and a wonderful opportunity for the Confucius Institute to bring together WKU’s Chinese community for an important celebration.Xiamen University Student Art Troupe Performs in Spring Gala on CampusThe Confucius Institute was lucky enough to showcase the talents of the Xiamen University Student Art Troupe for a Spring Gala extrava-ganza on February 15th. The performance began with a Chinese “game show” invented by the Confucius Institute, which quizzed audience members on Chinese culture and simple phrases such as “xiexie” and “ni hao.” The real show consisted of colorful and lively performances on traditional Chinese instruments, singing, dancing, martial arts, and most surprisingly, an American emcee from Louisville who could speak Chinese fluently. Following the performance was a reception and din-ner for the performers, yet another opportunity for the WKU commu-nity to meet and greet new friends from abroad. Thank you, Xiamen University, for your wonderful performance.8 Confucius Institute 9Confucius InstituteWell-Known Chinese Artists Provide Workshops for WKU StudentsDr. Kunli Li, Professor of Music at Xiamen University, and Dr. Guangzhi Fang, Assistant Professor of Art at Xiamen University, took time out of their busy performance schedules to conduct workshops for WKU students. Dr. Li , an expert on traditional Chinese instruments, not only gave brief histories of the six instruments she and her students brought with them to the concert hall, they also gave stunning performances on each.At his workshop, Dr. Fang gave a lecture about the importance of empty spaces within all paintings and then proceeded to demonstrate the technique by completing a beautiful bamboo piece during the class period.Both these workshops were collaborations between the Confucius Institute and WKU’s Music and Art Departments. The Confucius Insti-tute wants to publicly thank them for their time and efforts in making these workshops possible for the students. W.R. McNeill School Hosts Event  Celebrating Chinese CultureDuring its first year, the WKU Confucius Institute has brought over 11 teachers from China to teach Chinese language classes in K-16 settings in 3 counties in Kentucky; Barren, Logan and Warren. Teachers and students alike have been highly motivated by these scholars. A perfect example of this enthusiasm took place on February 22nd during W.R. McNeill’s Chinese Culture Night. Music teachers, in partnership with our own Chinese teachers, put on a performance with their 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes of traditional Chinese songs, dance (2 person Lion Dancing and Ribbon Dances), instruments and a finale of not just one, but two huge lions holding at least 10 students each.Experiences like these are a main goal of the Confucius Institute. Through inspired events and an inspired community, we not only learn more about China, but the teachers sent here are also learning more about us. Thank you, W.R. McNeill Elementary School!10 Confucius Institute 11Confucius InstituteSome Old, Some NewThe Confucius Institute at WKU sponsored The Symphony at WKU concert, “Some Old, Some New,” on February 25, 2011 at Van Meter Auditorium. The concert brought out approximately 1,300 people and consisted of two different segments. The first segment showcased the “Pre-College String Students of WKU Artist Faculty,” which was led by Dr. Ching-Yi Lin (Violin Professional-in-Residence, Concertmaster of the Symphony, and Head of the Pre-College Violin/Viola Program), Jor-dana Greenberg and Rebecca Reed-Lunn. The second segment, led by Dr. William R. Scott (Music Director & Baker Professor of Music), high-lighted the mastery of the Symphony by showcasing complex pieces like the Symphony No. 8 in B Minor (Franz Schubert – 1797-1828), Concerto Grosso In D Major, opus 6 no. 5 (George Frederic Handel – 1685-1759), and the finale of La Valse (Maurice Ravel – 1875-1937). The Confucius Institute was pleased to be one of two sponsors for this spectacular event.Dr. Chris Groves to Speak at Alumni College Event in JuneOn behalf of the Confucius Institute, Dr. Chris Groves of WKU’s Hoff-man Environmental Research Institute will speak to the Alumni Col-lege on June 10th from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. His talk, “Landscape, Culture, and Environment in Rural Southwest China,” will illustrate the work of the Institute’s China Environmental Health Project, which has been working for 15 years to understand and solve problems related to environ-mental conditions in China’s rural southwest. Rural China gets much less attention than the great economic en-gines of the urban east, but there are millions of people with their own stories to tell. This presentation focuses on the strength, beauty and serious challenges faced by southwest China’s land-scape and people, and how WKU faculty and students are trying to make a differ-ence there.Dr. Groves and his wife, Deana, have also been a Host Family this past year to one of the Confucius Institute’s teachers, Ms. Guo Ruijie. We cannot thank him and his family enough for their support of and participation in our programs.If you would like more information about Alumni College and the other programs they will be hosting, please contact Ms. Ginny Hensley Steenburgen at ginny.hensley@wku.edu or at 270-745-4395.12 Confucius InstituteIf you are interested in partnering with the Confucius Institute, please contact us at CI@wku.edu or at 270-745-2836.Wei-Ping Pan, Director  wei-ping.pan@wku.eduTao Lei, Assistant Director  tao.lei@wku.eduCheryl Kirby-Stokes, Education and Community Outreach Coordinator cheryl.kirby-stokes@wku.eduTerrill Martin, Operations Manager terrill.martin@wku.eduThe Confucius Institute Western Kentucky University 2413 Nashville Road, Suite C2 Bowling Green, KY 42101Phone: 270-745-2836Web: www.wku.edu/ci

Confucius Institute Spring 2011 (Report)

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Confucius Institute Spring 2011 (Report)

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