Teaching volunteers visits the Point Loma High School

Point Loma High School in San Diego has two Chinese classes, taught by Mrs. Katherine Chang. On Friday, Jan 29, organized by the Confucius Institute at SDSU, three volunteers visited Mrs. Chang's class and observed a class with the guest speaker, Prof. Huang, for Chinese festivals. Bennett Harrold, who has been studying Mandarin in Taiwan for 3 year, Lily Ma, who is a Taijin native and Jennifer Meng, who graduated from SDSU with a master's degree in Education, are interested in pursuing the career as a Chinese teacher in California. They are eager to gain teaching experience in the US public schools since they understand the difference of the classroom management and teaching methods between China and the US. They will start volunteering as a teaching assistant in Point Loma High School and Correia Middle School. Point Loma High School and Correia Middle School both are granted the support by Hanban and become one of the 7 Confucius Classrooms managed by the CI at SDSU in 2009. Teaching volunteers are part of the support from the Confucius Classroom to the schools.

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College Board China Trip San Diego Reunion

The CI at SDSU invited people from the first College Board China Trip for a reunion dinner. The trip was last December and the participants included senior educators, SDSU professors, directors, foreign language program coordinators and principals from several school districts in San Diego County, including San Diego Unified School District, etc. They were excited to share their experiences and exchanged their thoughts on Mandarin language learning development. They all agreed that Mandarin has become one of the most critical languages in the US and the world. For instance, Riverview Elementary School has Mandarin class and just established Confucius Classroom with Confucius Institute last year. The principal, Mrs. Olympia Kyriakidis also signed the MOU with the First Experimental Elementary School in Fujian Province for sister school collaboration. She believed that this two-way communication will be beneficial for both sides, and the result would be significant. (Click here to read the entire story)

Source: WorldJournal, Jan. 26, 2010

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CI attended the 6th China Outlook Forum hosted by WTCSD

The Confucius Institute attended the 6th China Outlook forum hosted by the World Trade Center San Diego. The forum was held at La Jolla Hyatt on January 28 from 1 to 7pm. More than 200 business professionals who are doing business with Chinese businesses or conducting business in China attended this event. Dr. Lilly Cheng, the Managing director of the CI and the Chair of the Asia Desk of the WTCSD mentioned in the closing remark the importance of knowing the culture and language for cross-cultural communication in business, especially in the global business climate nowadays.

Many major multinational businesses in San Diego and southern California sponsored this meeting, including FedEx, UPS, Air China, DDH Enterprise, Callaway Golf, etc. The County of San Diego is also one of the sponsors to the event. During the reception many attendees were interested in the language learning and the opportunity to study in China for short-term language study through the Confucius Institute, and were surprised to know about the rapidly growing Mandarin programs in San Diego public schools with the CI's support. By attending this event CI was able to provide information and possible business opportunity to the local business community.

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The Night of We Chinese in America in Poway Performing Art Center

The first Night of We Chinese in America 2010 took place in the Poway Performing Art Center at 7:00pm, Sunday, on January 17, 2010. We Chinese, a San Diego monthly magazine and weekly newspaper, celebrated its 100th issue. Authors and cover people of We Chinese were awarded with prizes for their outstanding work and contribution. Dr. Lilly Cheng, Managing Director of the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University was awarded the "Talented Educator of 2009". 800 seats are full of enthusiastic audience from Chinese community. The CI at SDSU sponsored some of the performances, like the musical, West Camber and a Chinese singing by Barnard Chinese Magnet Elementary Confucius Classroom. A student, Marjon Barrigan, from the CI also joined the Tang poem recitation. Julia Chang, Project manager of the CI at SDSU and Prof. Huihui Huang, a visiting scholar from Xiamen University also attended the event.

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Riverview International Academy Celebrates CNY

In the evening of January 27, 2010, a Chinese New Year Celebration sponsored by the Confucius Institute at SDSU and the Riverview Confucius Classroom was held at Riverview International Academy in Lakeside, Ca.. The evening was launched with an opening ceremony, where a beautiful calligraphy of the schools? names in Chinese presented to the principals of Riverview Elementary and Lakeside Middle School by Dr. Lilly Cheng, the director of the CI. The celebration soon began with activities presenting the Chinese culture.

With the support of the CI volunteers, students and parents made paper lanterns, have their Chinese names written in Calligraphy, joined in the Chinese children?s game-Shabao, have their faces painted with Chinese zodiac, learned about Chinese tea-making and tasted the Chinese tea. By the end of the night, students and parents not only had a great time but also learned about the Chinese culture and some basic Chinese language. Many of the parents quickly learned saying ?Xiexie? to the volunteers after hearing their children repeating the same. Most of the people at the fair commented that this is a great experience for them, especially in the aspect of how the culture and language learning can be integrated.

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House of China 2010 Virginia Hom Fung Memorial Youth Chinese Language Scholarship

The HOC is a non-profit cultural and education organization founded in 1935 and is located in Balboa Park. The purpose of the HOC is to preserve, present and promote Chinese culture, friendship and understanding. Since 1995, the House of China (HOC) has awarded scholarships each year to San Diego County youths, 18 years of age or younger, currently enrolled in one of seven Chinese language schools: Chinese School of San Diego, San Diego Chinese Academy, San Diego Yet-Sen Chinese School, SDCCA North County Chinese School, Hua-Xia., San Diego China Center and Chinese Institute and San Diego American Chinese School. There are three groups: beginner, intermediate and advanced, based on recommendations by teachers. The late Ms Virginia Hom Fung was a dedicated HOC officer whose passion was Chinese culture and its advancement. The scholarships are awarded in her memory. Please click here for more information, and click here to download the application form. The application deadline is April 17, 2010.

Barnard PTA Mandarin Class

The Confucius Classroom at Barnard Mandarin Chinese Magnet Elementary School hosted the very first Mandarin class for its school parents on Monday, January 11th, 2010. Organized by the Barnard Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University, this Parents' Mandarin class is held on Mondays and Fridays. The main purpose of this class is for the parents to learn Mandarin, Chinese culture, geography and history. The first class was taught by Prof. Wendy Huang from Xiamen University, the partner university of the Confucius Institute at SDSU. The class is designed to match the curriculum that is offered to the students at Barnard so that the parents and the students can share similar curriculum. This Parents' Mandarin class is in response to the requests from parents who would like to learn Mandarin in order to participate in their children's Mandarin learning. There were about 20 parents joined the first class. They learned how to greet and introduce themselves in Mandarin, especially how to say 'I love you' in Mandarin. The responses from the parents are overwhelmingly positive.

Barnard Mandarin Chinese Magnet Elementary School started its Mandarin Magnet program in 2007. It's the first Mandarin Chinese magnet program in the San Diego Unified School District.

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CI of SDSU attended The Fourth Confucius Institute Conference

SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin, Dean Paul Wong, Professor Lilly Cheng, Professor Sue Chen and Principal Edward Park of Barnard School were invited to the 4th Confucius Institute Conference in Beijing China between December 11th and 13th. The opening ceremony was held at the China National Conference Center. A dinner was held at the Great Hall of the People. A special performance was presented at the CNCC by the learners of Chinese language and culture. Provost Marlin and Professor Cheng were invited to present papers at the conference. A booth was set up for the SDSU Confucius Institute. The conference drew more than 500 participants from 87 countries.

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CI of SDSU attended XMU Confucius Institute Partnership Workshop

SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin, Dean Paul Wong, CI Managing Director Professor Lilly Cheng and Professor Sue Chen were invited to attend the Confucius Institute Conference in Xiamen. This conference was held between December 9th and 10th by our Partner university-Xiamen University. Representatives from ten Confucius Institutes attended the conference. They represented the following countries, Malta, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, France, Germany, England , Poland and the United States. Representatives from each of the ten universities were asked to make a report about their own Confucius Institute. The participants were also taken to the ZhangZhou Campus of Xiamen University and the Gulang Island. On December 10th, a tour of the UN Heritage site in Nanjing was arranged. All the participants enjoyed their visit to the Hakka style homes and learned a lot about the Hakka way of life.

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CI@SDSU Attending the CI Annual Conference and Resources Exhibition

In order to promote foreign languages learning and share resources and experiences of developing Confucius Institutes worldwide, Confucius Institute Headquarters (aka Hanban) and National Language Committee in China will hold the "Exhibitions of Resources of Confucius Institutes and World Languages? at the China National Convention Center between the 11th and 14th of December 2009. This exhibition will stage simultaneously with the 4th Confucius Institute Conference and together will attract more than 10,000 attendees from 88 countries. The exhibition will hold forums about language policy and communication, and press conferences of the latest Mandarin learning materials, etc.

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Chinese Government Scholarship

Chinese Government Scholarship Scheme was established by MOEC in accordance with educational exchange agreements or understandings reached between Chinese government and governments of other countries, education organs, institutions and relevant international organizations to provide both full scholarships and partial scholarships to international students and scholars. The scheme supports students who come to study in China as undergraduates, postgraduates, Chinese language students, general scholars and senior scholars. Applicants must be non-Chinese nationals. To apply, please read the "Instructions for students' online application" (or copy/paste https://acrobat.com/#d=63eumM9syFkkUxledmgZ9g to your Internet browser) and follow the steps. The deadline for the application has been extended to April 30, 2010. For further information, please contact Confucius Institute at SDSU at 619.594.4791.

More non-heritage students learning Chinese

According to the WorldJournal, there are an increasing number of students learning Chinese. Surprisingly, the percentage of students with Chinese ethnicity is lower than students with other ethnicities. Professor Zhang at SDSU, a Chinese instructor, states that students in his class are unprecedentedly diverse. 40 students in his class are from the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Mexico, and many countries other than China. (Click here to read the entire story)

Source: WorldJournal, Nov. 19, 2009

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Linguists from Beijing Language and Culture University Visit

Five linguists from Beijing Language and Culture University visited the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University San Diego on Nov. 16, 2009. Accompanied by Dr. Lilly Cheng, Managing Director of the CI, the delegation from BLCU visited Barnard Mandarin Chinese Magnet Elementary School and its Chinese classes. They also met with the Prof. Zhangsheng Zhang and his students in his Chinese class. After the class visit, the CI held a luncheon to welcome the delegation and Mr. Shi Dingguo, Professor of College of Humanities and Social Sciences, who gave a presentation on Chinese character teaching methodology. Her presentation was based on research findings of how Chinese character learning helps cultivate the right side of the brain and thus helps improve the academic achievement of the Chinese language learner. Later that day, Prof. Chen Yuxiu, CI co-director, briefed the delegation about the development of the CI. The visit ended with a one-hour discussion with local Chinese teachers. The Chinese news media, WorldJournal also covered the visit of the BLCU delegation to the CI. (Click here to see the story)

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Community celebrated the dedication of the Du Nam Xuong Auditorium at San Diego State University

On October 24, 2009, in honor of Mr. Du Nam Xuong, the dedication ceremony of Du Nam Xuong Auditorium was held on campus of SDSU by Confucius Institute at San Diego State University. County Supervisor Ron Roberts presented a proclamation honoring Mr. Du Nam Xuong and proclaimed the 24th of October will be the Du Nam Xuong Day.

The ceremony was followed by a series of lectures. Provost Nancy Marlin and Dean Paul Wong addressed the audience by introducing the internationalization of SDSU and the development of the Chinese Studies program. Mr. David Du, the eldest son of Mr. Du and CEO of the DDH Enterprise, Inc., gave a talk recalling the history of the Global Alliance of the Chinese from Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea. Sally T. Wong-Avery, Esq., principal of the Chinese School of San Diego, presented to the audience a vivid description on the San Diego Chinese School. Prof. Yuxiu Chen shared her own stories as a returned overseas Chinese in mainland China and Prof. Chiou-ling Yeh contributed a moving story about the Mother of the Year.

The entire Du family were present at the unveiling of the bilingual English/Chinese plaque in the Du Nam Xuong auditorium. Among the over 150 guests are leaders from over forty community organizations from San Diego Chinese Community. Along side with Prof. Yuxiu Chen?s tea-making and Prof. Huang?s Erhu performance, Chinese Din Sum, tea and cake were served at the reception after the ceremony.

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Consuls from LA Chinese Consulate visiting CI at SDSU

Three consuls from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles visited the Confucius Institute at SDSU on October 16, 2009. They were Zhunmin Chen, Consul and Head of Education Office, Cuiying Xu, Consul for education and Yi Wang, Vice Consul for education. They were warmly welcomed by Dr. Lilly Cheng, the managing director of the CI, Prof. Yuxiu Chen, co-director from Xiamen University, and Prof. Huihui Huang, faculty member of the CI from Xiamen University. Dr. Sam Shen, Dept Chair of Mathematics and Statistics at SDSU, was also invited to the meeting.

briefing on the mission of CI at SDSU and the major activities has been done since the establishment of the CI was first given by Prof. Yuxiu Chen. Jesus Mai, an SDSU senior student, also participated the meeting and shared his life-changing experience in the SDSU CI China Study Abroad Program in Shanghai.

After the meeting, the consuls visited Barnard Elementary Mandarin Chinese Magnet School. They visited the Chinese class and were impressed by the technology the school utilized in the school to enhance the students? learning experience and how Barnard aims to integrating the Chinese culture into its curriculum. They also interacted with students during their lunch time and were impressed by the students? Chinese language ability.

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Partnership agreement signed between BES and CI at SDSU

Sep. 29, 2009

A Partnering Agreement between Barnard Elementary School Mandarin Chinese Magnet Program and Confucius Institute at San Diego State University was signed in the Auditorium of the Barnard Elementary School. Being a major supporter of Barnard in its Mandarin Chinese program by providing resources such as teaching materials, cultural programs, teacher trainings as well as exposure to higher education experience, Confucius Institute of San Diego State University is committed to the development of Barnard?s Immersion Program. Kids of all grades were in attendance to witness the signing ceremony, which was followed by the film, ?My Beijing Birthday?. Guests from the District Community Relations, Correia Middle School, Point Loma High School, Miami Dade College, and Larc all attended this event.

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The 2009 Chinese Teaching Conference of Confucius Institutes in the US & Canada

Sep. 18-20, 2009

The 2009 Chinese Teaching Conference of Confucius Institutes in the US & Canada was organized and hosted by Confucius Institute at Portland State University. Dr. Lilly Cheng, the managing director of the CI at SDSU participated in the conference along with Huihui Huang, a professor from Xiamen University. As a member of the presentation team, Mr. Edward Park, principal of Barnard Elementary Chinese Magnet Program in San Diego, briefly introduced his school and its Chinese language enrichment programs, in hopes to obtain additional assistance for its Chinese language programs. The presentations from this team were well received by the participants.

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10th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

To promote the Chinese culture and language, Confucius Institute co-presents two selected films, "Speaking in Tongues" and "Forever Enthralled" during the 10th San Diego Asian Film Festival Please see our event calendar for screening time and location. For discounted tickets, please contact the CI office at 619-594-4791 by October 22.

Jewish writer visited Confucius Institute at SDSU

Sep. 22, 2009

Before the 60th anniversary of People's Republic of China, Howard & Judith Rubenstein, the Jewish writer living in San Diego visited the Confucius Institute at SDSU and enjoyed the photo exhibition "Marking the 30th Anniversary of China-US Diplomatic Relations." When the couple recalled various funny stories happened in 1984 when they were visiting China, they deeply felt that the relationship between two countries should be maintained and cherished.

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HOUSE OF CHINA WON THE 2009 AHA

July 25, 2009

Confucius Institute at SDSU congratulates our community partner, House of China and David Seid, for winning the 2009 Asian Heritage Award in the category of Cultural Preservation.

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Riverview Elementary Visits CI

June 10, 2009

About 50 students, parents and teachers from Riverview Elementary School visited the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University. They visited the language lab and learned the origin of the Chinese character and practiced Chinese writing on a computer program. The visit also included a campus tour and students got a taste of the college life.

Riverview Elementary School is the only school in Lakeside School District with the bilingual immersion program. CI and the school district will form the partnership in the near future to help the district develop more Chinese language programs.

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First International Faire in Lakeside, CA

May 30, 2009

The First International Faire was held at Riverview Elementary. The CI attended the faire with Chinese calligraphy and Chinese Opera Costume and face painting in Chinese Culture booth. There were about 1,000 people participated this event.

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Chinese Language Conference in Chicago

April 30, 2009

The 2nd North America Chinese Language Conference was held in Chicago from April 30 to May 2 this year. Dr. Lilly Cheng, managing director of the CI at SDSU, participated in the conference with the principal, Mr. Park, from Barnard Elementary Chinese Magnet Program in San Diego. While meeting with the Hanban Director, Mme. Xu Lin, and the Education Consul, Mr. Yaosheng Li, from the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate, Dr. Cheng and Mr. Park expressed the great interest of learning Mandarin Chinese in San Diego school districts and seek the continuing support from Hanban.

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A Summer Institute for K-5 Elementary School Teachers at SDSU

May 18, 2009

SDSU International Studies Educational Project (ISTEP) hosts a summer institute this June for grades K-5 elementary teachers. The summer institute has five afternoons of exciting programming with faculty members from SDSU's Chinese Studies Institute and the Confucius Institute in collaboration with ISTEP. The program provides classroom resources, curriculum demonstrations, free classroom materials and a $250 stipend. The program starts from June 22 to June 26, 1:00 to 5:00pm at SDSU, and the topics include:

• Celebrity Stories of Imperial China;
• Art as a Reflection of Chinese Philosophy & Religion
• The Search for Modern China
• Setting a Global Context for Teaching About China
• A Lesson in Calligraphy
• Chinese Language & Identity in the Diaspora
• Crossing the Cultural Divide

To register, please complete the APPLICATION FORM and mail to ISTEP. For more information, contact Dr. Elsie Begler at (619) 594-2412. The application deadline is June 8, 2009.

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The CI attended "Passport Through China" at Barnard Elementary

May 16, 2009

In honor of the Asian Heritage Month, Barnard Elementary School held a cultural carnival, Passport Through China, on Saturday, May 16, 2009. The Confucius Institute (CI) at SDSU attended the celebration by demonstrating the art of Chinese calligraphy and Peking Opera. Two Friends of CI, Ms. Anne Chu and Mr. Mann, showed the calligraphy writing and helped the fundraising by providing Chinese name calligraphy writing to the audience. Justin Alsamarrai, the Goodwill Student Ambassador of the CI, displayed the Peking opera costume and culture to the audience. Other performances included face painting, Taiko drum, Taekwondo, etc. The students from the Barnard's Chinese magnet program also performed the Chinese song singing. The event began at 11:00am and finished at 4:00pm. There are about 400 students, parents and community members who participated the event.

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The Confucius Institute hosts Yancheng cultural delegation in San Diego

May 7, 2009

To celebrate the Asian Heritage Month this year, a delegation from Yancheng, China, comes to San Diego to perform for the County and local elementary schools. Invited by the Confucius Institute at SDSU, the delegation is consist of 8 11-year-old performers and 3 teachers from Yancheng, one of the San Diego Friendship cities and historically known as one of the "three and a half cradles of national acrobatics" with performers selected and trained from a very young age, only to produce some of the world?s finest acrobatic performers.

On May 5, the Yancheng delegation was invited by Supervisor Ron Roberts to visit the regular meeting of County of San Diego Board of Supervisors. At the meeting, Supervisor Ron Roberts presented a Proclamation honoring Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month to Dr. Lilly Cheng, managing director of the CI, and Levin Sy. Accompanying them were other leaders from the Asian-American community. The Yancheng delegation performed at Barnard Elementary School on May 4, Lafayette School on May 5, the UPAC gala and the San Diego County Administration Center on May 7 and attracted more than 1,000 audiences. Its performances include Taiwanese fold song, Chinese opera, Chinese musical instrument and Chinese minority folk song and dance. During the visit in San Diego, the delegation also visited the world-famous SeaWorld and San Diego Zoo. The local Chinese community leaders welcomed the delegation on Wednesday evening . Mr. David Du and Mr. Richard Ledford hosted dinners and many other community leaders and media attended to show their support.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in May to commemorate the contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. Congress passed a joint Congressional Resolution in 1978 to commemorate Asian American Heritage Week during the first week of May.

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Barnard Elementary and the CI partnered

May 4, 2009

The CI signed the partnership agreement with Barnard Elementary School and its Chinese Magnet Program on May 4, 2009. The signing ceremony took place at Barnard Elementary before the Yancheng cultural performance. Dr. Lilly Cheng, the managing director of the CI, and Mr. Edward Park, Barnard Elementary's principal, signed the partnership agreement to further collaboration between the CI and Barnard Elementary to promote Chinese language learning. Ms. Carol Barry, the Chief Instructional Officer for SDUSD, David Seid from House of China, Dr. Elsie Begler, Director of ISTEP at SDSU and many community member attended the ceremony.

Barnard Elementary School Mandarin Chinese program enriches students through daily instruction in Mandarin Chinese through integration with the Mandarin Chinese culture, including the art, music and literature. It's the only Mandarin Chinese magnet program in San Diego County supported by federal funding.

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"The Good Person of Szechwan," on SDSU Campus starting April 24 to May 3

April 20, 2009

"...classic theater for contemporary times..." - University of Queensbury

SDSU, School of Theatre, Television and Film is presenting The Good Person of Szechwan and invites you to answer this question - who is a good person in todays world?  A pertinent query for our times.  Written by Bertolt Brecht who is considered one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century, The Good Person of Szechwan is one of Brecht's most celebrated plays. This intercultural play blends Brecht's fascination with Chinese theatricality, German politics, and American detective novels into a fast-moving, comic consideration of Right and Wrong in the real world.

The Good Person of Szechwan plays at the SDSU Don Powell Theatre April 24, 25, 30, May 1 and 2 at 8 pm as well as April 26 and May 3 at 2 pm.  Tickets are $15 - $18.  Group discounts of 10 or more can be obtained by calling prior to the date you are attending at 619 594-6365.  Single tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Box Office, open Tuesday through Friday from 11 am to 2 pm and one hour before each performance.  You can also purchase tickets online at theatre.sdsu.edu or by calling 619 594-6884.

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Chinese Language Contest

April 10, 2009
Los Angeles, CA

A Chinese speech contest will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009, from 10:00-12:00p.m., in the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. All participants need to give a speech in Chinese about 5-10 minutes. This contest is for selecting the contestents to attend the annual "Chinese Bridge Contest" in China this summer. To apply, please contact the Chinese Consulate at 213-807-8009 or email to wangyimoe@msn.com. For more details, please see the attachment (PDF).

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2009 Confucius Institute Scholarship is now available

April 01, 2009
San Diego, CA

"Confucius Institute Scholarship" is established by Confucius Institute Headquarters, with a goal of encouraging students and teachers worldwide, who are studying and/or teaching Chinese as a second language, to study Chinese language and culture in China.

The scholarship is available in two categories: 1) scholarship for short-term (4 weeks, 1 semester or 1 year) study; 2) scholarship for bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees.

If you are planning to study in China and are interested in applying for the scholarship, please contact the Confucius Institute at SDSU for applications and other details. The deadline of the application is the end of May, 2009.

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Unveiling Ceremony on March 26, Celebrating SDSU Month

March 3, 2009
San Diego, CA

The Confucius Institute at San Diego State University will hold its unveiling ceremony on March 26. Hosted by President Weber, the ceremony is one of the SDSU Month celebration highlights. The Chinese Ambassador, Zhou Wenzhong, Consul General Zhang Yun, County Supervisor Ron Roberts, Councilmember Carl DeMaio, as well as other elected officials and community leaders will attend this ceremony. Xiamen University, the Chinese partner of San Diego State University for the Institute, will have a delegation of 6 people, led by the Xiamen University Chairman Zhu Zhiwen, visit San Diego State University for the unveiling ceremony.

The ceremony will be held at Arts and Letters Plaza at 3:00 pm, followed by a reception at 4:00 pm.

For more information about the event, please contact Julia Chang at 619-594-4791.

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Shanghai Summer Program 2009

May 28- June 20
Shanghai, China

The College of Arts and Letters is proud to present the 2009 China Summer Program. This program is open to both SDSU students and members of the general public.

The 3-unit summer study abroad program will provide students with an opportunity to travel to China, the new major economic power. Central to the purpose is the opportunity to experience China in terms of its culture, society, history and economy. Students who study in Economics, International Business, Asia Studies, Chinese and other related majors will benefit from the experience gained through this program. Lectures about Chinese history and updates on modern China will be delivered by SDSU faculty in English, with several visits to local historical sites and hi-tech industrial parks also included in the program.

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SDSU Signed Agreement for the Partnership with Xiamen University

November 1, 2008
Xiamen, China

On November 1st, 2008, Nancy Marlin, Provost of San Diego State University, signed an agreement with Xiamen University (XMU) in China, for the establishment of a Confucius Institute at SDSU.

Provost Marlin and a delegation from SDSU, including Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, the Director of Chinese Studies Institute of SDSU and the Professor of Speech Language, Stanley Maloy, Dean of the College of Sciences, Paul Wong, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Samuel Shen, Professor and Chair of Department of Mathematics & Statistics and Alan Sweedler, Assistant Vice President for International Programs and Professor of Physics, visited Beijing and Xiamen in China. On November 1, they visited Xiamen University in Xiamen, China, for a signing ceremony with XMU. They were greeted by XMU?s Vice President, Prof. Shimo Pan, on behalf of XMU?s President, Dr. Chongshi Zhu.

At the signing ceremony, Prof. Pan welcomed Prof. Marlin and the delegation from SDSU, followed by a brief introduction to the history and current state of development of XMU, in particular concerning Confucius Institutes. Provost marlin expressed her pleasure at this co-operative venture and looked forward to learning about XMU?s excellent experience in the training of teachers of Chinese.

On hearing about the close relations between XMU and universities in Chinese Taiwan, Prof. Marlin expressed the hope that XMU would extend its range of co-operation from ?cross-straits? to ?trans-ocean?, in other words that it would develop cross-Pacific co-operation and exchanges since SDSU is located on the Pacific Ocean?s eastern seaboard.

To date, XMU has signed agreements over the operation of Confucius Institutes with 10 universities overseas, including SDSU. The Confucius Institute at SDSU will be the first Confucius Institute founded in the US partnering with Xiamen University. The two universities agreed to hold the inaugural ceremony for the Confucius Institute at SDSU in March 2009.

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SDSU Delegation Visited Hanban in Beijing, China

October 30th, 2008
Beijing, China

On October 30th, a delegation from San Diego State University, led by Nancy Marlin, Provost of SDSU, visited The Office of Chinese Language Council International, a.k.a. Hanban, in Beijing, China.

The delegation includes Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, the Director of Chinese Studies Institute of SDSU and the Professor of Speech Language, Stanley Maloy, Dean of the College of Sciences, Paul Wong, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Samuel Shen, Professor and Chair of Department of Mathematics & Statistics and Alan Sweedler, Assistant Vice President for International Programs and Professor of Physics, and Nancy Marlin, Provost of SDSU. The purpose of this delegation is to visit some elite Chinese Universities and Education Officials seeking collaborative ventures and opportunities between SDSU and China.

Deputy Director of Hanban, Mr. Quocheng Zhao, received the delegation most cordially with a welcome speech and he expressed the great expectation of new establishment of the Confucius Institute(CI) at SDSU. Provost Nancy Marlin thanked his great hospitality and the great support from Dr. Zhao and Hanban for the CI and affirmed SDSU's dedication to promoting Chinese language learning and teacher training. The delegation exchanged thoughts and ideas regarding the future collaboration in Chinese language learning and the development of the CI.

After the meeting, the delegation visited the ?China Exploratorium? located on the first floor of CI Headquarters building. The exhibition demonstrated the Chinese history with pictures, presentations, costume displays, and other multimedia presentations.

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