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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