US 'culture ambassadors' charmed with Chinese learning

Students from Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language performance a Chinese dancing at the 9th National Chinese Language Conference in Chicago on April 28, 2016. [Photo/People's Daily Online]

Themed "Ambassadorship in Action", the 9th National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC) kicked off and provided a platform for sharing new ideas and best practices in Chinese language teaching and learning, and US–China educational exchange Thursday in Chicago.

Chinese dancing, singing, and Pipa performances were staged by local American students Thursday night at the opening ceremony of the conference, showing their ambassadorship in sharing and connecting culture between China and the United States.

Henry Knight started his Pipa learning when he was eight years old. "Although my father told me that it was really different, I was charmed by it." The now Brown University student used the over 2000-year-old Chinese instrument playing two Chinese songs and an Irish one with his teacher Wu Man.

Students from the Northside College Preparatory High School chorused a Mongolian song "Pastoral: Mongolian clan". Steven Koch, deputy mayor of Chicago, said that there are 13,000 students studying Chinese in Chicago. "It was hard to not be stunned by what we saw on the stage." He said, "Now thirteen thousand students immerse themselves into Chinese culture. Madam Xu Lin whispered to me that the song is a Mongolian song. It’s not a popular one. The song is highly academic. They immerse themselves into the deep education."

Xu Lin, Chief Executive and Director-General of Confucius Institute Headquarters said at the conference that there had been 500 Confucius Institutes and 1000 Confucius Classrooms in 135 countries by the end of 2015, of which, the United States has138 Confucius Institutes and 495 Confucius Classrooms. "Chinese learning has been a fashion in the United State," said Xu, "During the past 10 years, the Confucius Institutes have seen a steady development. During the next decade, we cannot even imagine how it will grow."

The conferences will last till Saturday. During the next two days, local students and teachers will share their Chinese teaching and learning experiences as well as practices.