Participants are excited to have their Chinese names written in Chinese calligraphy at the Fair.
On August 26th, the Confucius Institute at the University of Central Arkansas (UCACI) hosted a Chinese Culture Fair in the center area of UCA campus. The event lasted from 10am to 4pm, with over 500 students, faculty members, and residents of local community participating in the fair and about 150 students signing up for activities to be held at the Chinese Cultural Club of UCACI.
The Chinese Culture Fair consisted of three main sections: the exhibition section, the cultural experience section, and the information section. In the exhibition area, the photos of previous Chinese cultural activities and programs were shown on four boards, such as Chinese Bridge Competition, Arkansas High School Students Summer Camp in China, Arkansas Educators China Tour, Chinese Culture Club, Chinese Immersion Program in Shanghai, etc. The exhibition boards gave participants a vivid presentation of various activities organized by the Confucius Institute at UCA. Besides the photo exhibition, other Chinese cultural exhibits including tea sets, bamboo slips, Beijing opera masks, Chinese musical instruments, Chinese chess, Chinese games, palace lanterns and Chinese knots attracted many visitors. UCACI staff’s vivid introduction and explanation made students have more interest in the exhibits and they tried some hands-on activities.
Students try some hands-on activities at the Culture Fair.
In the information area, participants could get flyers and handbooks of the Chinese activities, Chinese language programs, Confucius Institute Scholarships, HSK and other detailed information from UCACI staff. At the same time, students could sign up for various activities to be held at the Chinese Cultural Club of UCACI in this fall semester. Many participants showed great enthusiasm in the activities, and some of them expressed willing of taking Chinese courses in the coming semester.
In the cultural experience area, many students were excited to get a Chinese name written in Chinese calligraphy by Dr. Guo-ou Zhuang, Director of UCACI. They said the Chinese calligraphy was “very cool” and they would like to frame their Chinese names and put them on the door of their dorms. This activity was very popular and people waited in a long line to get their Chinese names written in calligraphy. Chinese snacks, like spring rolls and fried dumplings, were also a great attraction.
The Chinese Cultural Fair helps UCA community get more information about the Chinese language programs offered by UCA and UCACI, and invited the university community to get involved in Chinese programs and cultural activities. According to organizers, the Fair It will be a regular activity of UCACI each semester.
The UCA Confucius Institute for Arkansas (UCACI)was established in 2007 with East China Normal University (ECNU) as its partner university. It is the 24th Confucius Institute created within the United States and one of 350 worldwide. The mission of the Confucius Institute at the University of Central Arkansas is to strengthen the ties between the State of Arkansas and the People's Republic of China, to enhance the mutual understanding of each respective culture, to promote Chinese language and culture within the State of Arkansas. This is done in a variety of ways including “Teaching Chinese in Arkansas” program, cultural experience, business translation and consultation services, seminars, as well as cultural performances and exhibitions.
Source: UCACI
Edited by: Liu Jinyu
