Fall registration underway for low-cost Chinese culture courses

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Confucius Institute at Western Michigan University is accepting registrations for fall Chinese culture courses that begin the week of Sept. 14.

The 12-week, low-cost courses are open to the public now. All of them are taught in English, and are offered to adults age 18 or older for personal enrichment rather than academic credit.

A half-price tuition discount is offered to those age 55 and older, WMU part-time faculty and staff members, and WMU students. Full-time faculty and staff members at the University pay no tuition. Some courses charge all participants a fee for materials, and those with low enrollment may be canceled.

Fall 2015 course offerings

• Basic Chinese Freehand Style Painting—6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 14 to Dec. 7, 2045 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120. Materials fee: $40.

• Basic Chinese Gongbi Painting—6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 14 to Dec. 7, 2037 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120. Materials fee: $40.

• Intermediate Chinese Language I—5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15 to Dec. 8, 3048 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120.

• Basic Chinese Language I—5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15 to Dec. 8, 4003 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120.

• Basic Tai Chi—5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16 to Dec. 9, 4002 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120.

• Advanced Chinese Language—5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16 to Dec. 9, 4045 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120.

• Basic Chinese Language II—4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16 to Dec. 9, 2037 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120.

• Intermediate Chinese Language II—5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16 to Dec. 9, 4048 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120.

• Chinese Song—6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 16 to Dec. 9, 3207 Dunbar. Tuition: $120.

• Basic Chinese Calligraphy—5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 17 to Dec. 10, 3002 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120. Materials fee: $40.

• Intermediate Chinese Gongbi Painting—6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 17 to Dec. 10, 3003 Brown Hall. Tuition: $120. Materials fee: $40.

Course instructors

Xu Zhou is the instructor for the Basic Tai Chi course. She received her master’s degree from Beijing Language and Culture University in 2013. Her major is linguistics and applied linguistics.

Baoqing Qian, instructor for the Chinese Calligraphy and Basic Chinese Language courses, was born and raised in Beijing. Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, she was exposed to Chinese art when she was little. Teaching Chinese language and culture at the WMU Confucius Institute is a great opportunity for her to further the ongoing cultural exchanges between China and the U.S.

Mingchen Zhao teaches Intermediate Chinese Language. She graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University with a master’s degree in linguistics and applied linguistics. During her seven years of study at BLCU, she gained extensive knowledge of teaching Chinese as a foreign language and also a greater understanding of other cultures.

Xiaoying Li, the instructor for both Basic and Intermediate Chinese Gongbi Painting, holds a bachelor’s degree in art education and has been an art instructor for more than 20 years. She also wrote two published books: "Traditional Chinese Realistic Painting of Flowers & Birds" and "Chinese Painting Tutorial."

Huanhuan Wu, the instructor for the Chinese Song course, was born in Weihai, a beautiful seaside city in east Shandong Province. She enjoys many hobbies, including learning and teaching people about Chinese folk songs, Peking opera, paper cutting, calligraphy and Chinese knots. She taught Chinese for three years at several different schools, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing Language and Culture University, and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunication.

Zhongmei Lin, the instructor for the Basic Chinese Freehand Style Painting course, was born and raised in a family of artists. She earned a master's degree from the Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University, and she worked in media for more than eight years. She also teaches Chinese ink painting.

Xiuqin Lin, who teaches Advanced Chinese Language, is an associate professor from Capital Normal University. She has 20 years of experience in teaching Chinese as a second language, and she enjoys teaching the language to others. She has a great passion for helping students learn Chinese and understand Chinese culture.

Registration

For more information or to register for Chinese culture classes, visit the Confucius Institute at wmuconfucius.org or contact the institute at @email or (269) 387-3784. Direct questions to Baoqing Qian at @email or (269) 387-3784.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.