Free Chinese culture workshops offered at WMU

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Confucius Institute at Western Michigan University is accepting registrations for four, one-day Chinese culture workshops.

The free workshops are being taught in English by instructors from Beijing Language and Culture University. They are open to the public and being offered for personal enrichment.

Register for a workshop online at wmuconfucius.org/workshops.

Workshops

• Chinese Calligraphy—6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, 4010 Brown Hall.

• Chinese Paper Cutting—6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, 4010 Brown Hall.

• Chinese Songs—6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, 4010 Brown Hall.

• Chinese Knotting—6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4010 Brown Hall.

Workshop instructors

• Baoqing Qian, instructor for the Chinese Calligraphy workshop, was born and raised in Beijing. Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, Qian learned to appreciate Chinese culture early on. She finds teaching Chinese culture and basic Chinese language programs through the Confucius Institute at WMU is a great opportunity for her to further the ongoing cultural exchanges between China and the U.S.
• Mingchen Zhao is the instructor for the Chinese Paper Cutting workshop. Zhao earned a master's degree in linguistics and applied linguistics from Beijing Language and Culture University and also teaches the Confucius Institute's Intermediate Chinese Language course. During her seven years of study at BLCU, she has gained extensive knowledge about teaching Chinese as a foreign language as well as gained a greater understanding about other cultures.
• Huanhuan Wu, the instructor for the Chinese Songs workshop, is from Weihai, a beautiful seaside city in the east of Shandong Province. Her many hobbies encompass subject areas such as folk songs, Peking opera, paper cutting, calligraphy and Chinese knots, to name a few. Wu has taught Chinese for three years at several different schools, including BLCU, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunication.
• Zhe Feng is the instructor for the Chinese Knotting workshop. Feng earned a bachelor's degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language from BLCU. She spent five years studying and teaching Chinese as a second language before coming to WMU.

For more information, visit the Confucius Institute at wmuconfucius.org. Direct questions to the Confucius Institute at @email or (269) 387-3784.

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