Registration underway for summer Chinese culture courses

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Confucius Institute at Western Michigan University is accepting registrations for summer Chinese culture courses that begin the week of May 9.

The five-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.

Summer 2016 course offerings

• Basic Chinese Freehand Style Painting—5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, May 10 to June 7, 2045 Brown hall. Tuition: $50. Materials fee: $15.
• Basic Chinese Language II—5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, May 10 to June 7, 3048 Brown Hall. Tuition: $50.
• Chinese Craft (Chinese knotting and paper cutting)—5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, May 10 to June 7, 4030 Brown Hall. Tuition: $50.
• Basic Chinese Calligraphy—5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, May 11 to June 8, 2037 Brown Hall. Tuition: $50. Materials fee: $15.

• Basic Chinese Language I—5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, May 11 to June 8, 4030 Brown Hall. Tuition: $50.

• Chinese Tai Chi—5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, May 11 to June 8, G10 Bernhard Center. Tuition: $50.
• Intermediate Chinese Language —9 to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays, May 12 to June 9, 3209 Dunbar Hall. Tuition: $50.

Course instructors

Zhongmei Lin, the instructor for Freehand-Style Painting, was born and raised in an artistic family. She earned a master’s degree from the Academy of Art and Design at Tsinghua University and she has worked in media for more than eight years.

Ajun He, the instructor for Basic Chinese Language II, was a teacher at Beijing Language and Culture University before she came to the United States. She received her master’s degree from Minzu University in China, majoring in Chinese literature. She currently teaches in WMU’s Chinese language program.

Zhe Feng is the instructor for Chinese Craft. Feng received her bachelor’s degree at Beijing Language and Culture University, where she majored in teaching Chinese language and gained five years of teaching experience.

Baoqing Qian, instructor of Chinese Calligraphy, was born and raised in Beijing. Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, she learned to appreciate Chinese culture early. 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 United States.

Ruyuan Yang is the instructor for Basic Chinese Language I. She is from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China, and she has been a Chinese language teacher for several years.

Xu Zhou is the instructor for Basic Tai Chi classes. She received her master’s degree in 2013 from Beijing Language and Culture University, where she majored in linguistics and applied linguistics.

Mingchen Zhao teaches Intermediate Chinese Language. She earned a master’s degree in linguistics and applied linguistics from Beijing Language and Culture University, where she gained extensive knowledge of teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

Registration

For more information or to register for Chinese culture classes, visit the Confucius Institute at wmuconfucius.org. Questions should be directed to Baoqing Qian at baoqing.qian@wmich.edu or call (269) 387-3784.

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