Afterschool Outreach Program

Legends of China for Elementary School Students

Designed to enrich and deepen students’ understanding of Chinese culture, Legends of China features a series of interactive workshops, which will vividly retell notable stories through an array of amusing exercises.

Together, the stories featured in this workshop series span a period of two thousand years. They include classical folklores, morality tales and literary masterpieces, such as: The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, which was first documented in the Classic of Poetry, written before 300 B.C.; The Pretender, an anecdote written down at the end of the Warring States period in China by the philosopher Han Feizi; The Butterfly Lovers, an enduring story dated to the Tang dynasty (618-907); and the legend of the Monkey King, who is by far one of the most famous literary characters in the world and was created in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty in the epic novel Journey to the West.

Students will share in the joy of knowing these famous tales and characters, which are familiar to their peers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, as they learn some basic Mandarin vocabulary. Each story will be taught through a different lens of Chinese culture: visual arts, music, dance and other movement-based arts. Students will learn how to move like the Monkey King, sing Chinese songs, perform a fan dance, and play percussion instruments, among many other fun activities.

These stories are important and everlasting elements in the cultural fabric of Chinese society. The knowledge and understanding of them will help foster a global and culturally responsive perspective in young critical thinkers.

Workshops will take place at your school. The length (45 minutes, 1 hour or 1.5 hours) and the frequency of the workshop(s) can be tailored to the needs of your school.

For general inquiries, please contact Eva Wen, Program Coordinator, at 212.744.8181 ext. 121 or by email at ewen@chinainstitute.org.

   

Afterschool Outreach Program

Legends of China for Elementary School Students

Featured Stories

Monkey King

From one of China’s classical novels Journey to the West comes the fabled character of the Monkey King. Students will learn about courage, perseverance, cause and effect, and responsibility through this interactive retelling of the legend. They will exercise their memory, creativity and imagination through group discussions, gameplay, elementary Chinese language learning and exercises in Taichi. Students will also learn about the Buddha and some simple meditation exercises for controlling their inner monkey.

The Butterfly Lovers

This workshop introduces basic Chinese dance movements. Each session starts with a warm-up to Chinese children’s songs followed by dance combinations inspired by the legend The Butterfly Lovers (also known as Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai). Students will learn about the history and cultural developments of Chinese dance and interact with the teaching artist by dancing with silk fans. Students will communicate and interpret meaning through movement, and create a mini silk fan dance performance to The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto.  

The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd

The tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd has been celebrated in the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) since the Han Dynasty. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago, when it was told in verses in the Classic of Poetry. As students become exposed to the story behind an important Chinese holiday, they will also be introduced to Chinese folk art. Students will learn about the design and concept behind floating water lanterns, and will feel inspired to create one of their own.    

The Pretender

In this musical workshop, students will be learn about the meaning and anecdote behind the Chinese idiom Lan yu chong shu (滥竽充数), while they handle traditional Chinese instruments and learn how the sounds are produced. The Chinese pentatonic scale will be taught through singing. Using some basic rhythms that they have learned in this workshop, students will team up and practice on percussion instruments. The workshop will culminate with an absorbing project on how to create your own Chinese instrument.

Highland Barley Seed

In the faraway Kingdom of Bula, the people had no seeds to grow plants, and they lived a hard life raising and herding animals. One day, the kind prince, Ahchu, set out to find seeds for his people in the hope of rescuing them from famine and hardship, but he fell for the trickery of the Snake King and was transformed into a yellow dog. This legend of the Tibetan people emphasizes kindness and tenacity. By studying this story via multimedia presentations and interactive gameplay, students will learn more about Tibet’s geography, food culture, folk music, dance, and clothing.