NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER THE CHINA INSTITUTE Cinema and TV Arts Dept. Chair Robert Gustaf-son. They...

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cently, Prof. Ying Duan, a visit-

ing pianist from the School of

Music at Shanghai Normal Uni-

versity, staged a beautiful pi-

ano concert on both western

and Chinese piano music, to-

gether with her faculty mentor,

Prof. Dmitry Rachmanov, Chair

of Keyboard Studies at CSUN,

for our faculty, students, and

the local community. Prof.

Rachmanov, an internationally

recognized performing artist,

plans to visit China in the sum-

mer of 2009 to further develop

collaboration and exchange

with music scholars in different

parts of China.

Many other faculty and stu-

dents from CSUN went to

China in the Year of the Rat for

collaborative research and

joint training programs. The

China Institute Faculty Devel-

opment Grants have helped

support research field work in

China by Prof. Meiqing Wang

from the Dept. of Art and Prof.

Wei Cao from the Dept. of

Family and Consumer Sci-

ences. During spring break,

Dr. Brian Malec, Chair of our

Dept. of Health Sciences and

Prof. Louis Rubino took a group

of graduate students to China,

and visited both Guangzhou

(Continued on page 2)

Jolene Koester visited our

sister universities in Shang-

hai last June and consoli-

dated our friendship and ties

with these institutions. She

also attended an interna-

tional conference in North-

east China and initiated the

development of a sister-

university relationship with

the Northeast Forestry Uni-

versity. Next, our Associate

Vice President Mack Johnson

attended the 50th Anniver-

sary Celebration of our sister

university, Guangzhou Medi-

cal University, where he led

the efforts to formalize a new

2+2 program agreement

between CSUN and GMU.

Dr. Johnson also visited

Shanghai Normal University

and Shanghai Government

Training Center, and had

many nice gatherings with

our former scholars and new

scholars.

Almost at the same

time of Dr. Johnson’s visit to

China, CSUN’s College of

Arts, Media and Communica-

tion sent to Shanghai a spe-

cial faculty and student per-

forming troupe headed by

Dean Robert Bucker, Theatre

Dept. Chair Peter Grego,

and Cinema and TV Arts

Dept. Chair Robert Gustaf-

son. They successfully

staged “Houdini’s Box” at

Shanghai Normal University,

in return for a friendly visit

and performance at CSUN by

a 50-people Faculty Delega-

tion from the Xiejin Film

School of Shanghai Normal

University on the first day of

the 2008 Fall Semester. An-

other highlight of the per-

forming arts exchange pro-

grams last year was the Mas-

ter Class by the famous Mei

Lanfang Beijing Opera

Troupe on our campus, when

Master Mei Baijiu delivered a

memorable speech about his

father’s legacy. Most re-

Dear Members and Friends of

the China Institute,

We are very happy to

welcome the Chinese New

(“Niu” 牛) Year of the Ox with

another colorful report of our

news and events in the Year of

the Rat, which was the most ex-

traordinary for China and the

U.S. in recent years！In the

spring of 2008, the devastating

earthquake in Sichuan de-

stroyed hundreds of schools

and killed thousands of people,

and generated unprecedented

world-wide sympathy and sup-

port for Chinese victims. The

China Institute, in collaboration

with the San Fernando Valley

Chinese Cultural Association,

sponsored a special benefit

concert and raised more than

22,000 for the orphans left by $the earthquake. In the summer

of 2008, China graciously

hosted the Beijing Olympics,

which presented a totally new

picture of China to the outside

world, shattering many stereo-

typed images of the old China

and the Chinese as being the

“East-Asian Patient.” Then in

the fall of 2008, the first African-

American president was

elected in the U.S., opening up

great opportunities and pros-

pects for the American people,

and turning a new page in the

U.S.-China relationships. We

are delighted to learn that the

destination of the first official

visit abroad for our new Secre-

tary of State Clinton includes

China, indicating the increasing

importance of China in Ameri-

can diplomacy.

The China Institute

experienced the development

of many exciting new programs

for our administrators, faculty

and students in exchange and

collaboration with Chinese edu-

cational institutions in the past

year. First of all, President

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

N E W S L E T T E R N E W S L E T T E R N E W S L E T T E R N E W S L E T T E R

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

March 1, 2009

CSUN – China Faculty & Student Experiences

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Chinese Visiting Scholars’ Name List

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Chinese Delegations to CSUN

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CSUN Mentors for Chinese Scholars & Students to CSUN

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CSUN Delegations & Scholars’ Visits to China

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Awards & Grants jjjjjjjjjjjjj

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Art, Music and Lectures

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Highlights: Director’s Message:Director’s Message:Director’s Message:Director’s Message:

Dr. Justine Su, Director ,The China Institute at CSUN

Volume 1, Issue 1

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and Yunnan to investigate the health care

institutions. One student even went back

to Guangzhou for an extended internship

in Chinese hospitals. From our Business

College, Dr. Zhong-Guo Zhou led the first

group of business students from CSUN on

a study tour of China, supported by a spe-

cial grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education.

The tour was so successful that Dr. Zhou is

now busy organizing another study group

to China for the spring of 2009! Dr. Robert

Gustafson, Chair of Cinema and TV Arts

Dept., also took his graduate students to

China last summer to meet with Chinese

students and faculty, and to attend aca-

demic meetings and exhibitions. Mean-

while, Dr. Peter Edmunds and Dr. Robert

Carpenter from our Dept. of Biology have

continued to lead the collaboration in re-

search and training with scholars in the

National Dong Hwa University and the

National Museum of Marine Biology and

Aquarium in Taiwan. A formal MOU was

signed by both sides early in 2008, fol-

lowed by several productive exchange

visits by faculty and students. A new NSF

grant will help consolidate the relation-

ships and collaboration in this area in the

new year. Moreover, our Theatre Produc-

tion Manager Barry Cleveland and his wife

Annie were invited to conduct workshops

for theatre students at the National Taiwan

University.

(Continued from page 1)

spending time with some of the Chinese

students. Conversations can be quite in-

teresting, providing an opportunity to

learn more about modern Chinese culture

and the general mindset of the country’s

youth. Basketball is unbelievably popular

in China. Weather permitting I like to ;play pick-up games with the students. In

fact, in the spring I’ll be playing on the

school basketball team.

Fortunately, Shanghai has a strong

expat community which is happy to lend a

helping hand to newcomers. Through net-

working, I’ve been able to build up my

“guanxi” faster than anticipated. Family-

style dinners and house parties are of the

norm, bringing together individuals from

around the globe and across the occupa-

tional spectrum. Overall, my scholarship

experience has been very rewarding so

far. Whether for an academic or profes-

sional motivation, the CSC government

scholarship provides an amazing opportu-

nity to broaden your horizons. I highly rec-

ommend this scholarship opportunity to

those students who are open-minded, and

ready for a challenging adventure.

months of frustration, I finally feel I am

making headway with the language

barrier. I’m now able to have conver-

sations, albeit simple, with complete

strangers. On top of my Chinese and

finance studies, I work 15 hours per

week for a U.S. based Futures and

Forex brokerage. We’re presently

considering establishing a Chinese

arm of our brokerage, which would

put me in charge of expanding our

business on the mainland. When I’m

not working or studying, I enjoy

It’s safe to say applying for the

scholarship to study abroad in China is one

of the best decisions I’ve made. Though an

arduous task, living in China has changed

my perspective more than I could have

imagined. Shanghai is a special city,

bringing together cultures from around the

globe. I find myself communicating with

Chinese, European, African, Korean, Japa-

nese, Russian, and Australian students on a

regular basis. I applied for the CSC schol-

arship with a professional outlook. Four

months later, I already see my career op-

portunities blossoming. More importantly,

moving to China opened a door to per-

sonal globalization which can’t be closed.

There is no doubt I will be working abroad

for some time with the goal of fully-

immersing myself in the international busi-

ness community. Though this all sounds

great, my move to China has not lacked

hardship.

On average, I study 16 hours of

Chinese per week. In addition to language

courses, I’m also taking a PhD international

finance class. Chinese is a complicated

language, requiring a combination of dedi-

cation and patience to master. After

jects on or in China. He also served as a

chief organizer for the well-attended

“Reimagining China Forum” in the fall of

2008, which featured China experts from

CSUN and beyond, including leading

scholars from UCLA, Peking University,

and Chinese Ministry of Science and

Technology. The forum played a sig-

nificant role in helping the campus and

local community understand China from

different angles and enlightened per-

spectives. Dr. Sun also traveled to China

twice last year to conduct research on his

NSF-funded project on China’s informa-

tion telecommunication industries. He

will continue to play leadership roles in

coordinating China lectures, scholar net-

work, and collaboration with our commu-

nity in the new year.

The “Ox” is known in the Chi-

nese tradition for its dedication, kind-

ness, honesty, and hard-working spirit,

which are exactly what we need to have

to face the severe challenges in the new

year. As the Chinese saying goes,

“Whenever there are crises, there are

always great opportunities and prospects

for the future.” The Ox Year will surely

bring about “new” (pronounced the

same as “Ox” in Chinese) changes for all!

Justine Su, Ph.D.

Professor and Director of China Institute

With the strong support of the

Chinese Consulate General in L.A., the

China Institute recommended another

two CSUN students to study in China with

full Chinese Government Scholarships

for the 2008-09 Academic Year. Matthew

Myers, a graduate of our finance pro-

gram, is now studying in the Shanghai

University of Finance and Economics.

He enjoys his life in China so much that

he plans to continue his graduate studies

in China and to start an international

finance business in Shanghai. Dara

DiGerolamo, a graduate of our journal-

ism program, is now studying journalism

at the famous Fudan University, and she

is having the best cultural experiences

of her life in Shanghai and other parts of

China. At the same time, we continue to

receive more and more Chinese stu-

dents at CSUN in our expanding ex-

change programs, and to host Chinese

visiting scholars in our higher education

and leadership training programs. A

new Chinese Student Association has

been established at CSUN, which is co-

sponsoring many cultural and educa-

tional events with the China Institute.

As the interest in China has

grown stronger on our campus, Dr. Yifei

Sun from our Dept. of Geography of-

fered a special course on China, and

took the lead in creating a network of

CSUN scholars doing research and pro-

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

Opportunity Knocks (By Matthew Myers, Recipient of China Council Scholarship)

Matthew in China

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THE CHINA INSTITUTE

TrTnsTorTTtion oT TonT TuTnTZZZZ (by Mei in ManM, Mrt)q

from official ones, Song Zhuang artist

village was an important site of contem-

porary and experimental art in China.

Many contemporary artists chose to live

or work there, experiencing a kind of

self-imposed marginal existence, free

from any official affiliation. This situa-

tion has shifted dramatically since the

beginning of the new century, as a di-

rect result of the legitimization and fol-

lowing promotion of culture industry—a

logical development of China’s massive

economic reform and its integration into

the globalized economy. Local govern-

ment has come to regard this art commu-

nity as a valuable resource for both

cultural and economic reasons. With

the sanction and support of local gov-

ernment, galleries, artist studios, mu-

seums have been built housing com-;plexes, restaurants, and other facility

spaces have been constructed. In a

period of four years, this former rural

village has now housed nine art cen-

ters and museums (none were there

before 2005) together with regular art

festivals, public lectures and exhibi-

tions.

These new developments are

the marks of the rapid commercializa-

With a fund provided by

China Institute, I carried out a research

titled “A Rising Global Art Center in

the Midst of Burgeoning Culture Indus-

try” in summer 2008. I traveled to Bei-

jing and conducted field research on a

contemporary art community, the Song

Zhuang artist village. My research con-

cerns the transformation of Song

Zhuang, from a rural area and alterna-

tive space into a national and global

center for contemporary art. Founded

in the mid 1990s by artists who wished

to have an alternative space different Dr. Wang doing research in Song Zhuang

An ExplorTtion oT CTinese Elderly ConsuTers AppTrel CerceptionC AttitudeC ''''

Tnd BeTTvior (By Mei Cao, Family and Consumer Science)

China’s booming economy and

enormous consumer population give

tremendous market potential and op-

portunities for global apparel retailers

and manufacturers. The growing aging

populations together with the increas-

ing purchasing power of this demo-

graphic group result in a fast growing

market for apparel manufacturers. How-

ever, the Chinese elderly consumer

market has been severely limited due

to the lack of sufficient understanding of

consumer perceptions and consumption

patterns. Many studies regarding the

clothing consumption needs of elderly

people have used limited samples and

produced questionable findings. The

purposes of this research are (1) to ana-

lyze the consumption patterns of the

Chinese elderly in depth with the focus

on clothing expenditures (2) to investi-;gate factors that influence clothing pur-

chase decisions of the Chinese elderly ;(3) to compare the disparity in con-

sumer attitudes, consumer behavior, and

the special needs of elderly people

among groups of the Chinese elderly,

providing evidence for future research

directions.

With the grant support from

CSUN China Institute, this ongoing pro-

ject is cooperated with China Research

Center on Aging (CRCA, a licensed pro-

fessional organization to conduct nation-

wide survey). Data analysis is based on a

nationwide survey (with both question-

naires and face-to-face interviews) con-

ducted by CRCA. A segmentation of the

Chinese elderly apparel market in terms

of their population and clothing expendi-

ture was presented. The disparities were

indicated in following aspects: the age

category, education achievement, marital

status, gender, ethnicity, living status

(urban or rural), health condition and

region. It can be concluded that elderly

people who are young-old, better-

educated, married and living with

spouse, and in good health condition

would be more likely to spend their dis-

posable income in clothing. More find-

ings are in progress. Apparel manufac-

tures/retailers from the entire world

should not under-appreciate this market

to avoid losing revenues (Nam et al.,

2007). If apparel manufactur-

ers/designers develop more products

that are stylish, comfortable, functional

to better meet the diversified needs of

different age group of elderly people,

they can definitely increase their market

share in China.

tion and institutionalization happening in

this art community, which has prospered

itself at the expense of being absorbed

into the mainstream official structure. In

the meantime, its rapid development

also demonstrates the increasing toler-

ance and flexibility of cultural policies

and the gradually blurring boundary

between official art and unofficial art in

contemporary China.

I visited museums, galleries,

cultural and art centers, artist studios,

and constructing sites in and around

Song Zhuang. I talked with artists, cura-

tors, critics, and museum directors and

staff from this area. I also attended exhi-

bitions, lectures, and other events or-

ganized by art professionals active in

this community. As a result of my sum-

mer research, I accumulated a body of

primary resources including photos,

videos, exhibition catalogues, and other

printed documents, which has formed

the basis of an extensive research pro-

ject. I plan to continue regarding the

transformations of several major con-

temporary art communities in China and

their political and social indications in

the context of China’s opening to mar-

ketization and globalization.

Dr. Wang at Song Zhuang Art Gallery

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THE CHINA INSTITUTE

school of thought. Instead, he intro-

duces the history and evolution of

China’s media from a contemporary

approach. Throughout the semester he

invited journalists to address the class

including David Barboza, foreign corre-

spondent for The New York Times, and

Haipeng Yang, investigative reporter

for CAIJING Magazine, a leading busi-

ness and financial publication.

Professor Hong Bing also arranged a

visit to the offices of the Shanghai based

newspaper Oriental Morning Post

where a roundtable discussion was

held with the editor-in-chief. Students

asked tough questions regarding me-

dia censorship and the financial status

of newspapers in China.

Outside of the classroom, I

landed an internship at International

Channel Shanghai (ICS), one of two

English language television channels in

Shanghai. By working on the television

program ‘City Beat,’ a 30-minute news

magazine highlighting events around

the city, I was able to observe the op-

eration of a state-run media agency.

Native English speakers are valued for

polishing copy to be read by narrators as

well as editing English subtitles for inter-

views conducted in Chinese. I also ac-

companied show producers on field

shoots, which gave me the chance to see

many areas of Shanghai.

In between lectures and intern-

ing, I enrolled in Chinese language

classes at a small school near Fudan Uni-

versity’s campus. The teacher is great

and I plan to continue classes with her

through the spring 2009 semester. I have

a long list of places I’d like to travel to

while living in China and fortunately I’ve

been able see a few of these cities al-

ready. You can read more about my trav-

els and life in China on my blog at

www.ambassadordoodle.wordpress.com.

Although I've hit a few bumps in the road

since arriving in China, I've adapted

quickly to my surroundings and have

reaped the benefits of the Chinese Gov-

ernment Scholarship. With a new semes-

ter underway, I look forward to the next

set of challenges ahead and more family

style Chinese dinners with my new

friends from all over the world.

Fresh off an intense summer lan-

guage program at Pasadena City College,

I arrived in Shanghai, China feeling that I

had absorbed as much as I could about

the fundamentals of reading and speaking

Chinese in less than two months. When I

was given a course catalog at Fudan Uni-

versity’s School of Journalism, I quickly

noticed the contrast between the tradi-

tional Chinese characters I had studied

during my course and the simplified Chi-

nese characters printed in the booklet. I

asked for an English version of the course

catalog and discovered that the under-

graduate program, which I was enrolled,

was completely taught in Chinese. No

classes in English. Before panicking, I sat

in on a few classes with another academic

scholar who recently received his under-

graduate degree in Chinese Studies from

the University of Edinburgh. He speaks

Chinese rather fluently and when he had

trouble following the lectures, I knew I

had to get creative and come up with a

plan ‘B.’

The fall 2008 semester was the

first that the London School of Economics

teamed up with Fudan University to create

a double masters degree in Global Media

and Communications. After approval

from the university, I was given permis-

sion to audit some of these English taught

courses. A course titled China’s Media

and Politics in the Context of Globalization

taught by professor Hong Bing quickly

became my favorite. As a guide and men-

tor for the next generation of journalists

emerging from China, his ideology strays

from a traditional Marxism-Leninism

TtudyinT Tnd WorkinT in TTTnTTTi (by Dara DiGerolamo, Recipient of China Council Scholarship)

Sponsored by the generous

support of the U.S. Department of Edu-

cation, I had a chance to lead an 18-

student delegation (however, only 12 of

them were subsidized by the program)

to visit China over the past spring

break. The trip was focused on China’s

global logistics, culture, and language.

We visited Beijing, the capital of China ;Xian, the former capital of ancient

China, where Emperor ing Shi Huang Qwas buried along with his entire Terra

Cotta Army Guilin and Yangshuo, ;where we enjoyed the most beautiful

mountains and rivers and Shanghai, ;the modem city with countless sky-

scrapers.

In Shanghai, I organized two

field trips. We visited the GM manufac-

tory in Shanghai and discussed why GM

was successful in China. We

also visited Yangshan Port,

which soon will be the largest

port in the world after it fin-

ishes its third phase of expan-

sion. We had a bird’s eye

view of the port and saw the

flow of containers. We had a

taste of global logistics. Due

to the overwhelmingly posi-

tive response and feedback,

we have decided to organize

another trip to China in the

upcoming spring break. I will

lead the delegation again and

I am looking forward to it.

CTUN Business Ttudents Visit CTinT (By ZhonM-Guo Zhou, Finance)

Dara with her Chinese friend in Shanghai

Dara in Beijing

The whole group at the foot of the Great Wall, taken by Zhong-guo Zhou

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THE CHINA INSTITUTE

his college performed “Sister

Acts” on the first day of fall

classes in the Little Theatre at

CSUN and in celebration of

CSUN’s 50th Anniversary.

Discussions with Dean Zhao at

the time resulted in a recipro-

cal invitation to perform and

participate in China’s 2008

National Arts Education Sum-

mit, held at Shanghai Normal

University just before Thanks-

giving. Dean Robert Bucker of

the Mike Curb College of Arts,

Media, and Communication and

Theatre Dept Chair Peter Grego

headed up a CSUN Theatre con-

tingent, which featured ten stu-

dent actors performing the ac-

claimed HOUDINI’s BOX from

CSUN’s previous season.

Dean Bucker, Prof.

Grego and CTVA Chair Bob

Gustaf-

son each

ad-

dressed the

national as-

semblage of

arts deans

from through-

out China,

while CSUN

faculty mem-

bers J’aime

Morrison and

John Binkley

rehearsed the

show and con-

ducted master-

At the invitation of

Dean Zhao BingXiang. XieJin Film

and Television Arts College, Shang-

hai Normal University (SHNU),

Robert Gustafson the Chairman of

the Cinema and TV Arts Department

(CTVA) with two CTVA students

Wendy Sanchez and Yadira Montero

went to SHNU in June. All three par-

ticipated in the end-of-semester

judging of the television production

students’ video projects. At the

event, a video produced by the

CTVA students was also shown to

about 100 students and faculty in the

state-of-the-art screening room.

Three months later, 50 per-

sons including Dean Zhao and the ad-

ministrators, faculty and staff of XieJin

Film and Television Arts College visited

the Los Angeles area. Highpoints in-

cluded Disneyland, the Universal Stu-

dios Tour, and especially a grand recep-

tion and barbecue at the home of Jim

and Linda Overman who had built last-

ing friendships since visiting SHNU in

2007. Dean Zhao and other members of

classes with Chinese and North-

ridge students. The play was

warmly and enthusiastically re-

ceived, and SHNU treated their

CSUN guests to tours of the ancient

Zhou Zheng watertown and modern

downtown Shanghai, including a

trip up the world’s current tallest

building, the Shanghai World Finan-

cial Center. It was at the very top

that CSUN student Justin Rabi pro-

posed marriage to castmate Lindsay

Sacks, which made for a memorable

and emotional moment for all.

On their return the CSUN troupe

sped, accompanied by Dean Zhao, aboard

the 266 mph TransRapid MagLev, a float-

ing wheel-less magnetic-levitation train

that whisked them to the Shanghai Pu-

Dong Intl Airport in less than 7 minutes. It

was there that Theatre Chair Grego and

Dean Zhao brainstormed a “next” collabo-

ration for the two sister schools, a possible

joint project for Shanghai’s 2010 World’s

Fair. Dean Bucker was encouraged, and

will look into corporate sponsorship to

fund the event.

FriendsTip TtrenTtTened by ExcTTnTe Visits (By Bob Gustafson, Cinema and TV Mrts, and Bill Taylor, Theatre)

Dean Zhao with Dean Bucker and Chair Gustafson Dean Bucker, Chair Grego and Prof. Morrison at Display Board at SNU

CSUN delegation at SNU

President Koester Welcomes SNU Delegation to CSUN

Jim and Linda Overman host SNU Delegation

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THE CHINA INSTITUTE

ming, we had the opportunity to visit

Kunming Medical University and Yunnan

AIDS Care Center. The AIDS Care Cen-

ter was newly built within the last few

years. The AIDS center not only treated

AIDS patients but also hepatitis and tu-

berculosis patients. During the short

trip, I learned and saw many things that I

would not have seen if I had not gone on

this trip. I enjoyed the trip so much that I

was motivated to do my internship at

Guangzhou this winter break. I look for-

ward to this internship in learning a lot

more about China's healthcare system.

HeTltT CTre ReTorT RevelopR&&&&

Tent in CTinT (by Dianne C. Kestenbaum, Dianne C. Kestenbaum, Dianne C. Kestenbaum, Dianne C. Kestenbaum, Health Administration) The California State Univer-

sity, Northridge Spring 2008 Interna-

tional Health Course was a trip like no

other, a mixture of cultural exposure

along with the educational experience

of seeing, and getting a first hand un-

derstanding of the complexity of deliv-

ering health care to the more than 1.3

billion people of China. It was a price-

less opportunity. What I found of

An Eye OpeninT Experience in CTinT (by Susan TanM, Health Mdministration)

CSUN’s sister university,

Shanghai Normal University staged

several extraordinary dramatic plays in

CSUN’s Campus Theater on Aug. 25,

2008. Generally, this kind of experi-

mental productions is only available in

a university setting, because it’d be too

unconventional for traditional theaters.

Nevertheless, for CSUN and its sur-

rounding communities, it was a rare

and eye-opening opportunity when a

brilliant play like this was staged in

their own backyard.

The main play was based on

“Xiang Lin Sao 祥林嫂”, a work written

by Lu Xun 魯迅 in 1924. The innovation

being experimented was called the

“Body Play”. There were 86 characters

in the play—acted out by only 7 players.

For example, two of the characters

were wolves which killed a village girl

in poverty, and later evolved into the

stone lions guarding a gate—hence de-

picting the entrance of an estate. Once

inside the estate, the same pair suddenly

morphed into the insidious proprietors.

There was no need of any stagecraft be-

cause every scene was acted out—hence

no use of stage curtains between scenes.

Moreover the costume variety was re-

duced to a minimum. Consequently the

play was fast paced (yet not pressed),

dramatic and extremely moving.

With all these abstractions, the

(multiple) acting skills, screen play and

directing were absolutely critical to the

success of the play. During the process,

the audience was totally absorbed into

the emotion and the drama of the play. In

the end, this play was a resounding tri-

umph. Instead of being overshadowed

by the innovative techniques, the original

work of Lu Xun was dramatized to a point

which made an indelible impact on its

captivated audience. After the play was

over in standing ovations, the audience

was invited to stay to have a discussion

with the actors. Comments, questions,

answers, and suggestions were enthusias-

“Tister Acts” (by KwTnT-nan Chow, Math)KKKKKKK KKKKKK

Sister Act Performance from SNU

tically engaged. In the end, audience

asked for more experimental plays of

this caliber in the future.

great interest was our visit to the rural

village of Nansha District, to see the im-

plementation of the New Rural Medical

Cooperative by visiting a couple of the

village community health stations. Rea-

sonable distribution of medical stations is

the best way for the public to access con-

venient medical services. In Nansha,

much has been invested in the planning,

building and rebuilding of the sixty-one

(61) village health stations. Using a stan-

dardized model and capitalizing on econ-

omy of scale, all of the stations have been

identically designed, constructed, and

equipped. Medical management along

with financial management is designed

using the same model to increase effi-

ciency.

Each health station provides

primary care services including IV ther-

apy and serves as gate- keepers by re-

ferring and transporting patients to the

local hospital only when medically ap-

propriate. Nearly 100 of the Nansha %District residents have joined the coop-

erative. This integrated delivery system

is a cost effective approach to the Guang-

zhou Municipal Committee and Guang-

zhou Government’s mission to build a

new healthy countryside and a harmoni-

ous Nansha. I continue to follow China’s

health care reform progress and have a

strong desire to return to China one day

soon. CSUN Health Science Delegation in Yunnan

The China trip to Guangzhou and

Kunming led by Dr. Rubino was an eye

opening experience for me. In Guang-

zhou, the high class, level 3 hospitals in

comparison to the level 1 hospitals had

major differences. Plus, the hospitals in

Guangzhou were very different from the

ones we have here. Inside the hospitals,

we would find both the practice of tradi-

tional Chinese medicine (TCM) along with

the practice of Western medicine. Even

their nursing staffs’ uniforms were differ-

ent from ours. Their staffing was done by

ranking. The higher rank you were, the

more stripes you would have on your hat.

This is as opposed to us whereby most of

our nurses only wear scrubs, with certain

hospitals having different colors repre-

senting different departments. In Kun-

7

7

The second panel Speakers The First Panel Speakers

Dr. Yifei Sun from Geography

traveled to China during the summer as

well as in October. During his summer

trip, Dr. Sun focused on conducting inter-

views with firms in Shanghai for his NSF-

funded project on China’s information

telecommunication industries. In addition,

he was invited to attend an international

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

conference on industrial cluster at

Henan University. He was also invited

to give a few guest presentations at

Zhejiang University and Henan Uni-

versity on his research. During his

October trip to China, he attended a

workshop on China’s technology in-

novation hosted by Zhejiang Univer-

sity at Hangzhou.

RoinT ReseTrcT in CTinT (By YiTei Tun, GeoMraphy)

Dr. Sun with his Chinese colleagues at the Hangzhou workshop Chinese Scholar Network. He invited

five speakers to cover a wide range of

topics on China from western news me-

dia coverage of China (Dr. Robert

Gustafson, Chair of CSUN Cinema TV &Arts Department), Chinese philosophy

and culture (Dr. Weimin Sun, professor

of CSUN Philosophy Department),

China’s technology and innovation pol-

icy (Dr. Yu Hu from Chinese Ministry of

Science and Technology), and China’s

migrant workers (Dr. Cindy Fan, profes-

sor of Geography from UCLA), to

China’s investments in Africa (Dr. Suzan

Scheld, professor of CSUN Anthropol-

ogy). All the presentations are well re-

ceived. Dr. Sun wants to thank the sup-

port of the China Institute as well as well

all the members of the CSUN Chinese

Lecture Teries on CTinT (By Yifei Sun, Geography)(By Yifei Sun, Geography)(By Yifei Sun, Geography)(By Yifei Sun, Geography)

theme for the 2008 forum is

“Reimagining China” and two panels

consisting of six guest speakers, all

from CSUN, presented their research.

One panel focused on globalization and

China and the other one on China’s do-

mestic development. The invited speak-

ers and their topics include Dr. Suzanne

Scheld (Chinese Traders in Dakar,

Senegal), Dr. Mutombo Nkulu-N’Sengha

(China and the New Scramble for Af-

rica: Reflection on the Clash of Global-

ization in Central Africa), Dr. Yifei Sun

(Beyond Low-tech Manufacturing: For-

eign Research Development (R D) in & &China), Dr. Louis Rubino.(China’s

Health Care System Reform Efforts), Dr.

Meiqin Wang (Art, Censorship and

Western Fantasy about Chinese Unoffi-

cial Art), and Dr. Mingfang Li (The

Evolving Chinese Company Strategy:

From Cost-Centered to Innovation-

Based). More than 100 students and

faculty members on campus attended

Dr. Suzan Scheld

(Anthropology) and Dr. Yifei Sun

(Geography) launched on campus a

China forum on Nov. 13. The forum, as

part of the efforts of the newly created

CSUN Chinese Scholar Network was

organized to inform the campus on re-

cent development in China, enhance the

communications and facilitate further

collaboration among the scholars who

are conducting research on China. The

ForuT on “ReiTTTininT CTinT” (By Yifei Sun, Geography)

the event. The two organizers want to

thank all the panelists and other partici-

pants. They are also very grateful for

the support from Dr. Justine Su, the Di-

rector of the China Institute, Dr. Stella

Theodoulou, the Dean of Colleague of

Social and Behavioral Sciences, and

Drs. Sabina Magliocco and Darrick

Danta, Chairs of the Geography and the

Anthropology Departments. We hope

that such a forum will become an an-

nual event in the future.

Dr. HU Yu from Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology was discussing China’s S&T policies

Scholar Network for their wonderful

ideas and enthusiastic support and par-

ticipation. He will continue organizing

more lectures in the future.

Dr. Cindy Fan from UCLA came to CSUN to present her research on China’s migrant workers

During the Fall semester of

2008, Dr. Yifei Sun from Geography or-

ganized a series of guest lectures on

China as part of his class on China

(GEOG324 China). The idea came from

the members of the newly created CSUN

8

8

Studies, attended the ceremony. Dr.

Malec continued with on our trip explor-

ing the health care services in Guangzhou

and then Kunming.

New RevelopTent in HeTltT Tcience witT CTinT (By Louis Rubino, Health Sciences) )

ExperiencinT tTe CTinT MirTcle (By Sheela BhonMir, ColleMe of Business)

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

the people of that area (more than

70,000 perished). CSUN China Insti-

tute together with SFVCCA (San Fer-

nando Valley Chinese Cultural Asso-

ciation) and CEC (Cultural Exchange

Committee 健华社) organized a

"China Earthquake Relief Fund-

raising Concert" on June 21, 2008

at the Campus Theater. Many

renowned musicians donated

their talents (solo, chorus, instru-

ments, Chinese as well as west-

ern) to make this beneficial eve-

ning a great success. The net

proceeds of 22,066$ from this

concert were combined with the

additional relief fund of

23,335$$ received by CEC do-

nated by 82 individuals in the

community for the purpose of

helping out the orphans and the

disabled left by the quake. CEC is cur-

rently contacting Chinese organizations

(such as private orphanages) to make

sure that this total relief fund of 45,401 $will be used 100 for the benefits of the %quake victims.

When the news about the dev-

astating 5/12 Wen Chuan 四川汶川 earthquake reached Northridge, the

whole community was shocked by the

destruction that this 8.0 quake caused to

TuccessTul BeneTit Concert Tor CTinT ETrtT uTke VictiTs qqqq

(by T.P. Lin, China Institute)

den had beautiful white magnolia trees

and unique looking dragon claw trees.

In the center of the garden was a huge

golden Buddha that sat in a meditative

position and had a mysterious smile ;just seeing the statue made me feel

relaxed.

During the trip I also gained a

good sense of Chinese cultural dance.

The Tang Imperial dance performance

was a unique experience. Even though

I have never seen a traditional Chinese

dance before, I was able to identify

Chinese artistic elements such as the

clothing and jewelry worn by the Chi-

nese court dancers. Having had learned

about Tang Dynasty’s art history I was

able to appreciate and understand the

importance of dance and music during

the performance. The miracle of China

is not only in the disciplined work ethic

seen in the GM plant, but also includes

the rich history of architecture, dance

and artwork that has shaped the intellec-

tual mindset of the Chinese. I feel very

privileged to have gone on this trip and

experience the China miracle.

I went on the special field trip to

China led by Dr. Zhong-Guo Zhou dur-

ing the spring break in 2008. A unique

quality about Chinese cities is the num-

ber of historic sites the Chinese Govern-

ment has preserved. Construction of

apartments and businesses takes place

around existing historic places. For ex-

ample, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is

located in the heart of Xian surrounded

by busy streets, tall buildings and on-

going constructions. This temple can

easily allow one to separate his thoughts

from the busy city life. The outdoor gar-

Chinese Chorus at Benefit Concert Prof. Murray sings at the concert

ridge for what is called a 2+2 agree-

ment. Undergraduate students will do

their first two years of study in Guang-

zhou and after passing an English flu-

ency examination, will come to

CSUN and complete the core 2-

year program for the BS in

Health Sciences with the option

of Health Administration. Upon

successful completion the Chi-

nese students will be awarded a

dual degree from the two Uni-

versities. This program was later

approved and signed at a spe-

cial signing ceremony on No-

vember 8, 2008 in Guangzhou.

Dr. Mack Johnson, Associate

Vice President for International

HSCI 438 International Health

was offered as a one-week intensive

class over Spring break 2008. This 3-unit

class is considered an elective for both

Health Administration and Health Educa-

tion graduate and undergraduate stu-

dents. Some nursing students come on

the trip too. The course was based on

three earlier successful student study

trips to explore China’s health care sys-

tem. I led the 16 student delegation as

usual but this trip was very special as we

met up with Dr. Brian Malec, Chair of the

Health Sciences Department in Guang-

zhou. Dr. Malec was in China to negoti-

ate a Memorandum of Understanding

between Guangzhou Medical College

and California State University, North- Dr. Malec and Dr. Rubino with Chinese leaders

9

9

mixed results, it was only then that Chi-

nese bicycle dreams began to capture

my otherwise-frustrated-straphanger's

consciousness.

One thing that struck me several

years back was how Chinese and Ameri-

cans seemed to put the bike into a differ-

ent mental box. For the triathalon-hungry

(don't get me wrong here – I don't in-

clude myself in this category, but only

some hormone-crazed masochists out

there) and most others in the US,

“cycling” meant sport, recreation, the

mountain bike – a lifestyle focused on

fun, or at least fitness, a life of leisure

outdoors, or healthy competition. But in

Beijing, a bike simply meant getting

from point A to point B reliably and at

low cost while leaving a certain amount

of time to pace oneself for the extended

ride. Given the ever-expanding nature

of the city, some distances separating

neighborhoods are getting more daunt-

ing, though.

And in the mad rush forward that is

China today in general and the act of

trying to get across the street in Beijing

from one block to the next in particular,

the apparently insane venture of getting

around the city by bike raised certain

questions, aside from whether I'd be

physically up to the distance part. 'Are

the streets really navigable on two

wheels?' 'What if I fall off the bike?' An-

swering these to my own satisfaction

took a good deal of self-convincing and

maybe even a bit of self-deception. With

a final nudge from family and friends,

though, I was reassured by the belief that

1) Yes, in Beijing there were bike lanes

set aside for “serious” commuters like

me and 2) I'd be much safer with the aid

of a helmet. Having dealt with these ob-

stacles one other vexing issue I have to

leave unresolved for now is the whole

Beijing air quality business. I find the

best I can do on this front is to wear a

medical-type mask to at least filter out

some of the junk.

Admittedly, the first few pedals are

the hardest. And even though I'm no kid

and no beginner as a cyclist, ironically,

the act of pedaling through a busy, 4-or-

more way intersection at peak times of

day here is something akin to an act of

faith... But once I traverse this “great

divide” of urban bike commuting, the

biker's instincts and the wheels them-

selves do the rest. Then, in motion, I find

the city taking on a whole new aspect.

Skyscrapers arching up into the roofless

blue or gray or black world above my

head graceful curves undulating around ;urban moats and reflecting pools Chi-;nese-style gates that seem to have been

In Beijing, I continue to do teaching

and training related to English skills while

planning and trying to organize new cul-

tural exchange projects. I have recently

been holding meetings with Chinese or-

ganizations regarding the possibility of a

commercially-oriented US-style film festi-

val here. There is no final agreement on

this front at this point, but I remain opti-

mistic. This is partly because I sense

there is a growing hunger in Beijing for

international cultural activities. Did you

see the recent article in the New York

Times profiling new museums in China? I

understand that part of this article was

translated into Chinese and appeared in a

newspaper here.

My bicycle dreams in Beijing started

out as something much less. At some point

in the last year and a half, the freewheel-

ing side of the American Dream - having

your own car - had taken hold of this city

to the extent that Beijing's traffic jams,

taking on a resemblance to L.A.'s, were

beginning to form the stuff of which com-

muting nightmares are made. With a new

critical mass of auto ownership reached

here - as thousands of new drivers hit the

road every day - even at off-hours, mid-

afternoon, say, or late evening, the

'parking lot syndrome' would rear its ugly

head again seemingly out of thin, albeit

smoggy air. So the challenge presented

itself to me: how to get from one side of

the city to the other for work and other

commitments using a combination of taxi,

bus, and subway. After trying all of these

separately and in combination, with

BICYCLE RREAMING IN BEIJING (by MnMus McNelis from BeijinM, First

CSUN China Scholarship Council Mward

Recipient in 1999)

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

Angus bikes in Beijing

there since antiquity forming grand en-

tranceways into shiny new urban boule-

vards, or shaping obscure portholes

into the walled-in lanes of Old Beijing

(though, regrettably, these are fewer

and farther in between). And the occa-

sional day trip / escape to the relatively

verdant hills outside the city proper,

where I discovered the mountain bike

features on my wheels really were

worth having after all.

So for me, the bicycle has become

the “vehicle” to worlds yet unseen and

faces otherwise unmet. It drops me

smack in the middle of the right-here-

right-now-ness of being out on the

street, where I find myself taking in the

whole evolving scene. In the gathering

momentum of the city creating a new

version of itself, virgin streets are

formed out of whole cloth and other,

more familiar ones seem to quietly lose

their significance. One day in the life of

the almost-metropolis gets closer to an

“equinox” of daylight and the now-

ubiquitous car-halogen and yellow-

white glow of streetlights. Day riding

and night riding become nearly equal

parts in the new continuum of the rest-

less, striving city. In the nocturnal lumi-

nance of colored strips of light affixed to

a futuristic-looking overpass, a female

figure with long black hair and

shrouded in black crosses the bike lane

in front of me like an apparition from a

Chinese ghost story, a dark mystery,

her face not quite revealed in the lateral

view I have even in the eyes-wide-open

electric radiance. Then she snaps open

her cell phone and comes to life – an-

other fashionable young Beijing person

still going strong though it's well into

the night. So the dreams of some of

those who people this vast place and my

own bicycle dreams sometimes merge

on that city-bus-wide path in those brief,

graceful intervals when the rubber hits

the road.

1 0

1 0

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

Museum. My breath was taken away

when I entered the 500 year old site of

the Forbidden City that sheltered two

dynasties of emperors, the ing and QMing. Many of the buildings were de-

stroyed by fire and what you visit to-

day was reconstructed in the 18th cen-

tury. Inside, my favorite place was the

Clock Exhibition Hall (Fengxian Hall),

with an astonishing display of time-

pieces and gifts to uing emperors. It Qis worth paying extra to see this mu-

seum. At the new five-story Capital

Museum, I spent 4 hours visiting the

exhibitions displaying jade, calligra-

phy, paintings and ceramics. This mu-

seum has a harmonious integration of

past and present, historic and modern,

art and nature.

In Shanghai my time was oc-

cupied with the 3-day conference, but I

still had time to visit the Bund and the

Shanghai Museum with its 11 galleries

At the end of October 2008, I

went to China to attend a conference at

East China Normal University in Shang-

hai. However, before I left Los Angeles, I

called Dr. Su to get a few ideas about

China. She said: “Why don’t you visit

Beijing and then Shanghai? This way you

we’ll get to see the two most important

cities in China.” I followed her sugges-

tion and spent 6 days in Beijing and 4

days in Shanghai. These two captivating

cities reflect different aspects of China.

Of course, Bejing hosted the XXIX Olym-

piad this year so I was able to enjoy the

improvements prepared for the games.

Although it is a very modern city, Bejing

is also home to the ancient monuments

of Imperial China. Shanghai is both a

financial center with modern buildings

and a city at the cutting edge of fashion

and delicious cuisine.

For me, the highlights in Beijing

were the Forbidden City and the Capital

My trip to CTinT (by LiMia Toutant, UCLM)

I have had the precious op-

portunity to be a visiting scholar in

piano performance and pedagogy at

CSUN since July 2008, studying under

the guidance of Prof. Dmitry Rach-

manov. How time flies! My half year

study is almost over, and I feel that it is

too short a period to study all of the

music courses here. There are many

different topics in the music program

at CSIM, such as Music Studio,

Jazz, Music History, Chamber Music,

Piano Accompaniment, Music Therapy,

etc. All of these are very useful and

interesting to me! During my stay at

CSUN, I have learned a lot of valuable

things from my mentor and piano pro-

fessor, Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov. I really

enjoy studying with him, as we ex-

changed our piano teaching experi-

ences and shared our music philoso-

phies. The most exciting project was our

piano recital together on Feb. 6th, 2009,

and we did a fantastic piano duet to-

gether. This was the most unforgettable

experience for me at CSUN. We will

both work hard to build friendship and

promote cooperation between the music

scholars in our two universities. I look

forward to welcoming Dr. Rachmanov to

visit my university in Shanghai in the

summer!

A Tusic scTolTr’s experience Tt CTUN (By YinM Duan, ShanMhai Normal University)

arranged by theme rather than by dy-

nasty. Everything in it was very interest-

ing, but my favorite was the Ming and

uing Furniture Gallery. What im-Qpressed me the most about China was

the humility of the people, their hard

work, and hospitality. (You have to ex-

perience it to understand what I mean).

English is the second language spoken

in Bejing and Shanghai so if you plan to

visit, learn some Mandarin, but do not

worry about getting around.

Ligia (left) enjoying food and hospitality in Shanghai

Prof. Duan and Prof. Rachmanov perform a duet at Chinese party

“WoTen BeTind CTTerT” GoinT TtronT Tt FilT FestivTls

(By Mlexis K Krasilovsky, Cinema and TV Mrts)

At the Plus CamerImage Interna-

tional Film Festival of the Art of Cine-

matography in Lodz, Poland, after

the screening of my film, “Women

Behind the Camera”, a cameraman

from London came up to me and said

that the section with the Chinese

camerawomen following Mao on his

travels through China made him

cry. This film would not have been

finished without the help of the

China Institute. I've been lucky to

be having it screened in festivals in

Poland, Mexico, Bangladesh, Can-

ada and throughout the United

States. Thank you again, China Insti-

tute, for your help and support.

Prof. Duan and Prof. Rachmanov at the Northridge concert

1 1

1 1

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

The research collaboration

between CSUN and the National Mu-

seum of Marine Biology and Aquarium

(NMMBA), in southern Taiwan, has con-

tinued to grow in exciting ways

throughout 2008. This collaboration

initially began with a short visit to Tai-

wan in 2006, it continued in 2007 with

two lengthier visits, and in 2008 it ex-

panded to include bilateral exchanges.

Early in the 2008, I lead a three-person

team to Taiwan with the objectives of

building research ties and signing a

Memorandum of Understanding be-

tween CSUN and the National Dong

Hwa University, Hualien city (one of the

parent institutions working at NMMBA).

This trip supported a CSUN graduate

student – Nick Colvard – to make his

first visit to Taiwan, and this unique

opportunity has lead to him to apply for

an NSF-EAPSI award for the summer of

2009. If supported, this prestigious

award would allow Nick to spend two

months working on his MS research at

NMMBA in Taiwan. Nichole Price, a

PhD student at UC Santa Barbara, also

accompanied us on this trip to finalize a

research project she began in 2007.

The March visit cemented

plans for our Taiwanese collaborator,

Dr. Tung-Yung Fan, to visit the United

States in July with his students Pi Jen

Liu, Jung Chen, Yu-Chieh Hsieh, and Yi-

Ting Jheng. This visit was hosted by

CSUN, and provided the opportunity to

stage a joint scientific workshop on July

2nd in which both CSUN and Taiwanese

students presented their research in a

conference format. This experience pro-

vided an opportunity to showcase our

respective research efforts, and provided

practice for presentations that took place

later in July at the 11th International Coral

Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Flor-

ida. Additionally, Dr. Fan used the op-

portunity to visit with the Graduate Re-

search and International Program office

to finalize his plans to spend a portion of

his 2008/09 sabbatical at CSUN.

Finally, just before Thanksgiv-

ing, Dr. Robert Carpenter from CSUN led

another three-person team to Tai-

wan. This trip was again intended

to build ties and create opportuni-

ties with our Taiwanese counter-

parts, and on this trip, CSUN gradu-

ate student Maggie Johnson made

her first visit to Taiwan. Maggie is

completing her MS research on the

effects of ocean acidification on

tropical algae, and she hopes to

complete a portion of her project in

Taiwan during 2009. In addition to

Maggie, UC Santa Barbara graduate stu-

dent Anne Yau also accompanied the

group to Taiwan, and worked to develop

ties that will facilitate her PhD research

on giant clams. Like Nick Colvard, Anne

has applied for an NSF-EAPSI award and

hopes to work in Taiwan during the sum-

mer of 2009.

At the dawn of 2009, I have just

received the wonderful news that NSF

has awarded me a research grant to com-

plete a 3-year research project in Taiwan

that addresses the effects of climate

change on coral larvae. This award is a

significant coup for CSUN, and it will al-

low us to grow our collaborations in Tai-

wan in significant ways,

notably by providing

the resources to support

several months of re-

search each year in Tai-

wan. Critically, this pro-

ject will allow CSUN

students and a post-

doctoral researcher to

spend lengthy periods

studying in Taiwan. We

hope our Taiwanese

counterparts can now

secure matching funds

that can be used to sup-

port their students to

study at CSUN.

ReseTrcT collTborTtions between CTUN Tnd TTiwTn (By Peter Edmunds, BioloMy)

Barry Cleveland, production

manager for the Department of Theatre,

and his wife Annie were invited to con-

duct workshops at National Taiwan Uni-

versity. They spent two weeks in Taipei

before heading south to visit Kaohsiung.

Annie taught three workshops in theatri-

cal make-up design including an ad-

vanced class in three-dimensional

makeup techniques. Barry taught work-

shops in digital sound design and sound

systems.

In Kaohsiung they stayed on the

campus of National Sun Yat-Sen University

where Barry taught when he had his Ful-

bright grant in 1997. During the visit they

met with Professor DaChi Liao, formerly

Director of Continuing Education (Barry’s

home department while on his Fulbright)

and now head of the Graduate Institute in

Political Science, and Amanda Lee, the

Program Coordinator for the Division of

Academic Exchange. The conversation

concluded with the hope of developing

new ties for the

Department and

University with

both institutions.

Annie has ap-

plied for a Ful-

bright grant to

teach at NTU dur-

ing the 2009-10

academic year.

Barry has applied

for a sabbatical

and hopes to join

Annie in Taiwan

while he com-

pletes a book

project. Annie Cleveland conducts make-up workshop in Taiwan Dr. Edmunds with students in Taiwan

Dr. Carpenter, Dr. Fan with students in Taiwan Prof. Cleveland teaches in Taiwan ConductinT TTeTtre WorksTops in TTiwTn

(by Mnnie O. Cleveland, Costume DesiMner,

USM UU 8 www.anniecleveland.com)

12

12

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

miss anything or misunderstand any-

thing. I also had first-hand experience

on hard working. I feel that I represent

my school (Shanghai Normal Univer-

sity), and my country (China), so I

want to let others know that Chinese

students are smart and diligent.

I also made a lot of friends here, and

enjoyed the time with them. During

my spare time, I would travel or go

shopping at outlets with my friends. I

have been to many famous tourism

places, such as Santa Monica, China-

town, Hollywood, Universal Studios,

Disneyland and so on. There are still

so many other places I wanted to go.

In all, I love CSUN, I love California,

and I love the days of my life here. I

really appreciate this chance to be an

exchange student in CSUN and to get a

Time flies…it’s hard to believe that I

have been a CSUN exchange student

for 4 months! During the past 4 months,

however, I learned many things that I

could never have experienced in china

before. First of all, I have learned a lot

at school. For example, I learned about

the importance of teamwork. There are

a lot of assignments that I need to co-

operate with my classmates, such as

group projects and presentations. Eve-

ryone must participate and work hard

as a team, because our joint perform-

ance will determine the project grade.

In addition, I find that communication

plays a key role in my schoolwork. As

an international student, it is not easy

for me to catch every word in English. I

must talk to both the professors and

classmates to make sure that I don’t

RTys oT Ty liTe Tt CTUN by (YiTTnT Pu, ShanMhai Normal Univ.)

As a visiting scholar in CSUN,

I had a good mentor, Prof. Mark Farqu-

har, who not only taught me to use the

3D software to create animation art,

but also gave me much knowledge

about the animation industry in the U.S.

I visited Disney Aniamtion Studio and

joined VES Training and Mentoring

Program with him and his other stu-

dents. Another art professor, Mary Ann

Trujillo, taught me much about anima-

tion concept and how to organize the

story. I am deeply grateful to these

teachers and the art students. With

their help, I conducted a lecture on the

Chinese Traditional Painting Animation

to the faculty and students at CSUN and

informed them of the development of

Chinese animation art. The lively in-

teractive discussion with them left me

lasting impressions.

Beyond my academic studies,

Professor Justine Su, Director of the

China Institute, took good care of me

and other visiting scholars. She is al-

CSUN, just like its name, “color

of the sun,” is always shining, passionate

and vivid. It’s also like the smiles on the

people's faces here. Although I was at

CSUN to learn animation in the Art De-

partment for just 3 months, I felt the

friendship, warmth and professionalism

of the faculty and students, which

helped remove the fear and worry that I

had before I came here.

CTUN – TTe “Color oT tTe Tun” (By WeiyT Yu, ShanMhai Theatre Mcademy)

ways thoughtful and arranged a lot of

cultural activities for us, so I didn't feel

homesick at any time. In particular,

when the holidays came, she would in-

vite us to attend American festivals and

gatherings in order to learn more about

the American culture. I also made lots of

friends with other Chinese scholars and

students at these gatherings. Time flies,

but my happy CSUN days will remain in

my memory forever. Yu enjoys Halloween in Prof. Farquhar’s home Yu presents lecture on Chinese Art

scholarship from CSUN. And I am grate-

ful to the friends and professors who

helped me here. It is a great experience

for me to be an exchange student here at

CSUN, and this experience is truly unfor-

gettable.

Pu enjoys life in L.A.! Chinese students join dem-onstration at CNN Chinese scholars with Education Consuls at PBD banquet,

13

13

On March 20, Professor Su ar-

ranged for us to visit the famous Hunt-

ington Library. The Huntington is a pri-

vate nonprofit research and educational

institution. It was founded in 1919 by

Henny E. Huntington. Now, The Hunting-

ton has become a very famous museum,

library and garden, which is a nice rep-

resentation of American culture. The

Huntington is made up of three parts:

museums of art collections, library, and

gardens. We primarily visited the gar-

dens and museums, and were particu-

larly impressed by the Suzhou Garden,

the Japanese Garden and the Desert

Botanical Garden. We learned that it

took three years to finish just Project

One of the Suzhou Garden. Several doz-

ens of craftsmen from China were en-

gaged in the construction of the gar-

den, and all materials of garden were

transported from Suzhou, China by

ship. It is the biggest Suzhou Garden

outside of China now. Strolling in the

Suzhou Garden and enjoying the small

bridge and flowing water, the pavilion,

the flowers, we felt as if we were back

in South China.

The most unforgettable scenes

for us are the various strange desert

plants in the Desert Garden. Glowing

in the setting sun, the desert plants

demonstrated their beautiful forms and

powerful vitality, which really amazed

us. What surprised us the most was the

biggest Holy Bible in the world which is

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

dent of a college student

association in U.S.A.

CSA’s mission is to en-

hance friendship and

communication amongst

members carry forward ;Chinese cultures pro-;mote greater awareness

and appreciation for the

latest developments from

the global Chinese soci-

ety help incoming Chi-;nese students and schol-

ars to become comforta-

bly integrated with the

American environment.

There is an old saying:

The Beginning is always difficult.

We know we will face a lot of rough. But

there is another saying: When the go-

ing gets tough, the tough gets going.

We have already wonderful activities

planned for this semester, including

organizing this year’s Chinese New

Year banquet together with the China

Institute, and multiple performances on

the banquet! We are confident that CSA

I came to CSUN in 2007 as an exchange

student under the “2+2” program be-

tween Shanghai Normal University and

CSUN. My major is Financial Planning

and Service, and I love my major! Time

flies. I cannot believe this semester will

be my last semester! Life in America is

challenging but also is a lot of fun. I had

many “first-time” experiences since I

came here--The first time I arrived at the

LAX airport, the first time I took Bus302,

the first time I cook fish, the first time I

got my driver’s license, the first time I

worked at the school library, the first

time I worked as MC for Chinese New

Year Banquet at CSUN and the first time I

had my birthday outside China, to name

a few. All of these first-time experiences

have greatly enriched my life. Wherever

I will be in the future, these memories

will always be with me.

One of the highlight of my life here at

CSUN is co-founding the Chinese Student

Association (CSA). Last Semester, some

Chinese students, including myself,

started the CSA. This is another first time

to me--the first time I work as the Presi-

will become a very successful student

organization at CSUN! And I wish more

and more CSUN students and scholars

who enjoy or like to learn Chinese Cul-

ture could join us. We are always

ready to help. I enjoy my life here at

CSUN, and I will always remember

these first-time experiences wherever

I go in the future.

CleTse join us Tt CTA! (by Beibei Mu, ShanMhai Normal University)

collected in the Art Museum. Under the

light in the showcase, the Bible was glim-

mering in mysterious rays. We couldn't

take our eyes off it. Professor Su told us

that we could have a better understand-

ing of the American culture through visit-

ing the Huntington. I have been thinking

of how we can preserve culture ef-

fectively. The Huntington Library

has given us the best answer.

A RepresentTtion oT ATericTn Culture: TTe HuntinTton LibrTry (By Tiefei Jia, ShanMhai Normal University）

Chinese Student Association Board members

CSUN Scholars at Suzhou Garden in Huntington Chinese scholars visit Huntington Library with CSUN faculty & staff

1 4

1 4

In March 2008 Prof. Justine Su

took us visiting scholars from China to the

downtown Union Rescue Mission. Literally

it means a church (mission) where people

are sheltered and fed (rescued). I would

say of all my trips in the States, this one

stands out in particular because we saw

another side of American life, that of the

utterly poor. So deprived are they that

they have no homes to go to, no food to

feed themselves. What's rendered these

people homeless so they have to seek for

refuge? As we were told, family problems

including breakups and home abuse,

drug addiction, crimes are among the

most common contributory factors. The

man who received us and showed us

around the Union Rescue Mission, Andy,

once stayed in prison for 18 years! He told

us every day three free meals are offered

to some two hundred people who can also

apply for a bed at night. The funding for

the church comes from government

grants, but mainly from donations of the

society.

Shelter and food can only solve

the problems of the flesh, yet the spirit

remains troubled. Here comes the most

impressive function of this mission. Peo-

ple can actually rehabilitate themselves

through a closely monitored and disci-

plined program. If they graduate, they

may even get a paid job to work in the

mission, like what Andy's doing now. Of

course there're dos and don'ts for them to

follow. Violators will be suspended or

even kicked out if it is serious offense like

drugs, alcohol, violence or other delin-

quencies. Graduating from the program

isn't easy. Besides compulsory work in the

place, people have to take mandatory

fitness education, mandatory psycho-

logical education, and mandatory Bible

study (quotes from the Bible are on

many walls and pillars). The facilities

here are amazingly complete, ranging

from fitness center (with a spacious

basketball court) to clinics to study

rooms. Dodgers and spongers certainly

won't fit in here. I had a chat with Andy

on the rooftop of the five-storied com-

plex. He was very grateful about his

change. He was helped and now he is

helping other people. He ascribed his

salvation and the decent and respect-

able life he’s having now to the mission

and to Jesus Christ. We could see just

outside the mission a lot of down-and-

outers loitering on the streets, known as

the Skid Row. Andy used to be one of

them, but now he's a reformed man. A

two-inch wall separates two worlds.

Andy said when he saw the people out-

side he felt strong inside.

We didn't just tour the mission.

We did our bit too. Before dinner time, we

helped clean up the kitchen, you know,

sweeping, scrubbing and mopping. We

had dinner here too. We also helped

serve dinner. What did I feel when serv-

ing all these ragged people, "weathered

faces lined in pain", some glad and grate-

ful, some embittered or indifferent? A

little strange at first, but defi-

nitely no aversion because I

knew I was helping people

who needed help and re-

spect too. So I smiled to

every person I met (I was

giving out disposable knives

and forks) and said (for a

hundred times maybe) "How

are you doing?" "Enjoy your

meal." I didn't mind the little

fatigue after the work was

done. Somehow I felt I un-

derstood the true meaning of

"mission". Despite its reli-

gious connotation, the mis-

sion is part of our social con-

science. Maybe it cannot cure

all the ills of the world. At least it helps

soothe some of the pain. In a sense this

rescue mission can be everybody's mis-

sion, to help make this world (a sordid

and miserable one for many of our fellow

human beings) a better place.

Emily Dickinson was on my mind

as we left the mission in the evening: “If I

can stop one heart from breaking, I shall

not live in vain. If I can ease one life the

aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one

fainting robin Onto his nest again, I shall

not live in vain.”

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

A Trip to TTe Union Rescue Mission (by Yang Jin, Shanghai Normal University)

Chinese scholar volunteers at Union Rescue Mission

Prof. Yang with other volunteers at URM

New Shanghai government Scholars with Dr. Johnson and Dr. Su

1 5

1 5

Technology

You Ying-Lai, Xiamen University of Tech-

nology

Yu Weiya, Shanghai Theatre Academy

Xue Bin, Research Professor at Nanjing

Institute of Geography and Limnology, CAS

Zhang Yi, Nanjing Hohai University

Li Bofang, Jining University

Liu Zhuo, Northeastern University

Yilai You, Xiamen University

Xuezhen Dai, Central Finance University

Karen Jue Cai, Shanghai Normal Univer-

sity

Liu Xiaomin, Shanghai Normal University

Chen Yong, Shanghai Normal University

Liu Chunji, Shanghai Normal University

Zhang Kangping, Mayor, Peng Pu Town

Government of Zhabei District, Shanghai

Zhu Yi, Chairwoman, Youth Federation of

Minhang District, Shanghai

Zhu Yibo, Shanghai Chemical Industry

Park Development Co., Ltd.

Li Yong, Director of R D, Shanghai Media &Group

Li Guohua, President and Chief Surgeon,

Yangpu District Central Hospital

Wang Zhaohui, Vice President, Shanghai

No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court

Jiangpei Dou, Nanjing Institute of Astro-

nomical Technology&

Yuhui Wu, Xiamen University

Xu Fei, Business College, Shanghai

Normal University

Cenyang Zhao, Business College,


Jiazhen Zhou, Business College, Shang-

hai Normal University

Beibei Wu, Finance College, Shanghai

Normal University

Ruan Xu, Finance College, Shanghai

Normal University

Chunhui Wang, Finance College,


Xiaowei Yu, Finance College, Shanghai

Normal University

Yao Lu, Shanghai Normal University

Yang Jin, Shanghai Normal University

Jia Tiefei, Shanghai Normal University

Xu ing, Shanghai Normal UniversityQ

Duan Ying, Shanghai Normal University

Liu Yunqing, Shanghai Normal University

Chen ingxun, Shanghai Normal Univer-Qsity

Chen Jing, Shanghai Normal University

Pu Yihang, Shanghai Normal University

Xu Wenting, Shanghai Normal University

Li Zhimeng, Shanghai Normal University

Wu Xiangsheng, Shanghai Normal Univer-

sity

Zhou Jun, Shanghai Normal University

Yang Yang, Shanghai Normal Uni-

versity

Shen Yiwen, Shanghai Normal

University

Liu Yi, Shanghai Normal University

Zhou Yu, Nanjing Hohai University

Zhou Yi, Nanjing Hohai University

Zhou Song, inghua UniversityQ

Yang Yong, Guangzhou Govern-

ment Foreign Affairs Office

Wang Zongrun, Central South Uni-

versity

Zeng Shihong, Beijing University of

Kong Shuanghui, Finance College, Shang-

hai Normal University

Seeing Ruan, Zhengzhou University

Gu Yiqing, Shanghai University of Finance

and Economics

iuyan Ren, Anhui University of Finance Qand Economics

Yun Gao, Fushun College of Petroleum

Fang Wang, Vice Director, Museum of the

Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nan Yue King

Xiaowen Hu, Zhongshan University Affili-

ated Hospital

Lihong Sun, Central University of Finance

and Economics in Beijing

Sang Rong, Liaoning University

Liu Bijian, Guangzhou Academy of

Social Sciences

Yao Yang, Guangzhou Academy of

Social Sciences

Yang Zaigao, Guangzhou Academy

of Social Sciences

Xue Shengjun, Wuhan University of

Technology

You Yang, Shanghai Normal Univer-

sity

Shen Yilu, Shanghai Normal Univer-

sity

Sun Maohui, Shanghai Normal Uni-

versity

Pan Guochen, Wuhan University

Yao Haixin, Liaoning University

Xu iang, Zhejiang University of Technol-Qogy

Wang, Xinhua, Shanghai Ethnic and Reli-

gious Affairs Administration

Yao Zhuoyun, Shanghai Huangpu Women’s

Federation

Lin Hua, The People’s Government of

Yexie Town, Songjiang District

Zhang ingxia, Shanghai Modern Logistics QDevelopment and Investing Co., Ltd. Of Bailian Group Co., Ltd.

Xu Benzeng, Shanghai Pudong New Area

Supervision Committee

Yu Yonglin, Shenergy Co., Ltd., Shanghai

CTinese TcTolTrs Ttudents TtudyinT Tt&&&& CTUN (2007R2008):

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

Shanghai government scholars with Education Consuls

Chinese students attend Prof. Duan and Rachmanov Concert Jim and Bob host Chinese scholars at NBC

Supervising Judge Kirschner Hosts Chinese scholars at Van Nuys Superior Court

1 6

1 6

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

CTinese EducTtion ReleTTtions to CTUN:

Arts

Judith Hennessey, Marketing

William Jennings, College of Busi-ness and Economics

Yanbo Jin, Finance

Mack Johnson, Graduate Studies, Research, and International Pro-

grams

Nick Kioussis, Physics and Astron-omy

Christopher Leu, MPA Program

Angela Lew, Oviatt Library

Mingfang Li, Management

Dave Moon, Art

Deanna Murray, Music

Jim Overman, Film and TV Arts

Linda Overman, English

Dmitry Rachmanov, Music

Deqing Ren, Physics

Kathleen Rowlands, Secondary Edu-cation

Louis Rubino, Health Sciences

Carole Sherpherd, Health Sciences

Elizabeth Slator, Kinesiology

Justine Su, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Weimin Sun, Philosophy

Yifei Sun, Geography

Ward Thomas, Political Science and MPA program

Takashi Yagisawa, Philosophy

ZhongGuo Zhou, Finance

Bruce Zucker, Business Law

Joel Athey, English

Katherine Baker, Music

Shari Tarver Behring, Educational Psychology

Yolanda R. Chassiakos, Student Health Center

Warren Campbell, MPA Program

Chao Chen, Finance

Robert Chianese, English

Paul Chow, China Institute

Mark Farquhar, Art

Craig Finney, Recreation and Tourism Management

Brian Foley, Secondary Education

Jan Friedel, Educational Leader-ship

Robert Gustafson, Film and TV

CTUN Mentors Tor CTinese VisitinT TcTolTrs/Ttudents to CTUN(2007R2008):

XPEU President Su with Dr. Johnson and CSUN hosts

Xi’an Physical Education University President’s Delegation, Feb., 2008.

China Olympic Beach Volley-Ball Team, March, 2008.

Meilanfang Beijing Opera Troupe Deputy Director, March, 2008.

Guangzhou Medical University Vice President’s Delegation, June, 2008.

Taiwan National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium Research Delegation, July, 2008.

Shanghai Normal University Xiejin Film School Delegation, August, 2008.

Hubei Tourism Managers Delegation, October, 2008.

Meilanfang Beijing Opera Troupe Master Class, October, 2008.

Shanghai Normal University President’s Delegation, November, 2008.

Guangzhou Medical University Vice President Delegation, February, 2009.

Xi’an International University President Delegation, Febru-ary, 2009.

Hubei Tourism Management Delegation

Chinese Olympics Beach Volley-Ball Team visits CSUN

1 7

1 7

laborative projects, June and July,

2008.

Dr. Donald Bleich from Dept. of Finance visited Shanghai Normal

Univ. Finance College to discuss

2+2 program development, July,

2008.

Dr. Meiqing Wang from Art Dept. visited China to conduct research

under China Institute Faculty De-

velopment Grant, summer, 2008.

Prof. Nagi, El Naga, Chair of Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engi-

neering, visited Shanghai Normal

University to discuss 2+2 program

development, summer, 2008.

Dr. Mack Johnson, Associate Vice President for International Pro-

grams, visited Guangzhou Medi-

cal University to attend the 50th

Anniversary Celebration, Guang-

zhou Government, Shanghai Gov-

ernment Training Center, and

Shanghai Normal University, Nov.,

2008.

Dr. Chao Chen from Dept. of Fi-nance taught at Fudan University

as a visiting professor, fall, 2008.

Dr. Robert Carpenter

from Dept. of Biology visited Tai-

wan to develop and consolidate

collaborative project with marine

biology scholars in the National

Museum of Marine Biology and

Aquarium, fall, 2008.

Prof. Edward Alfanso, Chair of Art Dept., visited Shanghai Normal

University to visit the Art College

and to discuss 2+2 project devel-

opment, fall, 2008.

Dean Robert Bucker of College of Arts, Media and Communications,

Prof. Peter Grego, Chair of Dept.

of Theatre, Prof. Robert Gustafson,

Chair of Dept. of Film and TV Arts

led the CSUN Student Performing

Delegation to visit and perform at

Shanghai Normal University, fall,

2008.

Dr. Mingfang Li from Dept. of Man-agement visited Nanjing and

Zhejiang as a visiting professor

and researcher for collaborative

projects, December, 2008.

Dr. Zhong-Guo Zhou from Dept. of Finance conducted a workshop for

faculty at the Finance College,

Shanghai Normal University, De-

cember and January, 2009.

Dr. Zhong-Guo Zhou (Finance) took CSUN international busi-

ness students on a study tour to

China, spring break, 2008.

Dr. Peter Edmunds (Biology) visited Taiwan to develop and

consolidate collaborative pro-

ject with marine biology schol-

ars, signing of formal MOU,

March, 2008.

Dr. Brian Malec, Chair of Health Sciences Dept., and Dr.

Lou Rubino took graduate stu-

dents on a study tour to Guang-

zhou and Yunnan during spring

break, 2008.

Dr. Wei Chao (Family and Con-sumer Science), visited China in

April, 2008 to conduct research

under China Institute Faculty De-

velopment Grant.

Dr. Robert Gustafson (Cinema and TV Arts), visited Shanghai Normal

as a visiting professor in May and

June, 2008.

Angela Lew visited China to de-velop rural library projects in May

and June, 2008.

Dr. Adam Swenson (Philosophy) visited Shanghai Normal Univ. as a

visiting professor, lecture, and

development of collaborative pro-

jects, summer, 2008.

Dr. Mingfang Li (Management) visited China to attend interna-

tional conferences and to explore

collaborative projects with Chi-

nese scholars in various universi-

ties, May and June, 2008.

President Jolene Koester visited Shanghai Normal University and

Shanghai Theatre Academy to re-

new friendship and collaboration,

June, 2008.

Dr. Yifei Sun visited China on col-

CTUN TcTolTrs Tnd Ttudents’ Visits to CTinT:

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

President Koester with Shanghai Normal University leaders

President Koester renews MOU with Shanghai Theatre Academy

Dr. Johnson and Dr. Wei renew MOU between CSUN and GMU

Dr. Peter Edmunds with Taiwan scholars at NMMBA

1 8

1 8

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

“A BrilliTnt Role Model in Our CoTTuR

nity” (by Justine Su) Mei Wu, a Northridge resident

and Chinese-American woman from

Shanghai, has made great contributions to

the exchange programs between CSUN

and China. She first got involved with our

China projects when CSUN Film Professor

Alexis Krasilovsky asked China Institute to

help find translators for her award-

winning documentary film, “Women Be-

hind the Camera.” Mei Wu and her son

enthusiastically volunteered hundreds of

hours of their times to help with the trans-

lation of research data and video tapes

from Chinese into English. Her son even

went to Beijing to assist the data collection

and interpretation work, and Mei Wu

helped host senior camerawomen from

China when they came to the L.A. area.

The film has already won many awards

and recognitions at film festivals all over

the world.

In the past 10 years, Mei Wu and

her family have opened their hearts and

doors to numerous Chinese scholars and

students sponsored by the China Institute

at CSUN. She has helped them with trans-

portation, housing, shopping, English

study, cultural field trips, even getting

driver’s licenses. On many occasions,

Mei and her family have organized social

gatherings and holiday parties for CSUN

Chinese scholars and students, and intro-

duced them to local Chinese American

families and friends.

Last November, when CSUN IEP

student Lu Yao (from Shanghai Normal

University) was hospitalized in critical

care after a tragic hit-and-run accident on

Reseda Blvd, Mei became the major com-

munity volunteer helper for Lu Yao. For

many weeks, Mei went to the hospital eve-

ryday to help with translation and care for

Yao Lu and her mother, who did not speak

English, nor could drive. After Lu Yao’s

discharge from the hospital, Mei contin-

ued to take her to doctors’ offices for fol-

low-ups and rehabilitation. She also ac-

companied them to the police station and

fire station several times so that Yao Lu

could provide detailed descriptions of the

accident scene. One night shortly after

Yao Lu came out of the hospital, she de-

veloped a severe headache and could not

eat. Mei took her to the hospital emer-

gency room again even though she her-

self suffered from a bad cold, and stayed

with her there for her various examina-

tions till 3a.m. in the morning. It was dur-

ing CSUN’s final exam week, and all our

faculty and students were busy with their

tional visitors. She establishes rela-

tionships with them, breaks bread

with them, and takes time to speak with

them at great length about the impor-

tant things in life. She is always there to

listen.

Not long ago, Aunt Yihlan

heard that a Chinese girl named Lu Yao

was hit by a car. Aunty Yilan and the

church members were very concerned.

In fact, during the two months when Lu

Yao was in the hospital, Aunt Yihlan

visited her frequently and has contin-

ued to call her and her parents with

encouraging words. All the Chinese

students call her affectionately, “Our

Dear Aunt Yihlan.”

Since more and more Chinese

students have come to CSUN to study in

the IEP program or degree programs,

the Chinese Mandarin Baptist Church

next to CSUN has become a place

where students can get together with

local Chinese community friends. Al-

though many of the students from China

are not Christians, Mr. and Mrs. Yuen

still offer their kind help to them. On

every Thursday, Aunt Yuen would take

some students to the Chinese super-

market for shopping, since the students

do not have cars. She also helps stu-

dents practice driving and volunteers

to take them to the DMV for driving

tests. We are all deeply thankful to Aunt

Yihlan!

YiTlTn TTen Yuen 袁沈逸蘭袁沈逸蘭袁沈逸蘭袁沈逸蘭 ————我们的逸兰阿姨我们的逸兰阿姨我们的逸兰阿姨我们的逸兰阿姨 Our ReTr Aunt YiTlTn (by Cindy Ruan and Xiaowei Yu, Chinese students at CSUN) More than ten years ago, Aunt

Yihlan Shen Yuen immigrated to the

United States. As she became more in-

volved in the social and cultural life in the

Valley, she and her husband, Dr. Alex

Yuen, founded the Youth Fellowship in the

Mandarin Baptist Church close to CSUN,

in order to offer friendship and support to

the young students and scholars at CSUN

from other countries. They met many

Chinese students pursuing their education

here alone by themselves and without

their families, therefore

needing help from the com-

munity. Through the Youth

Fellowship, Mr. and Mrs.

Yuen have offered guidance

and support to many interna-

tional students in our local

high schools, colleges, and

working units. The most

wonderful thing is that Aunt

Yihlan has spent most of her

time giving individual atten-

tion to each of the interna-

CTinT Institute OutstTndinT Contribution AwTrd Recipients 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Yuen

study and work. Without Mei’s help, Yao

Lu and her mother would not be able to

get to the hospital to receive timely treat-

ment. No one at CSUN or in the commu-

nity has done as much for Yao Lu’s recov-

ery as Mei Wu. Now Yao Lu and her

mother are back in China for further re-

hab, and Mei is busy on the road again

helping our new scholars and students

from China! She told her children: “when

you do something good for other people,

don’t expect any return. But if other peo-

ple do something good for you, always

remember them. Your life will be much

easier and happier.” Mei Wu has indeed

set up a brilliant role model for her chil-

dren, and for all of us at CSUN and in the

community.

Mrs. Mei Wu with Yao Lu at the Northridge Fire Station

Mr. and Mrs. Yuen with Chinese students at CSUN

19

19

CTinT Institute OutstTndinT Contribution AwTrds (1997R2009): 1997 - Dr. Liangkang Lu

1998 - Dr. I-Shou Wang

1999 – Dr. Paul Chow and Dr. Tung-Po Lin

2000 – Dr. Mack Johnson

2001 – E Xuewen, Dr. Harold Giedt, and Dr. Elliot Mininberg

2002 – Angela Lew, and Dr. Yvonne Chan

2003 - Dr. Ellen McFadden, Dr. Lou Rubino

2004 – Dr. Kwang-nan Chow

2005 – John Charles

2006 - Dr. Christa Metzger and Shari Ramson

2007 – Dr. Chao Chen and Dr. Mingfang Li

2008 - Dr. Warren Campbell and Dr. Christopher Leu

2009 – Mrs. Mei Wu and Mrs. Yihlan Shen Yuen

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

TpeciTl Crojects: Special leadership training programs for young leaders from Guangzhou, Dalian and Shanghai government, 1997-2009.

Special Training Programs for Health Professionals from China, 2000 -2009.

International Professional Development Academy for educational administrators, in collaboration with educational institu-tions in Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing, from 1997 - 2007.

Special visiting scholar/educational administrator program for Shanghai Normal University, 2003-2009.

Summer enrichment programs for Chinese students and faculty, summer, 2006-2008.

2009R2010 FTculty RevelopTent GrTnts: Faculty at CSUN with an interest in China are invited to apply for initial seed money from the China Institute to start a

project in their discipline that advances the field of China Studies or promotes long-term exchange and collaboration for faculty

and students. Applicants should explain how this grant may stimulate larger and longer range projects. There will be two

grants of $1000 each, which can be used to support travel expenses for faculty’s visit to China to conduct their projects.

Applicants should submit a written proposal of no more than three double-spaced pages. It should cover the nature

and purpose of their project, how they intend to carry it out, how it may help CSUN students or our collaborative relationship

with Chinese institutions, and how the funds will be spent related to their travel to China. Additionally, a one page resume

highlighting relevant experiences must be included. A word file containing the proposal and resume must be submitted to the

China Institute Review Committee Chair, Dr. Harold Giedt, via e-mail: [email protected], by Feb. 23, 2009. A four person

review committee will review all applications carefully and make recommendations to the China Institute Director and Execu-

tive Committee. Decisions on awards will be announced by April 1, 2009. Grant recipients are expected to provide written re-

ports on their grant activities to the China Institute by June 30, 2010. Faculty interested in further information regarding these

grants may contact the China Institute by e-mailing Dr. Giedt at [email protected] or Dr. Su at [email protected].

Undergraduate and graduate students in all fields of

study are invited to apply for up to three awards from the China

Scholarship Council to study any selected subject matter in one

of the best institutions of higher learning in China. The Chinese

government scholarship will cover all tuition and living ex-

penses for the awardees to study in China for the entire 2009-

2010 Academic Year.

Fourteen CSUN students have received these prestig-

ious awards in the past ten years to study in China in order to

further their understanding of the Chinese culture, language

and traditions as well as their knowledge in a specialized area.

They have studied at the Beijing Film Academy, Shanghai Nor-

mal University, Nanjing Normal University, Peking University,

Sichuan University, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Central

Theatre Academy, Tianjin Foreign Language University, Shang-

hai Fudan University, and Shanghai University of Finance and

Economics.

Applicants should submit a written proposal of no

more than three double-spaced pages, outlining the following:

purposes and rationale for the proposed study, intended out-

comes or achievements and their significance to CSUN’s China

exchange programs, and description of previous knowledge in

Chinese language and culture. A single page resume of educa-

2009R2010 CTinT TcTolTrsTip Council AwTrd CroTrTT :

tion and relevant experience should also be included. After a

preliminary review, selected candidates will be invited to

complete special application forms from the China Scholarship

Council. A word file containing the application proposal and

resume must be submitted to the Chair of China Institute Re-

view Committee, Dr. Harold Giedt, via e-mail: har-

[email protected] no later than Feb. 23, 2009. Two recom-

mendation letters from each applicant’s faculty should also be

e-mailed to Dr. Giedt by the deadline. A four-person commit-

tee will review all applications and make recommendations to

the China Institute Director and the Executive Committee. Se-

lected applicants will then be forwarded to the China Scholar-

ship Council for further review. Final decisions on awards will

be announced by May 15, 2009.

Upon their return from China, awardees will be ex-

pected to make a formal presentation to the campus on their

experiences in China as part of the China Institute Lecture

Series. Awardees will also provide written reports on their

activities in China to the China Institute by November, 2010.

Applicants are encouraged to seek general information and

guidelines related to this competition from the China Institute

by e-mailing Dr. Giedt at [email protected] or Dr. Su at

[email protected].

20

20

THE CHINA INSTITUTE

Chinese New Year’s Banquet, March, 2008.

“China Earthquake Relief Fund-Raising Concert,” together with San Fernando Valley Chinese Cultural Association, June, 2008.

Winsor Gardens Summer Concert, August, 2008

“Sister School, Sister Acts” by Shanghai Normal University Xiejin Film School, Aug. 2008.

“Media Stereotyping: U.S. Media Characterization of China Follows the Pattern Set by the British Media Characterization of the U.S.” by Dr.

Robert W Gustafson, Chair of Dept. of Cinema and TV Arts, Septem-

ber, 2008.

“Three Pillars of Chinese Philosophy: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism,” by Weimin Sun, Dept. of Philosophy, September, 2008.

“China’s Innovation Strategy and Policy,” Dr. Yu Hu, Peking University, Sept., 2008.

“Beijing Meilanfang Opera House Performance and Workshop,” Oct., 2008.

“Re-Imagining China,” a special forum at CSUN sponsored by the Dept. of Geography and the China Institute, November 13,

2008.

“Migrant Workers in China,” by Dr. Cindy Fan from UCLA, No-vember, 2008

“Globalization, Transnationalism, and the Struggle for the City,” by Dr. Suzanne Scheld, Dept. of Anthropology, November,

2008.

“Thanksgiving Luncheon for Visiting Scholars,” with Office of Graduate Studies, Research and International Programs, Nov.,

2008.

“Thanksgiving Celebration Party,” with local Chinese American community and Chinese Language School, Nov., 2008.

“Chinese New Year’s Celebration Party,” with local Chinese American community and

Chinese Language School,

Jan., 2009.

“Piano Concert by Professor Ying Duan and Dmitry Rach-

manov,” Feb., 2009.

“Chinese New Year’s Cele-bration Banquet at CSUN”,

co-sponsored by the Chi-

nese Student Association,

March 15, 2009.

ArtsC Music Tnd Lecture Teries:

China Institute Website: Peter Liu has continued to maintain and update the website for the China Institute, which has over 200 mb., capable of containing a lot of information. It is linked to CSUN website, and to a database so that in the future, new members can sign up on line. The purpose is to create a dynamic site so that it’s accessible to everyone and provides information about China Institute’s past and current activities. A new information database/handbook for visiting scholars has been added to our website. Our website address is www.csunchinainstitute.org and our E-mail address is [email protected]. © 2009 The China Institute, CSUN© 2009 The China Institute, CSUN© 2009 The China Institute, CSUN© 2009 The China Institute, CSUN Newsletter Editor –in-Chief : Dr. Justine Su Newsletter Associate Editor: Yanbo Jin Newsletter Managing Editor & Executive Producer : Peter Liu All rights reserved

Meilanfang Beijing Opera workshop

“Farewell by Concubine” by Meilanfang Opera Master Mei Baojiu Speaks at CSUN

Shanghai student Cindy Ruan plays Guzeng at Chinese banquet

NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER THE CHINA INSTITUTE Cinema and TV Arts Dept. Chair Robert Gustaf-son. They...

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