‘China Chic’: Chinese Language Video Festival launched to celebrate UN Chinese Language Day
CGTN.COM
The theme this year is “China Chic” – a modern take on traditional Chinese heritage from young people around the world. As China has continued to progress and innovate, unique cultural elements have been adapted to fit the very latest trends, with the younger generation increasingly aware of regional differences.
All non-native Chinese speakers from around the world are invited to submit an original video showcasing the beauty of Chinese traditions and how they are incorporated into the modern world.
Venue: Brian Friel Theatre, 20 University Square, Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN
Language: English/Chinese
Booking: Eventbrite (free, but advanced booking essential)
Join us for an audio journey that brings together 1960s Northern Ireland and 21st Century China. Alongside excerpts from the original English version, Chinese Students from the Centre for Translating and Interpreting (CTI) at Queen’s University will narrate a new translated adaptation of Brian Friel’s short story ‘The Widowhood System’.
The Widowhood System是一个由布莱恩.弗里尔写于二十世纪六十年代的爱尔兰故事。三个嗜酒如命的中年单身汉，为了追逐埋藏于心多年的赛鸽梦，开始了一场堂吉诃德式的养鸽之旅。殊不知，赛鸽的命运和他们的人生产生了奇妙的重合……
What effect does translation have in transporting a story across time and space? When the page is adapted for the stage, what role does a translator play? What happens when a translator, often considered as the one doing the paperwork, leaves their desk to work as a theatre practitioner?
In this script reading and discussion event, co-organized by CTI, Friel Reimagined, and the Brian Friel Theatre, the translator, Chuchu, the music producer, Kehan and the actors will present the original text, the translated work and the procedure of the adaptation— a Chinese audiobook based on the story ‘The Widowhood System’ by the great Irish playwright Brian Friel. With the original text in English, the Chinese voice actors reading the translated version, and the translator sharing the background of the translation and adaptation process, this event aims to provide a unique insight into how a translated play is produced and presented.
Shurui Yang, aka Chuchu, is a PhD in translation from Center of Translation and Interpreting. Supervised by Prof. David Johnston and Dr. Kathleen Kaess, she mainly focuses on translating Brian Friel’s work from English into Chinese.
Please note that The Language Centre is not involved in this competition provision. Any queries regarding this competition shall be sent to the organiser directly.
2022 Chinese Competition of Charitable Projects & Business Innovations for UK University Students
Following the successful running of the online Chinese Competition of Charitable Projects and Business Innovations for UK University Students in 2020 and 2021 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Competition will be held in April 2022, organised by Centre for Language Education and Cooperation, UK.
Competition Date: 10th April 2022 (Sunday)
Format: Zoom Online
Contestants’ Qualifications: Undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students studying at schools, faculties, departments, Confucius Institutes and language centers of the UK universities and people who take part-time courses, short courses and/or evening classes at the UK universities in 2021 to 2022. The mother tongue is not Chinese and the key family members’ mother tongue is not Chinese.
Theme: Topics related to charitable projects and business innovations, including but not limited to charitable projects, business plans, product introductions, introduction of companies and enterprises, business cases, project initiatives and market researches.
Content: Speech presentation*: 8 to 10 minutes Q&A: 5 minutes *Remarks: If there are videos produced by the contestant imbedded in the presentation, the videos can be no more than twice and longer than 1 minute.
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Prizes: Contestants who rank top 6 of the competition will be awarded certificates and partial contribution to the return airfare of undertaking work placement and/or attending business Chinese classes in China. The rest of the contestants will be awarded certificate of participation of the competition and souvenirs.
Enrollment: 1) Contestants please complete and submit the online application form together with the speech synopsis and other required supporting documents no later than 5pm on 11th March (Friday) 2) Participating universities please email the signed and dated confirmation form to the Organising Committee on later than 5pm on the 11th March (Friday).
Number of Contestants: In principle no more than 3 contestants from each participating university.
Support from the industry: Senior business personnel of the UK based key Chinese entreprises and companies and the local British counterparts will join the judging panel of the competition and provide awards for the competition as well as offer work placement for prominent contestants of the competition.
Contact: Name: Christina Zhang Email: bccompetition@clecuk.org
The Chinese New Year is conventionally known as Spring Festival (春节 chūnjié) in China, which welcomes the arrival of spring despite of the cold weather that remains. People are full of hope for a new start in their life when the world comes back to life.
With thanks to our talented graduate Tang LI, we hope that you will be able to enjoy this melody and beautiful Chinese sign language dance.
Song: Early Spring (《春三月》)
Performer: Tang LI, graduate from Queen’s University Management School
For better effect, you may watch it from Youtube. For audience from mainland China, you may watch this performance by click this link.
The meaning and translation of the Chinese sign language dance:
niǎo’r rào zhǐyuān shēngshēng sù 鸟儿 绕 纸鸢 声声 诉 The birds dance with the paper kite, cooing and wooing. sānyuè lái bǎi cǎo kāi 三 月 来 百 草 开 The grass blooms in March yíng xiāng mǎn xiù wàn wù sū 盈 香 满 袖 万 物 苏 The air is full of fragrance as the earth comes back to life. chóng míng hé zhe huānxiào xīnshì shū 虫 鸣 和 着 欢笑 心事 舒 The insects sing cheerfully, with no worries in mind. sānyuè lái nuǎn yáng fù 三 月 来 暖 阳 复 The world has warmed since March xiāng xié qù tàqīng chù 相 携 去 踏青 处 as the people venture out, a new green world to find mò shàng huā kāi mǎn lù xiāng rù tǔ 陌 上 花 开 满 路 香 入 土 Flowers bloom everywhere alongside the paths and the soil was soaked with incense. sānyuè lái yǒu guī rén 三 月 来 有 归 人 As people return in March mǎ tà qiǎn cǎo shēng cuīcù 马 踏 浅 草 声 催促 with horses treading the shallow grass, chūn yǒu qī guī yǒu rì 春 有 期 归 有 日 Spring has its term and people know to expect it. jīn guī tú 今 归 途 As people return again sānyuè lái shēng qíngsù 三 月 来 生 情愫 They plant their sentiment in March chūn gāng fù 春 刚 复 As Spring arrives again qíng rù gǔ 情 入 骨 The sentiment is so profound that it has been rooted to the people’s bones jiè lǚ dōng fēng hù sù 借 缕 东 风 互 诉 whispering to one another through the spring breeze xiāng ài mù 相 爱 慕 their love and affection for each other.
Writing Spring Festival Couplets (春联 chūnlián) and characters such as Fu (福 fú, fortune) and the character of the due zodiac sign, is one of the most common and important customs when celebrating Chinese New Year among Chinese households both home and abroad.
We are grateful to our guest calligrapher, Mr Xiaodong Huang, Director of Tian Yingzhang Calligaphy Academy (Shenzhen), to demonstrate his calligraphy with the greeting message through Spring Festival Couplets and hope you enjoy it.
For audience from mainland China, you can click this link to watch the video.
[Script] A Spring Festival greeting from Shenzhen, China. [Sound] On the arrival of the New Year, I wish you all a year of power and forth, and that all your hopes become true.
0:17 [script] The arrival of the New Year brings the fortune to us. The character Fu means fortune and it’s coming.
0:37 [script] There are many ways of writing the character Fu (福 fú, fortune).
1:08 [script] The regular script of writing the character of Hu (虎 hǔ, tiger).
1:48 [script] The semi-cursive script of writing the character of Hu (虎 hǔ, tiger)
2:14 [script] The cursive script of writing the character of Hu (虎 hǔ, tiger)
2:27 [script] There is no Spring Festival without spring couplet. The first half reads ‘The golden tiger brings its power to powder the spring’ in meaning.
4:32 [script] The second half reads ‘The great fortune blesses peace at the transition between the old and new years’.
5:30 [sound] A Chinese folk song starts
6:30 [script] The title of spring couplet reads ‘Awe-inspiring grandeur remains forever’.
Here’s a good opportunity to learn Chinese and its culture free through this online programme. Read on if you are interested.
Please note that The Language Centre is not involved in this programme provision or enrolment. Any queries regarding this course shall be contacting with the provider directly.
Course title
Visit the Forbidden City and Learn Chinese (I)
Provider
The School of International Education of Tianjin Foreign Studies University in collaboration with the Forbidden City Research Institute
Duration
17th – 26th November 2021
Delivery
Zoom meeting, web resources and online communication
Requirements
Complete the live course and online video course learning, 2-3 assigned tasks by the teacher and send them to the teacher by taking photos, recording short videos, etc. Check the platform of online video course for more details.
Eligibility
Students from overseas exchange universities and colleges; overseas Confucius Institute students; learners who are interested in Chinese culture and Chinese from all over the world
Enrolment
Scan the QR code, fill in the registration form, and send it to 173079507@qq.com. The project sponsor guarantees that the collected student information is only used for the project, ensuring the security of student information.
The Mooncake Festival (月饼节), officially known as Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) in China, has been widely used by people in some Asian countries.
Following last year’s celebration, we would like to welcome you again to join our online Mid-Autumn Festival culture programme which involves
A culture talk with quiz
Cultural performances
Making mooncakes (demo)
Festive greetings from the Language Centre with invitation
The event is jointly contributed by Queen’s Chinese staff, students and alumni. The event is scheduled between 1:00 and 2:00 pm on Tuesday 21st September – the Mid-Autumn Festival day. You are all very welcome to attend the session with the information and registration link below:
Normally people would greet each other by saying ‘Happy Mid-Autumn Festival’ 中秋节快乐 (Zhōngqiū jié kuàilè). However, in this special time of facing pandemic threat, we often wish people peaceful and healthy by adding 安康 (ānkāng) in addition to 快乐 (kuàilè), which becomes “中秋节快乐安康 (Zhōngqiū jié kuàilè ānkāng)”.
中 (zhōng) – middle, centre
秋 (qiū) – autumn
中秋 (Zhōngqiū) – mid-Autumn
节 (jié) – festival, day
快乐 (kuàilè) – happy
安康 (ānkāng) – peaceful and healthy
To learn more Chinese vocabulary and expressions in a structured way, you are welcome to attend one of our Chinese courses for non-specialist purposes. Click the link below to check for Mandarin Chinese course information.
On the arrival of the Chinese Teachers’ Day on 10th September, we are happy to invite Dr Hui Ma, who shifted between his roles of student and teacher, to send his festival thoughts.
My name is Hui Ma. I just received my doctorate degree in education at Queen’s University Belfast, specializing in teaching English as a second or foreign language.
My research interest is in language assessment and language education. Currently, I am working as postdoctoral research assistant in education at Queen’s. I also have recently received offers to work as lecturer in some key universities in China.
Graduation, Image@HuiMa
With 6 years’ experience of English teaching and working as a part-time student counsellor in a Chinese college, I had decided to pursuit the doctorate degree at Queen’s University Belfast in order to better qualify myself as an educator and researcher. During my years at Queen’s, while being a research student learning a lot from my supervisors, I also worked as part-time student assistant for the International Office to offer due support to international students, most of whom are Chinese students. Quite often, I was called as ‘Ma laoshi (lit. Ma teacher) when I was contacted with enquiries or thank-you messages. I am glad to have been helpful.
So, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely wish my teachers, home and abroad, and my fellow colleagues who are teachers and educators in China as well as elsewhere a happy and healthy life.
Language in use
If you are learning Chinese, one of the first few words you may have learned in class probably included 老师 (lǎoshī) when your language teacher established the relationship by telling you how to address them in the Chinese way. Later you will have learned another word 教师 (jiàoshī) when talking about profession. Both mean teacher but the former is used as appellation while the latter refers to the occupation. So you can address your teacher, regardless of their academic titles (lecturer, professor, teaching fellow, etc.), by calling their family name followed by 老师 (lǎoshī). If one’s a teacher, in filling forms when asked about their occupation, they need to write 教师 (jiàoshī).
On this day, students often present flowers or cards to their teachers to thank them for their devotion and care. So, here’s our card to all teachers and also wish Dr Ma a great re-start of becoming a teacher when he returns to China.
Photo collection from QUB alumni who teach in China
Flowers received by Dr Wanhong Wang, Translation graduate
Flowers received by Dr Wanhong Wang, Translation graduate
Flowers received by Kexin Guan, Education Leadership graduate
Flowers and gift bag received by Kexin Guan, Education Leadership graduate
Card with flowers received by Lili Zhong, TESOL graduate
Card with flower received by Yun Zeng, TESOL graduate
Flower received by Hongyan Hu, Leadership for Sustainable Development graduate
Entertained with refreshments, Hongyan Hu, Leadership for Sustainable Development graduate
If you have any thoughts to send to your teachers who mean a lot to your growth at Queen’s, feel free to share your Teachers’ Day messages in the box below. We would like to continue this topic until the World Teachers’ Day on 5th October.
The Language Centre course 2021 autumn enrolment has made a start –
Interested in learning Chinese language?
Mandarin Chinese courses have 5 levels, with Level 1 at the beginner’s moving up to Level 5 post-intermediate. You are very welcome to start from scratch or to continue with us by progressing into the next level up.
What a language the Chinese is! Every word so full of meaning – every character seems to contain a complete idea.
sir robert hart
Woodcut: Robert Hart with his Chinese assistant in their office in Peking. /CFP Photo / Source: CGTN
CCF10 – Turning your interest in Chinese into a business: The Chairman’s Bao
Speakers:
Sean McGibney studied Chinese and Spanish at University of Leeds and founded The Chairman’s Bao alongside Tom Reid in his final year of study in 2015. Currently Managing Director of The Chairman’s Bao, he has overseen the company’s growth from university bedroom concept to an international force in the EdTech industry with over 120,000 individual users and over 300 global partner institutions. In his spare time, Sean sits on the Board of charity Leeds Irish Health and Homes and volunteers with Alzheimer’s Research UK, as well as being a keen runner and cyclist.
Coming previously from an Investment Bank specialising in Mergers and Acquisitions, Oliver Leach joined the Team as Business Development Manager in February 2018 and became a Director in 2020. His existing broad role at TCB spans from marketing and branding to sales and customer service. Outside of work, Oliver is a long-suffering fan of Reading FC.
Outline: In this joint presentation we will cover:
the story behind TCB
our team, using Chinese in a work environment
business achieving success in thriving EdTech sector
