About the Confucius Institute

Founded in December 2008, the Confucius Institute at Alfred University (CIAU) represents a partnership between Alfred University, the Office of the International Chinese Language Council (Hanban/ Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing), and China University of Geosciences (CUG in Wuhan). Its goal is to promote Chinese language and culture through education in upstate New York and to help people further their understanding of China today.

The Confucius House, located at 10 Park Street in the village of Alfred, opened to the public in April 2010. Equipped with touch screen computers and useful software, the Confucius House also functions as an exhibition center and a welcoming center for visitors who want to learn more about the CIAU in particular and Chinese culture in general.

Upcoming Events

News

Guzheng Demo at Binghamton East Middle School on December 15
On December 15 Daisy Wu, the music teacher of CIAU, was invited by the Binghamton City School District to give two guzheng demos in Binghamton East Middle School.
After introducing the history and some master pieces of the guzheng using multimedia PPT, she described and gave a performance. Having never seen a guzheng before, the students were all very interested in the Chinese Culture and music program Daisy gave.
The principal, assistant principal and the mandarin teacher in East Middle School also took part in the demo. They praised Daisy and expressed their appreciation to CIAU.

The Confucius Institute Conference on December 12-14
The 6th Confucius Institute Conference was held in Beijing. Provost William Hall and CIAU director Wilfred Huang attended the event. This is an annual event for all Confucius Institutes from all over the world. “The Coming Ten Years for Confucius Institutes” is this year’s conference theme and has attracted the attendance of over 2,000 university presidents and Confucius Institute representatives from 105 countries and regions.

Launch of the HSK Chinese Proficiency Test at AU, December 4th
Chinese 101 instructor Shirley Zhu arranged for her students to take the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) for the first time at CIAU, now an officially-approved HSK test center. Thirteen AU students (Levels 1 and 2) took the test in Perlman Hall on December 4th. Ronald Zhang and Huiyang Li assisted Shirley in administering the tests, and in the evening, the Confucius House hosted a dinner party for everyone that featured dumplings made by several other faculty members.
The HSK test is important for anyone seeking certification as a Mandarin language teacher, studying in China, or planning to engage in work-related activities in China. The HSK will be offered twice a year at AU with the next test scheduled for April 20, 2012.

Guest lecture of Chinese Music for Alfred University’s Performing Arts Division, Dec. 1
Daisy Wu, music teacher of CIAU was invited by Dr. Luanne Crosby to give a lecture about Chinese musical instruments for Performing Arts Division at Alfred University. Students were very interested in Chinese music and many questions were asked. Professor Crosby had expressed her appreciation to CIAU, saying “we are very fortunate to have you (Daisy) here at Alfred University!”

Exhibition at Avon Middle School (Nov. 15th – Dec. 6th)
Li Huiyang set up an exhibition of Chinese photographs about the history of the relationship between China and the US with emphasis on the late 20th century opening of diplomatic relations and contemporary exchanges among students, tourists, and the like. The Avon administrators expressed their appreciation of the display as did the students, their parents, and other community members who visited the school.

Guest Lecture at Rochester International Early College School
CIAU faculty member Ronald Zhang and Margaret Lin were invited to give a lecture about China and Chinese culture on November 15.

Visits to Participating School Districts
From November 3 to 11, CIAU Director Wilfred Huang and Program Manager Shirley Zhu visited the six school districts in western NY which have been cooperating with CIAU for more than one year. The 2 faculty collected feedback and discussed ways to develop and expand Chinese programs in the future. Superintendents, principals, and administrators in charge of the Chinese programs from Binghamton, Windsor, Union-Endicott, Naples, North Syracuse, and Genesee Valley in Belmont expressed their thanks for CIAU’s bringing Chinese language and culture to their districts. In addition, they all expressed their commitment to continue the program through the next school year. Concerns about how to certify Mandarin teachers according to NY State requirements and how to extend Mandarin classes into their credit-bearing foreign language departments (in times of severe budget cuts) were also discussed. A method for the NY State Education Department to issue temporary teaching certificates was proposed.

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