Celebrating Confucious Classroom @ SHS with a Performance for Students and Staff

by Hengjia Liu, Mandarin Teacher at SHS and STEM Academy

A celebration on the establishment of the first Confucius classroom on Cape Cod will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2014. The celebration will feature a performance by The Wenqin Arts Troupe of Zhejiang University.

The Wenqin Arts Troupe of Zhejiang University was established in 2001, sponsored by school alumna Ms Wenqin Yao.  The troupe has been recognized as one of the best student art groups in China for its high standard of performance in fields such as singing, dancing and martial arts.  There are about 300 performers in the troupe, all current students of Zhejiang University.  Wenqin Arts Troupe has won numerous awards, and performs around the world on behalf of China.

We are very fortunate to have a performance troupe from China to provide our students with some traditional Chinese folk dance, singing, instruments playing and martial arts.

The program can be downloaded here —  Confucius Classroom Celebration Program

Confucius Institute: Confucius is one of the most influential educators in the history of China and the world overall.  Confucianism has been an important part of Chinese culture for milennia, and widely appreciated around the globe.  Confucius Institutes are non-profit educational organizations which share Chinese culture and language worldwide.  There are now a total of 440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms globally.

Confucius Institute at UMass Boston: The first Confucius Institute in New England was established at UMass Boston in 2006.  Since then it has offered a wide array of Chinese language and culture programs for the university as well as communities throughout the region.  Annual “Chinese Bridge” Speech Contests for high school and university students have attracted a total of over 1000 students from 100 schools over the years.  Teacher professional development trainings have supported growth of K-12 Chinese language and culture programs.  Lecture series and cultural events have enriched the university.  The Confucius Institute at UMass Boston is a resource center for learning about Chinese language and society in New England and a platform overall cross-cultural exchange between the US and China.

Confucius is the first teacher in China and his philosophy plays an important role in Chinese teaching methodology. Confucius classroom is a program honored by Confucius headquarters in China. By being approved as the Confucius classroom, our students will benefit from the supports from Chinese government for funding and classroom materials.

Confucius Institute Day: September 27, 2014 is the first global Confucius Institute Day, Confucius Institutes in different parts of the world will organize and provide all kinds of programs and events to celebrate the first birth of Confucius Institute in the world in 2004.

For more information, please visit our website at www.confucius.umb.edu .