The Daily Bulletin Archive

By Tony Astran

The third China Awareness Week takes place March 9–13 on the Buffalo State campus and features two seminars that will highlight Chinese business, culture, and cuisine. Authentic Chinese arts and crafts will also be on sale from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily in the Campbell Student Union lobby.

The seminars will take place during Bengal Pause (Tuesday and Thursday, 12:15–1:30 p.m.) in Bacon Hall 117. Christine Lai, assistant professor of business, will moderate a student panel discussion titled “Beijing, China, through the Eyes of Buffalo State Students” on March 10. Lin You Qing, a Chinese native and Buffalo State sophomore majoring in dietetics and nutrition, will present “Harmony in Chinese Food: A Professional Perspective” on March 12.

Zhang Jie, professor of sociology and director of the Center for China Studies, organizes the week. He said he hopes the events will promote diversity, provide an awareness of Chinese culture, and build “bridges of understanding” between American and Chinese people.

Lai and 15 Buffalo State business students traveled to Beijing from January 2 to 17 as part of a 3-credit study-abroad course on Chinese culture and business practices. Buffalo State students Jonathan Castillo, Quintara Lee, and Bill Logan will discuss their travels and the teachings of guest faculty members who visited them at the Central University of Finance and Economics. Topics include Chinese culture, history, economic reform, health care, education, development of written characters, and Confucianism.

Students also visited the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, the Beijing Hyundai plant, the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall. Lai said the experience helped students become “global citizens” as opposed to “global tourists,” and that she witnessed a sense of transformation among them.

“Most of the students had never traveled outside the U.S., so a two-week trip was a good time frame to ‘test out’ studying abroad,” she said. “Now, one student is planning to go to China for graduate school as a result of the experience. While we were there, the Chinese people seemed just as interested in us as we were in them. Wherever we went, they were extremely friendly and helpful.”

The arts and crafts for sale in the Campbell Student Union were purchased in China by the cohort of Chinese visiting scholars at Buffalo State. Items include artwork, posters, photos, ornaments, key chains, and gloves. A video about Chinese culture and economic development will play in the background. Zhang encourages shoppers to ask the scholars questions about life in China.

Zhang hopes China Awareness Week will encourage more faculty and students to consider partaking in study-abroad programs. During the seminars, literature will be available for an upcoming trip to Beijing to study Chinese language and culture at Capital Normal University. The program will run jointly through the University at Buffalo. The deadline to apply has been extended to April 1; the program runs from May 24 to July 23.

Chinese Awareness Week 2009 is sponsored by the Center for China Studies, International and Exchange Programs, and University College. All events are free and open to the public.