UW-River Falls Year of China program begins with Golden Dragon Acrobats
September 19, 2014
The Golden Dragon Acrobats was the Year of China program’s first event of the 2014-2015 school year.
The Acrobats performed on Sept. 11 in the Knowles Center at UW-River Falls.
The Acrobats performed several different stunts, including balancing objects such as cups filled with water as well as volleyball juggling. They also performed a dangerous stunt where one acrobat balanced on top of seven stacked chairs.
The event started at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, with a number of booths that were related to China. The booths included calligraphy and paper cutting, which showcased Chinese art to the River Falls community and UWRF students.
Other booths included information about the University of Minnesota Confucius Institute. There was also a Chinese International Student booth and an Education Abroad in China booth. Another booth included information about two book discussions that will take place in the Davee Library at UWRF; the book discussions are also part of the Year of China program. The first book discussion will be from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, in the Davee Library breezeway. The book, “This Generation: Dispatches from China’s Most Popular Literary Star,” is written by Han Han and Alex Hatheway, who will lead a discussion.
The second book discussion will be from 3-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, also in the library breezeway. The book, “To Live: A Novel,” is written by Yu Hua and Lissa Schneider-Rebozo, who will lead yet another discussion. Another event for the Year of China is “Jade Sky: Astronomy in China.” The event will be at different dates throughout the 2014-2015 school year. The class will be free and open to the public, including UWRF students.
There will also be a lecture series from China Agricultural University students. Two of the lecture series’ will be on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and another on Thursday, Sept. 25. Both lectures will be held in the Agriculture Science Building, room 333.
On Oct. 3, there will be a bonfire at the Lydecker fire pit. The bonfire will start at 10 p.m., and Chinese ghost stories will be told around the fire.
On Oct. 22, there will be a panel discussion called “Confucius’ Ethics and Christian Philosophy.” The discussion will be led by Walter Wietzke and Imtiaz Moosa in the UC Kinnickinnic Theater at 4:30 p.m.
There will be more events throughout the upcoming year. Information about any events can be found at the UWRF “Year of” page at: www.uwrf.edu/ yearof.
Chinese international student, Xiaoqi Wang, stated that she wants students to learn more about Chinese history and culture, because there are cultural events and festivals that Americans are unaware of. Wang is a sophomore with a major in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
The “Year of” program began last year with the Year of Germany. According to Experience China Program Coordinator Kelsey McLean, the program was created so students could be more informed about global cultures and for those who wish to experience different global events.
McLean is part of the International Programs Committee in the faculty senate that decides on what the program will focus on during the year. The committee is compromised of faculty from the different university departments and administration.
The Year of China will have many upcoming events that will help students better understand China. These events will help students become better informed about global communities.