Calendar of Events

November

US-China Peoples Friendship Association of Minnesota special anniversary event

Chicago Consul General Huang Ping will speak on the topic "China Celebrates 60 Years of Change, 30 Years of Friendship" at a special aniversary event hosted by the US-China Peoples Friendship Association of Minnesota. There will be a reception held at the China Center followed by a banquet and speech. For more information see the USCPFA website.

The People's Republic of Cinema: 60 Years of China on Film

Marking the 60th anniversary of "New China," this timely series tracks the decades of political tumult and massive cultural and economic change that followed 1949's Communist revolution. These 14 films, many of them rarely seen, trace the evolution of China through the eyes of its filmmakers. The People's Republic of Cinema charts the unprecedented propulsive energies at work through years of radical transformation and looks to the future of a country still in flux-one responding both to its past and its relatively new prominence in the larger world. The series takes place November 4-23 at the Walker Art Center and Bell Museum Auditorium.

Peking and Kunqu Opera Performance

China’s National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts will perform Peking and Kunqu Opera at the University of Minnesota on Sunday, November 1, 2009. The performance, Highlights of Classical Chinese Theater, includes excerpts from some of the most famous Peking and Kunqu Operas. For more information about the performance and how to buy tickets, visit the Peking and Kunqu Opera page.

October

Experiencing Jingdezhen: The Porcelain City of China

Art professor Gary Erickson from Macalester College will present a 45–minute narrated video about his residency at the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in China and will demonstrate porcelain techniques learned in Jingdezhen. For more information, see the Experiencing Jingdezhen page.

Photo Display in Celebration of 60th Year of PRC

The People's Republic of China is celebrating its 60th year anniversary. In honor of this milestone, the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota is presenting a photo display, "Looking Back After 30 Years," that documents the 30 years of U.S.-China relations.

The photos can be viewed at the University International Center in the hallways near the Confucius Institute. This is a free display that is available for viewing Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30. If you have questions, please contact the Confucius Insitute.

MCTLC Conference 2009 "Exploring the Multilingual Universe"

The Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures will host their annual conference Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16 at Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center. Keynote speaker Dr. Teresa Kennedy, will address the entire conference on the topic of brain research and language acquisition. For more information or to register, visit the MCTLC web site.

September

Encounters: The Past Re-Configured at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery

The Katherine E. Nash Gallery presents Encounters: The Past Re-Configured, an exhibition of paintings by Li Shuan and Liu Xuguang, which runs September 8 through October 8, 2009. The exhibition is sponsored by the University of Minnesota and the Beijing Film Academy as part of the ongoing program of scholarly, artistic, and teaching exchanges. For more information, see the Katherine E. Nash Gallery web site.

Opening Reception: Friday, September 11, 6–8:30 pm

Panel Discussion: Contemporary Art in China
Thursday, September 10, 7:00 pm, In-flux Space, Regis Center for Art
Featured artists: Li Shuan and Liu Xuguang
Moderator: Wang Chunchen, curator and professor, Central Academy of Fine Art

Chinese Shadow Puppetry Lecture

The Confucius Institute will kick-off our lecture series on Thursday, September 24 with a family-friendly lecture-demonstration about Chinese shadow puppetry by Annie Katsura Rollins. Learn more about this lecture.

August

Fundamentals for the Chinese Classroom: Intensive Training for K-12 Teachers

CAIS Institute is offering a five-day training program for Chinese teachers August 3-7, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. Under the guidance of experienced instructors, Chinese teachers attending this intensive training program will learn the critical skills they need to be innovative and successful teachers in the classroom. For more information, or to register, visit www.caisinstitute.org.

July

China Reunion

If you are attending the Children's Home Society and Family Services China Reunion event on July 25, be sure to visit the Confucius Institute table to participate in a fun activity and learn about classes the Confucius Institute offers.

Chinese Bridge Summer Camp

Eight students and one teacher from Minneapolis South High School will represent the University of Minnesota Confucius Institute at the Chinese Bridge Summer Camp in Beijing and Jilin Province. The students will join 800 students from across the U.S. and 700 students from the U.K. who study Chinese language at their high school.

Dragon Festival at Phalen Lake

The Confucius Institute will have a booth at the Dragon Festival at Phalen Lake on July 11 and 12. Visit our booth for games and cultural activities and to learn more about Chinese language and culture classes that we offer.

June

StarTalk MEISTEP

The StarTalk Mandarin Elementary Immersion Summer Teacher Education Program (MEISTEP) is an exciting new four-week program for Chinese immersion teachers to learn how to integrate language, literacy, content, and culture in their classrooms. For more information, or to register for the program, see the MEISTEP page.

May

National Chinese Language Conference

The National Chinese Language Conference will take place in Chicago, Illinois April 30-May 2. For more information see the conference web site.

April

Passage to China

The Confucius Institute will have a table at Passage to China at the Mall of America April 4 and 5. There will be information about classes, events, and the resource library as well as activities for both children and adults.

March

New Confucius Institute Classes Begin

For more information about the exciting new class offerings starting March 23, see the classes page.

Chinese Education Conference 2009

The 3rd Annual CAIS Institute Chinese Education Conference will be held March 13-15, 2009 in San Francisco, California. K-16 Chinese language teachers, state and district administrators, program coordinators, and community members are welcome to attend. The conference will cover best practices, hands-on teaching methods, technology tools, and information on how to establish or expand a Chinese language program.

Scholarships to attend are available (deadline for scholarship applications is February 20).

February

Confucius Institute Acting Director and China Center Director Speak

On February 4, Confucius Institute Acting Director Joan Brzezinski and China Center Director Yongwei Zhang will speak at the monthly meeting of US-China Business Connections. More information on the US-China Business Connections event page.

January

Renmin University Affiliated High School Dance Troupe
On January 29th, the Confucius Institute will present the Renmin University Affiliated High School Dance Troupe.  These high school students are wonderful dancers with beautiful costumes and choreography. They will perform a program of both traditional and modern Chinese dances. The performance will start at 7:00 p.m. at Ted Mann Concert Hall at the University of Minnesota. This event is cosponsored by the University of Minnesota China Center, the Chinese American Association of Minnesota, and the China Tribune.

Tickets are $12 each, general admission (payable by cash or check). For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Confucius Institute at confucius@umn.edu or (612) 625-5080.

A summary of this event is now available!

Chinese New Year
The Chinese (Lunar) New Year starts on January 26 and lasts for fifteen days. 2009 is the year of the Ox and will be celebrated by several organizations in the Twin Cities. The University of Minnesota China Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and will start the celebration with their annual lecture.

December

Free Sample Classes
Get a free sneak peek at the Kung Fu and Family Chinese classes offered at the Confucius Institute. A sample class for each subject will be available on Saturday December 6, 2008. Kung Fu will be at 1:00-2:00 p.m. followed by Family Chinese at 2:00-3:00 p.m. Both classes will be at the University International Center. For more information, please contact the Confucius Institute.

New Class: Shadow Puppetry
Students 10 years old and older will work with Annie Katsura Rollins, an MFA candidate in theater, set design, and puppetry to learn shadow puppet history and basic puppetry design and use. Participants will take home the puppet that they will make at the end of the two-day workshop. Learn more about Shadow Puppetry.

October

MCTLC Conference
As part of the the Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures Conference, Chinese language teachers will meet at the Confucius Insitute for a meeting and dinner on Thursday, October 16. RSVP by October 10 to Margaret Wong at margaret.wong@breckschool.org or (763) 381-8352.

September

Grand Opening!
On Friday, September 19, the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota will be officially opened in the presence of officials from the University of Minnesota, Capital Normal University, and the state of Minnesota. The public is welcome to attend the open house with cultural demonstrations from 1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. [A summary of the day is now available.]

The public celebration of the opening will be held on Sunday, September 21. The Jiangsu Silk & Bamboo Performing Group of China will perform Chinese music, dance, puppetry, and magic. Click here for more information.