【Author
：Chuan Qiao】2002/09/09
Like the most of American children, twelve years old Clarvin Wu likes to play computer games, surfing the net, watching cartoon and riding bicycles. Although he was born in a Chinese family, he just like other Chinese second generation, didn’t speak Chinese, not even the simplest expression of raining day, sunny day and cloudy day
New Jersey Chinese traditional school established because some Chinese worried their own children will lose the connection with their origin traditional culture. Clarvin now is a student of this school, in everyday two hours lecture, clarvin and other children learn Chinese, dance, drawing, poem, martial art and history of ancestor.
Although the school only established for one year, it has made nearby Chinese interested about this school. Principle Camille Ma said, there are 20 this kind of schools in New Jersey, and there are more in whole America.
Wang tin immigrated from Beijing to America since second year in the elementary school, and now is a student in the Harvard university politics department. After getting into Harvard, he didn’t limit by heavy studies, he is still the vice editor of china department of the book 《Let′sGo》in Harvard publisher, to promote Chinese in America. In Harvard, many students eager to learn Chinese, because who can speak Chinese in America are considered the most “cool” people in the world.
Wang tin always addresses speech to the students and the parents in the Chinese school, using his own experience to emphasis the advantages of Chinese and how urgent it is to learn Chinese. Wang tin uses vivid language, actively explains why is so important and how cool it is to understand Chinese. He make the children understand the superiority of Chinese, in the same time, identify themselves with Chinese culture. Many children who born in America first time know that so many people speaking Chinese. Once you speak Chinese, you can talk to one forth people in the world. Wand tin as well as told those children in Harvard, there are a lot of 20 years old American insist to learn Chinese every day. They all want to be proficient in Chinese, expecting to overcome the differences between east and west, become the coolest person in the world.
As developing of china economics and rising of national position, in recent 20 years, there are more and more people learning Chinese in America. Columbia university spent fifty million dollars in building language center, to support Chinese and other languages’ learning and researching. Columbia university east Asia language department hold the most biggest seminar “international oversea Chinese language teaching seminar .” almost every Chinese teaching and researching authority sent delegates to attend this meeting. Principle of Columbia university said it was very suitable and meaningful for holding such a Chinese teaching seminar. As international situation changed, there are more and more people learning Chinese, and Chinese teaching are more and more important
Chinese teaching of Columbia university east Asia language department has broken through the tradition that prefers European culture. Now, Columbia university has over 400 chinese profession student, triple times than the number in 90’s in 20 century. Chinese profession is the biggest foreign profession. Traditionally, French and Spanish are the major language American student choose, but heading to hi-tech students has got rid of the tradition. They thought, Spanish is “main language of undeveloped countries”, and French is “noble language”, Chinese, Japanese, particular Chinese is hi-tech society’s language, and it’s a passport of hi-tech society. In American hi-tech society, Chinese is the mainstream, no wander American student like Chinese so much!
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