My dear friend, Winny Lin, fellow board member at USCPFA-South Bay Chapter, made an impressive presentation at the 50th Anniversary US-China People’s Friendship Association’s Washington DC Seminar this October, 2024.
She first pointed out the unfavorable opinion the Americans have towards China today, but she felt that Better Understanding and Relationship can still be achieved and encouraged via Education and she is presently using Outschool an online education platform to conduct her class. Her first online was called ‘Introduction to China”. She has designed two special Mandarin Chinese classes – one for 5-10 years olds an another for 11-16 years olds. She loves to teach language through culture and create lots of fun and interactive lessons. Many of her students are from the United States, but some from Russia, Wales, Israel, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Indonesia, Germany, Canada, and New Zealand. So far , after 3+ years, she has taught 1,482 learners, and many students and parents have “liked” her classes.
She said,” When we start class, they stand up, bow to the teacher, and then sit down just like the students in China do. They follow directions and do homework. The older ones, in the 11-16 year-old sections even do research after class. The more I expect them to do, the happier they are. People have asked me why so many students wanted to take Mandarin Chinese. From my observation, and a survey of my students in class. the reasons are: It seems cool and trendy to know some Chinese or just another language. Many students have watched some TV shows (Over the Moon), movies (like Mulan and Kung Fu Panda), and became interested in China.
“The materials I have covered are:
Four major Chinese holidays (Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-autumn Festival).
Customs and traditions (what Chinese eat, wear, do on all these holidays and most, importantly, the Chinese way of thinking).
History, art, and geography (for example, the first emperor :Qin Shi Huang, the Yuan Dynasty, the terra cotta warriors, Chinese porcelain, the Yellow River, Tibet, and major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai Guilin and Xi’an) .
Chinese poetry (Li Bai’s Quiet Night, 凉州词）and Chinese traditional music instrument (the er hu, zheng, and moon guitar).
Chinese songs (你笑起來真好看， 茉莉花) and stories, such as the Monkey King, Kung Fu Panda, and Chinese ghost stories.
The Olympics, what sports are popular in China, and the Chinese school system, including information about the gao kao, college entrance examination .
This year, the Year of the Dragon, I took a group of eight to Ygnacio Valley Elementary School in Concord, California to help them celebrate Chinese New Year. These eight included two classically trained artists, graduates from Guangdong Art Institute, and two Chinese calligraphers. We did drawings of Chinese dragons, storytelling of “The Story of Nian,” and wrote a Chinese character, “good luck 福” . This school has about 400 students, and the majority are Latinos. The fun part was when the principal led the Chinese dragon dance through the whole school. The students were very excited. Also, they took home red envelopes with lucky money, with a note in Spanish telling what the lucky money meant.
In 2023, for the Year of the Rabbit, my church, Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, celebrated the Lunar New Year with about 200 participants. We had three Chinese artists, set up booths for the Chinese zodiac and paper folding. We also had a Chinese dragon dance, rabbit line dance and storytelling.
I have also brought Chinese educators from Anshan, China in 2016 to Wren Ave. Elementary School in Concord. They taught students Chinese games and told students about Chinese schools through PowerPoint presentations.”
This reminds me of what I did in the last 40 years before we moved to California. I have connected schools in China with several districts in Kentucky. Not just one class, or one school, but several school districts (Daviess County Public Schools, Owensboro Catholic Schools, Henderson Schools, Lewis port Public Schools, Evansville Christian School) . As a result, students came all the way from Anshan, China to visit their pen pals in Kentucky. Therefore, thousands of students have been introduced to China and Chinese culture.
My husband and I also volunteered in Asheville, North Carolina for three summers at My Camp China, which is a program for Chinese children who have been adopted by American families. The older ones are already married and in their late 20s. Above all, I am most proud of this group that I started teaching in 1998 at First Presbyterian Church in Owensboro, Kentucky. Through the years, these 2- or 3-year-old Chinese children, especially girls, adopted by American families have studied Chinese language and culture from me, and are now in their mid-twenties. One of the mothers , Beth Hubbard, has become the president of Owensboro/Henderson Chapter, of USCPFA, and another parent, Carol Gehret, is the chapter treasurer. Beth’s daughter, Lily, has become a leader and activists for Asian Americans at her college, the University of Southern Indiana. Others have shown Chinese influence in their area of work.
You see, when you sow seeds everywhere, you don’t know where they may germinate, but somehow you can expect a “ harvest”
Several parents reached out to me. They brought their children to participate in my presentation—Aarya, (10) from DC, Vivian (8), Max (11) both from Minnesota and Oliver (15) from Seattle. I have given them Chinese names 雷伊洁， 文伊敏， 文可明， 白可明。By looking at the middle characters, you can tell we all are in the same family tree. That is our Chinese custom. 男的排”可” , 女的排 “伊” .
During my hour long presentation, they all got a chance to shine—Aarya recited 涼州詞, brother Max and sister Vivian recited 靜夜思, while Oliver gave a long speech what China meant to him. 他们都说的字正腔圆。and made me very proud.
Oliver said, “當我第一次來林老師的課堂時,我什麼都不懂, 但是這三年來, 我的中文進步很多,現在中國在我的生命當中,意義重大!” “When I first attended your class, I did not understand anything, but after three years my Chinese improved. Now China means a lot in my life.”
Both he and his mother joined our South Bay chapter and attended Washington Seminar for 3 days. We even visited Chinese-American Museum in DC, and attended the 50th anniversary of US-China People’s Association at China Embassy as guests of honor. All are so unforgettable! Many people now are following Oliver and want to see what he will do in the future!”
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Winny Lin, Board of Director at USCPFA- South Bay Chapter, was born in Guilin, China, but grew up in Taiwan. In 1971, she came to the U.S. to attend Illinois State University. She earned a master’s degree in special education and then taught for more than 50 years in Kentucky and California public schools before teaching Mandarin Chinese on Outschool,
Billy is a great fan and admirer of this dynamic cross-cultural connector and teacher. She is always smiling and always reaching out with joy, enthusiasm, and caringness.
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