Students interested in studying abroad in China should start brushing up on their knowledge of Chinese culture.
The Confucius Institute at UB (UBCI) is hosting its first Chinese Culture Contest and Scholarship Competition. This contest will be held on April 20 in the Natural Sciences Complex and will pit contestants against one another, testing their knowledge of Chinese culture. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship, which can be used toward travel expenses for studying abroad in China.
"The ultimate goal is to promote the interest and motivation to learn Chinese and to learn about the Chinese culture," said Eric Yang, executive director of UBCI. "We also work to enhance the exchange between the universities in China and the United States, especially here at UB."
Contestants will be quizzed on a wide variety of Chinese topics, which will include anything from history, philosophy and geography to current events in sports, the arts, and contemporary culture.
Undergraduate students from all majors are encouraged to participate. Students are already preparing for the event.
"[To help prepare] my teacher gave an information packet with some facts about China that might help on the quiz," said Julianna Turner, a freshman undecided major, in an email. "My friend from class and I went over it to outline which facts were most important. We then divided up the topics and have emailed each other brief study guides."
The contest will be broken down into three segments with 10 questions in each. Questions will be displayed simultaneously on a screen via PowerPoint to allow audience members to test their knowledge. Contestants will work individually to try and answer questions. At the end, a panel of judges will tally each group's scores and announce the winner.
Students with the top five scores will be eligible for the $1,000 scholarship. Competition winners who are accepted into any SUNY abroad program in China will automatically be awarded the scholarship. Winners planning an alternative course of study must submit a brief proposal explaining how their time in China will further their academic goals, and will be awarded the scholarship upon approval by a UBCI committee.
"I have already applied and been accepted to the Chinese Language and Culture Program in Beijing to be taught at the Capital Normal University this summer so the money from the scholarship would help toward that," said Alexandra Lawson, a sophomore business marketing and interdisciplinary social sciences major with a focus in international relations and Asian studies.
The UBCI has played an active role in the community since its opening in April 2010. Earlier this year, the UBCI, along with the Chinese Club of Western New York, held a Chinese New Year celebration in the Center for the Arts. Along with the Chinese culture contest and other events, UBCI hopes to make its presence on campus better known to students.
"I think that this is a great opportunity that will hopefully lead to me becoming more involved in the Institute," Turner said.
Promoting the teaching of the Chinese language and culture across the entire Buffalo community is very important to the UBCI. Its ultimate goal is to encourage Chinese language and culture to be taught in local schools in grades K through 12, according to Yang.
Students interested in registering for the Chinese Culture Contest can visit the UBCI website at http://www.confuciusinstitute.buffalo.eduwww.confuciusinstitute.buffalo.edu or email Eric Yang at wenzhong@buffalo.edu.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
