Upcoming Chinese Cultural Events

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

There are two upcoming Chinese cultural events: (can you use for missed class?)

Chinese New Year Spectacular, Jan. 18-20, 2008
Nokia Theatre, 777 Chick Hearn Court, L.A. 90015 (next to Staples Center)
"Featuring Divine Performing Arts with Live Orchestra"
65 City Global Tour; over 220 shows worldwide
See website LASpectacular.com
Ticketmaster 800-817-7116
Jan. 18 (Fri) 8 p.m.; Jan. 19 (Sat) 2 & 8 p.m.; Jan 20 (Sun) 2 p.m.
Tickets: from $38 to $188

Jigu! - Thunder Drums of China, Saturday, March 15, 2008, 8 p.m
James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance
"Twenty-foot-high drums and 28 percussionists from Shanxi Province combine high-tech special effects with centurie-old musical traditions for an astounding experience."
Tickets $35: Box Office 310-781-7171 or order online at http://www.TorranceArts.com

[Anonymous]

This is a must-see-for-me:
FUDEKO & THE ANGEL'S PIANO (2006 film)
James Armstrong Theater (Torrance Blvd & Madrona) http://www.TorranceArts.com
Sunday, Feb. 3, 2:30 P.M.
Box Office: 310-781-7171, Tickets: $15 for Gen. adm; $10 for Child & students
A benefit screening for the Switzer Learning Center
"Award winning and most talked about movie of the year in Japan"
"This is the inspiring true story of a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to establishing care and education for children with developmental disabilities in Japan 100 years ago.

"Fudeko was born as a daughter of a baron and studied in France. She spoke three languages. She was both beautiful and intelligent. American President Ulysses Grant praised her as the most intelligent woman in the country on his visit to Japan in 1879. Her life changed when she found out that her daughter had intellectual disabilities. her dramatic life is portrayed by the very popular Japanese actress Takako Tokiwa. Many children with developmental disabilities were cast in the movie which adds to the interest and creates a charming authenticity."

Anybody interested? Let me know if you're going!
Aileen

[Anonymous]

Not really a local event but sounds like an interesting conference in a pretty place during summer with "major costs covered"!

I am on the LACOE Social Studies mailing list (great for Social Studies conferences) and they sent me this announcement a few weeks ago. Sounds like some interesting topics covered.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education
is proud to announce

2008 Summer Institute for Secondary Teachers
"China's Transformations on the Eve of the Olympics"
Program for Teaching East Asia
Sponsored by
Center for Asian Studies
University of Colorado at Boulder

July 21-30, 2008

All eyes are on China as it prepares for the 2008 Olympics. At such a
critical time, it is important for American students and teachers to
understand the dynamic issues that define China today. Summer institute
participants will analyze China's recent economic, political, and social
changes, including such issues as political changes and individual freedom
issues; environmental challenges of rapid modernization; the growing
divides between rich and poor, urban and rural in China today; as well as
insights into world media coverage of China and the Olympics. The
following questions will help contextualize the program:

What historical factors have helped foster China's recent economic,
political, and social changes?

What do these unprecedented changes mean for the various interest
groups involved: the Chinese government, the Chinese people, the countries
of Asia and of the world?

How do the Olympics symbolize China's rise to global prominence?
Will the Games ultimately benefit the Chinese government or its critics?

All major participant costs of the institute are covered through a grant
by the Freeman Foundation.

Applications are available at [ http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA
] http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA and must be received by March 7.

For more information,
e-mail [ mailto:[email protected]
][email protected].

[Anonymous]

What a great opportunity to visit Korea on a fellowship!

The LACOE Social Studies email list (great for Social Studies conferences) sent me this and I have heard about teachers in the district attending similar opportunities in Japan and they had rave reviews.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education
is proud to announce

2008 Summer Fellowship in Korean Studies
An Intensive Program in Korean Studies for American Educators

Held in Korea
June 19 - July 5, 2008

Sponsored by
The Korea Society

The Korea Society is pleased to announce openings for up to 20 American educators to participate in the 20th annual Summer Fellowship in Korean Studies program to be held in Korea from June 19-July 5, 2008. All the expenses of the participants will be covered, including round-trip international airfare, accommodations, meals and program fees. This unparalleled learning experience and unique opportunity for extensive travel within Korea will be implemented with the financial support of the Korea Foundation and the Freeman Foundation.

Applications are invited from social studies and language arts educators, including K-12 classroom teachers and professors or instructors in schools of education. Preference will be given to applicants who have a demonstrated ability to adapt to new cultural settings as well as the physical and psychological demands of an intensive study/travel program. Some prior familiarity with Korean culture and history also is highly desirable.

The program's seventeen-day schedule will include lectures and discussions on Korean history, culture, politics, economics, arts and language. Also included will be opportunities for on-site study of locales of historical and contemporary relevance. During the final week, the participants will be given a limited amount of time for independent research and exploration.

Program participants will be required to: 1) complete a background reading assignment from a list of recommended titles prior to the starting date of the program; 2) attend all scheduled activities during the program, including evening discussion meetings; and, 3) after returning from Korea, hand in a completed lesson plan on an aspect of Korean history or culture that reflects one of their areas of interest and expertise.

APPLICATION:
Applicants are requested to submit four copies of the completed application packet, including the application form and all requested supporting documentation,
by February 15, 2008
(postmarked) to:
Yong Jin Choi, Senior Director
Korean Studies Program
The Korea Society
Eighth Floor
950 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

[Anonymous]

This is not a Chinese event, but rather a Filipino event that was shared on the LACOE Social Studies email list.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education'
is proud to announce

The Filipino American Library (FAL)
in collaboration with
Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI),
Office of Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Wal-Mart, and Burger King Corporation,
presents

Bus Tours of Historic Filipinotown
Filipino American Library (FAL)

"It's an interesting study of a culture hidden in our midst!"
"Very informative and points out all important landmarks that we wouldn't have known."
"Fascinating and informative. I enjoyed the whole experience."

Saturday, February 23

Four 1.5-Hour Tours Leaving at 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, and 4:00pm
Begins & Ends at FAL

135 N. Park View St.
Historic Filipinotown
Los Angeles, CA 90026-5215

--- Free Admission, Donations Accepted ---
--- Food and Drinks Provided ---

--- Please RSVP by WED, FEB 20 to
[email protected] ---

What is Filipino about Historic Filipinotown?
In FAL's Bus Tours of Historic Filipinotown, guides narrate the significance of particular sites, events, and individuals in and around Historic Filipinotown to present an historical overview of Filipinos in Los Angeles.

For more information,
please contact
Jonathan Lorenzo at
213-382-0488 or
[email protected]

Also visit http://www.filipinoamericanlibrary.org and
http://www.myspace.com/filamlibrary

[Anonymous]

Here is another seminar offered by the LACOE

The Los Angeles County Office of Education
is proud to announce

Workshops on
Korean History and Culture and
the Korean American Experience
for Public and Independent School Curricular Supervisors, Administrators, and Teachers

Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles

Saturday, April 12 and April 26, 2008
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

More information can be found in the attached file
or by contacting:

Mary Connor
President, Korea Academy for Educators
and Program Director, Seminars and Workshops on Korea
505 Plymouth Road
San Marino, CA 91108
(626) 441-1284

[Anonymous]

LA Harbor has a Dragonboat Club at Cabrillo Beach/San Pedro (Cabrillo Beach Waterfront Youth Camp). According to the flyer teams of 18 are forming for the spring, all ages, for paddling historic Chinese Dragon Boats through LA Harbor. Information http://www.laharbordragonboats.org or [email protected].

[Anonymous]

The Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles seems to have some interesting exhibit pieces. They also do workshops for classes in 1-6th grades. That wouldn't be for me, since I teach 11th, however, it might be interesting for some of you. They will teach the students about immigration and labor history, geographic neighborhood development in Los Angeles, and family and community.

They will also conduct guided tours for the classes and provide teachers with curriculum assets/supplies. Here's their address and website if this appeals to you:

425 North Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

http://camla.org/index.htm

[Anonymous]

The Pacific Asia Museum has a fairly interesting website. If you cannot get there physically to see their collection of artifacts spanning 5,000 years, then you can explore their somewhat interactive website that shows you textiles, ceramics, and calligraphy along with a timeline of when they were created/used. The timeline shows not only the dates, but the dynasties. So, if anyone is teaching dynastic periods, this might be a nice visual exercize. Here's the website:

http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/chineseceramics/section2/sec2_1.htm

[Anonymous]

A traveling exhibit of the Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of the First Emporer will be at the Bowers Museum from May 18 to Oct. 16. You can check it out and order tickets Online (Adults: weekdays $25 & weekends $27)at Bowers.org. I love the Bowers museum and attended the opening day of their permanent exhibit, 5,000 Year Legacy: Ancient Arts of China which was curated by the Shanghai Museum, my favorite on our China tour last year. They also have an educational outreach program and some of our PVIS students already have a trip planned for May. On our China trip, having collected fake Terracotta soldiers of varying sizes and worth for my husband, I've already got him interested the attending the Warrior exhibit. Actually one of these warrior replicas guards my family room. Also remember that the Bowers contains an exceptionally fun dining room. Check out the website for the virtual tour that you might share with your classes.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone been to the Huntington Library's new Garden of Flowering Fragrance. It's modeled after the elegant gardens of Suzhou, an ancient city in the Jiangsu province. The two featured articles in the LA Times present it as a "must see." It features 1.5 acre lake, seven pavillions, a teahouse and tea shop, a canyon waterfalll and five hand-carved bridges.
While the gardens presently cover 3.5 acres, this is only phase one with hopes to expanding it to over twelve acres. I wonder how it compares to the great Yu Garden we visited last year in Shanghai. Huntington spokeswoman Suzy Moser said, "The garden is a way the Huntington can throw open its doors to an increasingly Chinese neigihborhood (San Marino) and an increasingly Chinese world." The story of the garden's creation is interesting in itself. For example 50 stone workers were flown in free by Air China while 850 tons of sculpural Tai Hu limestone rock was shipped from China courtesy of the China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co. I have always considered the Huntington one of So. California's trreasures and am excited about viewing this new addition. Curator June Li says the experience will be like "stepping into a painting complete with poetic inscriptions."

[Anonymous]

Duanwu Festival

Date: 5th day of the 5th lunar month

Place: Nationwide

Activities: Dragon Boat races and eating of tzungtzu (pyramid-shaped rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves).

Remarks: The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history of any of the festivals celebrated in China. Dragon boat races are held to the sounds of thunderous drumbeats. Racing teams row vigorously, sprinting forward to reach the finish line.

In Chinese tradition, the dragon boats attempt to rescue the patriotic poet, Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned himself because his king would not take his advice. As a result, his kingdom was conquered. Chu Yuan drowned himself on the fifth day of the fifth month in 277 B.C. To save his body, people fed the fish cooked rice. They rowed boats and threw bamboo leaved filled with cooked rice into the water. Later, the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings became part of the festival.

The 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar year is an important day for the Chinese people. The day called "Duan Wu" (meaning Day of Right Mid-Day) is observed everywhere in China. This unique Chinese celebration dates back to earliest times and a number of legends explain its origins.

The best known story centers on a patriotic court official named Qu Yuan, of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period more than 2,000 years ago. Qu tried to warn the emperor of an increasingly courrupt government, but fails. In a last desperate protest, he throws himself into the river and drowns. The State of Chu was soon annexed by the State of Qin.

Later Qu Yuan's sympathizers jump into boats, beat the water with their oars and made rice dumplings wrapped in reed-leaves (zongzi) and scatter them into the Miluo River in the hope that fish in the river would eat the rice dumplings instead of the body of the deceased poet.

The custom of making rice dumplings spread to the whole country. Today, people eat glutinous rice cakes to mark the occasion.

At the news of the poet's death, the local people raced out in boats in an efforts of searching his body. Later the activity became a boat race and the boats gradually developed into dragon-boats. In many places along rivers and on the coast today, the holiday also features dragon-boat races. In these high-spirited competitions, teams of rowers stroke their oars in unision to propel sleek, long vessels through the water.

Activities: Dragon Boat races and eating of tzungtzu (pyramid-shaped rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves).

Remarks: The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history of any of the festivals celebrated in China. Dragon boat races are held to the sounds of thunderous drumbeats. Racing teams row vigorously, sprinting forward to reach the finish line.

In Chinese tradition, the dragon boats attempt to rescue the patriotic poet, Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned himself because his king would not take his advice. As a result, his kingdom was conquered. Chu Yuan drowned himself on the fifth day of the fifth month in 277 B.C. To save his body, people fed the fish cooked rice. They rowed boats and threw bamboo leaved filled with cooked rice into the water. Later, the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings became part of the festival.

This article is from the following website:
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01780/festivals/duanwu-festival.htm

[Anonymous]

International Labor Day in China
from http://gochina.about.com/od/eventsfestivals/p/MayFirst.htm
By Sara Naumann, About.com

Introduction:
International Labor Day falls on May first and depending on when it falls, workers might get and "extension". So, for example, in 2008, May 1 is a Thursday, so they'll get an extension on Friday. But it's not really a holiday because they have to go back to work on Sunday. Kind of illogical by some views, but it is, nonetheless, a few days off. every year, Chinese workers receive the week around May first off.

Travel during National Holidays:
Many workers will extend to make it a longer holiday which can translate into millions of Chinese traveling domestically and internationally. Travel fares double and triple and advance bookings must be made weeks, even months ahead for international travel. Hoards of tour groups flock to the major tourist destinations of China, so you can forget having a quite moment to ponder how the Great Wall was built.

May Holiday Travels:
If you can avoid it, it's advisable not to travel domestically during the week around May 1st. According to 2004 statistics, 90 million tourists were expected to travel; in 2006, China’s main tourist destinations saw a 17% increase in visitors. Four million tourists traveled to Shanghai alone.

But If You'll Be There Anyway...:
However, if you are in China, you'll find the weather in May is usually very nice, if a little wet. Government offices and banks will be closed May 1-3, but almost everything else, from tourist spots to shops, restaurants and the post office will be open for business.

[Anonymous]

There is a Taiwan Culture Festival coming in LA next weekend. This festival has a lot of activities including Taiwanese aboriginal percussion performance, traditional battle array show, aboriginal dance show, Taiwanese handicrafts exhibition, and of course famous Taiwanese food. I think it will be fun for your whole family to go.

Time: 5/10 & 11 10:00am-7:00pm
Location: El Pueblo de Los Angeles (Across the street from Union Station)
Tel: 626-307-5077
Website: http://www.taiwanfest-la.org

I hope see you there.

[Anonymous]

If you want to see the dragon boat contest, you don't have to go to China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong. You can just got to Long Beach! What a convenient thing for people living in Southern California. The 2008 ViewSonic Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival will be held at Marine Stadium in Long Beach on July 25, 26, and 27, 2008. In addition to hosting one of the largest dragon boat competitions in California, there will be Chinese traditional art demonstrations, Chinese Acrobats, traditional dance, music and martial arts performances. I have never been there to see this event but I heard from many people saying that it's fun. This year one of my students in the Chinese I class is a member of the Palos Verdes dragon boat team. He will attend this competition in July. I hope his team will win. You can go http://www.lbdragonboat.com/ for more details about this event.

[Author]

Posts