Past Events

2007

 

2006

 

2005

Chinese New Year Dinner

January 30, 2006

The China Center held its Chinese New Year dinner Jan. 30. Friends of the China Center gathered at the Weisman Art Museum to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dog. Student recipients of the Red Pockets and Hsiao scholarships participated in a poster session about their experiences in China. The keynote speaker, James L. McGregor, author of One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China, gave a dynamic and stimulating talk on doing business with China.

Dance Team Performance

January 30, 2006

A group of 30 junior and senior high school students from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China (RDFZ) visited the University Jan. 30. Most of the students are in the dance team of RDFZ’s Performance Group. They were led by Mr. Guo Zongguang, deputy director of the Division of American and Oceanian Affairs in the Bureau for External Cultural Relations at the Chinese Ministry of Culture, and Ms. Liu Xiaohui, vice principal of RDFZ and director of the Performance Group, on a performance tour in the U.S. Their Chinese New Year performance in Minnesota, co-sponsored by the China Center, was warmly received by the audience. Their visit to the University was hosted by the China Center and the Office of International Programs. Jim Rowan, assistant director of the Office of Admissions, gave them an interesting presentation about the University and a tour of campus. RDFZ is one of the best high schools in Beijing and was established in 1950 under the direct leadership of the Chinese Ministry of Education.

China Center Staff Travel to Chicago

Feburary 8, 2006-October 2006

The China Center staff traveled to Chicago in February to visit with officials from the Chinese Consulate General. They also visited the Confucius Institute there and learned about its K-12 programs in public schools.

China Day

April 21, 2006

More than 550 Chinese students from metro area high schools attended the China Center’s annual China Day. The event opened with an interactive dance exhibition preformed by CAAM Dance Theater. Speakers included representatives from Best Buy, Hormel, and Four51°. The speakers gave encouraging presentations demonstrating the many career options available to students who develop their Chinese language skills. All China Day guests where treated to lunch at local Chinese restaurant, compliments of the China Center.

Mark Lee, NASA Lecture

May 25, 2006

Dr. Mark Lee, senior program executive at NASA headquarters, gave the presentation “The Stating Point of Life, The Mission to Moon & Mars and China’s Shen Zhou Program” at Macalester College.

Lecture by Dr. Mark Lee. The Starting Point of Life. Macalester College

Griffin Building U.S.-China Bridges Lecture

December 2005

In December, the China Center hosted the 2nd annual Bob and Kim Griffin Building U.S.-China Bridges lecture at Coffman Memorial Union. Dr. Arthur Rolnick, a senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank, Minneapolis, presented a very comprehensive examination of the economic factors driving the U.S.-China relationship and a more specific focus on the much debated and argued issue of currency valuation and its impact on trade, jobs, and the cost of what we buy. “China’s recent economic success and its policy, its exchange rate policy are raising some concerns with U.S. policy makers, with the media, they’re almost painting China as the economic leader to worry about, as they did back in the 80’s with Japan, and I’m going to argue that these concerns from the economist point of view are not warranted, indeed I’m going to argue that we should be celebrating and applauding, not fearing and criticizing Chinese economic progress,” said Rolnick. The evening concluded with a very animated question and answer session that spilled out into the reception and hopefully is continuing to stimulate conversation today.

China Center Friends Spring Picnic

May 15, 2005

China Center Friends sponsored a cool spring picnic! About 150 hearty Minnesotans and others braved the unseasonable weather to celebrate spring, graduation, and Chinese and American cultures. All participated in kite flying, three-legged races, Jian zi (Chinese game similar to hackey sack), and other fun games. The picnic was co-sponsored by U.S.-China People's Friendship Association and a grant from the Coca-Cola University Community Initiative.

China Day

April 15, 2005

More than 400 high school students from five area high schools participated in China Day 2005. Participating schools included Breck School , Highland Park, Minneapolis South, Minnetonka, and St. Paul Central. China Day 2005 took place at the Science Museum of Minnesota, taking advantage of the Chinasaurs exhibit, which featured a variety of dinosaur bones found throughout China. It marked the first time this annual event had ever taken place off-campus.

The activities included guided exploration of the Chinasaurs exhibit; a presentation from the Science Museum's paleontologist about the exhibit; a video about the role dragons play in Chinese culture; teams competing in Chinasaurs Jeopardy; remarks from Dr. Ann Waltner, head of the University's Asian Languages and Literatures Department; and a Chinese lunch. Students found the interactive game show and exploration of the Chinasaurs exhibit especially stimulating. They enjoyed being able to learn first-hand about the dinosaurs that were unique to China as well as testing their knowledge of Chinese language and culture in an entertaining game show format.

Chinasaurus

Students explore the Chinasaurs exhibit to fill out their questionnaires.

Game Show

A member of the "Flying Dragon" team contemplates his response to a difficult question during the Chinasaurs Jeopardy game.

Game Show

Dragon boat team members and supports at Phalen Park in St. Paul

Monkey King Performance

April 14, 2005

The China Center Friends hosted an exciting evening at the Children's Theater Company for an unforgettable performance of The Monkey King. An exclusive reception with the artistic directors and actors followed the performance.

Zhejiang Province Business Forum

March 15, 2005

In cooperation with the China Center, China Insight hosted the "Zhejiang Province Business Forum: Doing Business With China" at David Fong's Restaurant in Bloomington. The forum featured presentations from three leaders of the Zhejiang WTO training delegation, which the China Center hosted through the Mingda Institute for Leadership Training. These trainees presented on the following topics: a general introduction to Zhejiang Province, the investment environment in Zhejiang, major industries to be developed in the next few years, and more specific information about economically significant cities in Zhejiang. Following these presentations, six other delegation members joined the three speakers to form a panel to discuss Zhejiang Province’s business climate and answer questions from the audience.

China Center Friends 2005 Chinese New Year Celebration

February 9 , 2005

About 140 friends of the China Center gathered in the Weisman Art Museum for dinner and a porcelain exhibit to celebrate the Chinese New Year—the year of the rooster. Mr. Chris Madonna, a sculptor from a family of antique collectors, generously displayed rare porcelains from his collection for this exhibit. The Weisman Museum's Dolly Fiterman Riverview Gallery was filled with red, which symbolizes happiness. There were red sparkles, red lucky candies, red ornaments, and a number of red outfits that made the event festive. Following the dinner, Dr. Robert Poor, professor from the Department of Art History, gave an enlightening presentation about Chinese porcelains that captivated the audience. The event was organized by the China Center Friends Board, which is a group of active community volunteers that makes great events like the New Year Celebration possible.

Board

China Center Friends Board Members and Hong Yang at the Conclusion of the New Year's Celebration.

NY Group

Guests enjoy lively conversation before the beginning of the New Year Celebration.