China Center News
Fall 1999
- Celebrating 20 Years of Exchange 1979 – 1999
- Spanning Two Generations
- Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
- 1999 Distinguished McKnight University Professors
- Welcome Our New Staff Member
- New Works by Zheng Min
Celebrating 20 Years of Exchange 1979 – 1999
In 1978, as U.S.- China relations moved closer to normalization, the University began to explore the possibilities of re-establishing an educational exchange program with China. In the next year's time, a University-wide Advisory Committee was formed to evaluate the opportunities and challenges for educational exchange with the People's Republic of China and develop a university exchange strategy.
Wenda Moore, then Chairman of the Board of Regents was tapped, to lead a delegation of 12 members to China in September of 1979. The members of the delegation included: LaVern Freeh — Office of International Programs, Neal Gault — Medical School, Betty Robinett — Linguistics, Morton Hamermesh — Physics, C.C. Hsiao — Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Mei-Ling Hsu — Geography, Warren Ibele — Graduate School, C.J. Liu — East Asian Languages, Donald Rasmusson — Plant Breeding and Genetics, Roger Staehle — Institute of Technology, and Yang Wang — Medical School.
Eight of the original twelve members of this first delegation were recently reunited. They reminisced and shared their observations about their historic journey just twenty years ago. They all had vivid memories of the warm hospitality and kindness of the Chinese people, from the beautifully prepared banquets and elaborate cultural entertainment to the hundreds of people lining the road to Jilin Agricultural University to welcome the delegation as they arrived. Each of the delegation members spoke fondly of meeting with U of M alumni in China. 45 alumni and their spouses gathered for the first-of-its-kind alumni reception in Beijing. Some alumni had traveled more than 1000 miles to attend. Delegation members were deeply touched by the alumni's strong devotion to the University. Don Rasmusson recalled that the delegation's visit inspired a great deal of exchange and when the trip concluded he began a long collaboration with colleagues in China, returning many times to teach and conduct research. He stated "The time my wife and I spent in China was the highlight of our careers and our lives. Both of us truly enjoyed our stay in China."
When the delegation returned in 1979, they brought back 5 signed agreements with Jilin University of Technology, Nankai University, National Academies of Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Peking Agricultural University and Xian Jiaotong University. Today, the University oversees more than 22 University-wide agreements and there are more than 15 college or departmental agreements.
The first Chinese scholar arrived in July of 1979 and by December the University's Chinese scholar population had increased to 16, the third largest community on a U.S. campus. Since 1979 the University has been a home to more than 2100 scholars. Currently, the number of Chinese students and scholars at the University, estimated at just over 1200, is considered to be the largest Chinese community on a university campus in North America.
Since 1982, the University has sent 43 U.S. students for an academic-year study program at three key universities in P. R. China and more than 300 Chinese language students have participated in the "Chinese in Tianjin" program, an intensive language program held during the summer months at Nankai University.
The China Center, established in 1979 to help facilitate the University's exchange mission, has provided travel grants to more than 300 faculty members to assist them with their research and teaching activities. As documented in a survey conducted in 1997, faculty teaching and research activities have provided linkages with 160 academic institutions and university-technology-industrial campuses throughout P. R. China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Installed by the delegation some 20 years ago, the first exchange agreements have evolved into an expansive network of teaching and research activities between the students and faculty at the University and their colleagues in P..R. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Wenda Moore observed that "our accomplishments far and away exceeded anything we thought possible for a first trip to China. The University should take pride in the achievements."
Spanning Two Generations
In June 1999, Professor Tu Guangchi was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Sciences to recognize his lifelong contributions to China and the field of geochemistry. Professor Tu received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1949. After graduating from the University, Professor Tu returned to China and went on to become the most outstanding and recognizable figure in the geologic community in China. He is credited with establishing the field of geochemistry in China and has helped to develop the world-renowned Institute for Geochemistry in Guiyang. He has also served as its Director and played a leadership role in the development of ore-deposits research and environmental sciences, both of which have had a tangible effect on mineral and water resources in China.
In 1999, Professor Tu will celebrate his 80th birthday and 60 years in geochemical research. Throughout his career, he has inspired hundreds of students and scholars to pursue research in the fieled of Geochemistry. One scholar who followed Professor Tu's footsteps to the University of Minnesota is Ding Kang (Ph.D.1987, Academia Sinica). He is a former student of Professor Tu Guangchi at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and currently serves as a Senior Research Associate of Earth Science Geology and Geophysics in the University of Minnesota's Department of Geology and Geophysics. His research interests are in the chemistry of aqueous fluids, and the behaviors of dissolved metals and gases at elevated temperatures and pressures, especially in supercritical region of water and NaCl fluid. He is currently involved with development of a multiple-sensor integration device for measuring and monitoring the chemistry of mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal fluid. "Having Professor Tu as an advisor helped me to decide where and to which university I wanted to go." Ding Kang says, "He pushed me professionally and stimulated me personally." Professor Tu and Ding Kang still communicate regularly by telephone and e-mail. The state of Minnesota brings back fine memories for professor Tu, who says that he has made so many trips to the University of Minnesota that he can almost close his eyes and see the campus.
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. This year's festival date is Friday, September 24, 1999. On September 22, China Center hosted a Mid- Autumn Festival and Chinese/ English Language Exchange. About 30 scholars spoke English and Chinese and enjoyed Moon Cake and Chinese tea.
The festival is a time for family members and loved ones to congregate and enjoy the full moon an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony and good luck. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant mooncakes of many varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns.
1999 Distinguished McKnight University Professors
Congratulations to China Center Advisory Committee members, Ann M. Fallon and David Pui; this year's recipients of the prestigous Distinguished McKnight University Professor award. As two out of five recipients of this award, Professor Pui and Professor Fallon are honored with the title Distinguished McKnight University Professor which they'll hold as long as they remain at the University of Minnesota. The grant associated with the Professorship consists of $100,000 over five years to be used for research, scholarly, or artistic activities and expended at the recipient's discretion.
Each year the nominations are reviewed by a committee composed of prominent faculty from across the University. Below are excepts from their award announcement:
"Professor Ann Fallon is one of the leading figures internationally in the field of insect molecular biology. She has been a pioneer among entomologists for her in-depth study of disease transmission by mosquitoes. Her conceptual contributions to understanding the genetics and physiology of insects have spawned much research on the hormonal control of reproductive physiology in insects.
When the delegation returned in 1979, they brought back 5 signed agreements with Jilin University of Technology, Nankai University, National Academies of Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Peking Agricultural University and Xian Jiaotong University. Today, the University oversees more than 22 University-wide agreements and there are more than 15 college or departmental agreements.
Professor David Pui is one of the world's leading researchers in aerosol science. He has made important contributions to understanding the behavior, generation, and measurement of nanoparticles. His work, which is widely quoted and used, has significant potential for scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations. He is vice president-elect of the American Association for Aerosol Research and will become president in two years."
Welcome Our New Staff Member
Wang Ning is from Nanjing China. Before coming to US to study as Master of Public Policy candidate at Humphrey Institute of Public affairs, he received his bachelor's degree from the Western Languages and Culture Department of Institute of International Relations in Beijing. His past work experience, includes, working as travel agent and television editor and producer. He has travel extensively throughout China, as well as in Asia and Europe. He has strong interest in the cultural aspects of different countries and would like to seek a career in this field. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching movies and talking to interesting people. He joins the China Center as an administrative fellow and believes that it is going to be a very positive experience, and acknowledges it will be a challenge as well.
New Works By Zheng Min
Two monographs, essays written during the 90's by Zheng Min, an alumna of the U of MN (1986) (Ref.Building Bridges, p. 122) were published by Tsinghua University Press and Peking University Press 1998-1999. The works were written in Chinese on aspects of contemporary Chinese cultural missions. Topics range from the legacy of the literary reform movement in 1919 to post-modernism which seems to act as the lodestar for the current generation of poets and creative artists.
A Structural-Poststructural Approach: Language. Culture. Criticism, Tsinghua University Publications,Nov. 1998, ISBN 7-302-03101. The volume is number 5 of the Monograph Series of the Department of Chinese, Tsinghua University.
Poetry and Philosophy are close neighbors-Structural-post structural poetics, Peking University Press, February 1999, ISBN 7-301-03726-0. The essays are grouped under five headings: Structure and Poetry; Pound and Eliot; Post-modernism; Contemporary Chinese poetry/Poetry and Culture; Poetry and the poet. In one of the essays, Zheng Min recalls a lecture given by Robert Bly when she was Fulbright Scholar teaching in the English Department. The lecture and inspired her to consider the issue of creativity and memory, which seems to be the root of her own mission.
The publication of the two volumes suggests that there is an awakening in China, not noticed by the busy observers, which in some way recalls the line "less traveled road" in Robert Frost?s poem, "The road Not Taken."