China Center News

Spring 2003

President Bruininks' Inauguration and Visitors

Yuan Wei, Executive Vice President of Remin University of China, presents a congratulatory scroll to President Bruininks

Delegates from three Chinese institutions — Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Renmin University of China, and Nankai University — attended the inauguration of University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks on Feb 28. The Office of International Programs also arranged a special meeting between the international delegates and President Bruininks on Feb. 27.

These three universities all have long-standing ties with the University of Minnesota and are national key universities. Huazhong University in Wuhan is a comprehensive university enrolling more than 40,000 students.

Currently the U of M Libraries has an agreement to exchange library materials with Huazhong. Renmin University enrolls 23,000 students and focuses mainly on humanities, social sciences, economics, and managerial sciences. Nankai University has hosted the Minnesota-Nankai Summer Chinese Language Program since 1980.

More than 350 Minnesota students have benefited from this 10- to 12-week training program. More than 30 U of M sister institutions from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan were invited. Those who did not attend the inauguration sent congratulatory letters and/or gifts to President Bruininks, including Tsinghua University (Beijing and Taipei), Peking University, Jiaotong University (Shanghai, Xi'an, and Taipei), the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sichuan University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and many others.

Professor Jiang Returns

Jiang meets with Governor Pawlenty and others at the State Capital

From March 29 to April 5 the China Center was privileged to host Professor Jiang Zhenghua, Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress. As a chairman of China's Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, he represents one of the eight minority parties in the NPC. This year Professor Jiang successfully built on his 2002 visit by meeting with a variety of students and faculty as well as connecting with a number of community and business leaders.

Jiang's week on campus began by visiting several classes and interacting with University faculty to discuss relevant issues. In addition, he was the guest of honor at a reception held by the Minnesota Population Center (MPC) where he launched the inclusion of 1982 Chinese census data on the MPC web site. This data will be used as part of an MPC project to develop an international database with historical census data from up to 20 countries. On Tuesday the University of Minnesota's Executive Vice President and Provost Christine Maziar hosted a campus-wide reception in honor of Professor Jiang. The following evening, Jiang was the guest of honor at a private dinner hosted by University President Robert Bruininks and his wife, Dr. Susan Hagstrum.

Jiang presenting gifts to President Bruininks and his wife, Dr. Susan Hagstrum

On Tuesday, Professor Jiang spoke to members of the University of Minnesota's ElderLearning Institute about the significance of the changing demographics in China. On Wednesday he spoke to a crows of several hundred on "China's New Leadership and the Chinese Perspective on U.S.-China Relations." In addition to introducing the key members of China's new leadership, Jiang gave detailed information about the growth and development of various sectors of China's economy. A panel discussion followed Jiang's lecture and included questions concerning China's economic development as well as politically sensitive topics such as Tibet. Throughout the week Jiang was able to meet with local community organizations and government leaders including the Minnnesota Chapter of the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association (USCPFA), the Chinese American Business Association of Minnesota, and Governor Tim Pawlenty. Twin Cities' business leaders from companies such as 3M, Dorsey & Whitney, Medtronic, and Cargill also hosted Professor Jiang.

Jiang with former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale and others at Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Jiang's busy week came to a close with a farewell dinner hosted by China Center Director Dr. Hong Yang. Before he even left, Professor Jiang and Dr. Yang began discussing his next trip to Minnesota.

Senator Dayton in Beijing

From Left: Fu Wenjie, Ma Liangwei, Liu Daqun, Tu Guannan, Senator Mark Dayton, Ding Jemie, Zhang Xiaohong, and Niu Qingbao

United States Senator Mark Dayton met a group University of Minnesota Alumni Association - Beijing Chapter representatives while he was visiting Beijing from April 19 to 22. During breakfast meetings on April 21 and 22, Senator Dayton talked about common global issues and expressed his concerns on the recovery of the American economy.

He also explained that China has always had an important position in his life. The Dayton family has historical ties with China. His father, Bruce Dayton, has traveled to China as an avid collector of Chinese art and antiquities. A majority of the pieces in the Chinese collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts have been donated by the Dayton family.

Senator Dayton was very surprised by the existence of the alumni chapter in Beijing and the large number of U of M alumni based in China. The group of alumni shared stories of their Minnesota experiences and their appreciation of the University of Minnesota.

Mr. Fu Wenjie, secretary general of the chapter and staff member of the National People's Congress of China, arranged the meeting. Mr. Fu was a Humphrey Fellow at the U of M. He also received his Executive MPA at the Humphrey Institute and LLM at the Law School in 2002.

Other alumni who attended the meetings were Dr. Liu Daqu, president of Agricultural University of Hebei; Dr. Tu Guangnan, Professor of Latin American Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Mr. Ma Liangwei, Deputy Director and Senior City Planner, Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design; Ms. Zhang Xiaohong, Deputy General Manager, China Reinsurance Company; and Ms. Ding Jemie, Senior Manager of Xinde Finance. Counselor Niu Qingbao of the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. accompanied Senator Dayton while in China. Senator Dayton encouraged the alumni to stay in touch.

Mingda Institute Training Program Update

Ningxia Training Program participants have fun learning English

Nanchang: Five Nanchang university faculty from the Food-Producing Training Program completed a two-week training program in February. This program received funding from Chinese and German governmental sources.

Ningxia: A team of eight Chinese executives based at the county or provincial level have been participating in a three-month training program since February 25. They are all working with a new United Nations Development Program-funded project to demonstrate and extend ways to make more efficient use of water in agriculture in Ningxia Province, which is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Northwest China.

Facilitated by the China Center and the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences (COAFES), these officials have studied the following topics: modernization of American agriculture; water and soil conservation; irrigation water and watershed management and scheduling; natural resource management; forestry; crops; animal husbandry; food processing; high-tech and organic farming; as well as English language, American institutions, government administration, and management. They will return to Ningxia following professional trips to the headwaters of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota and to the East and West coasts. Upon their return, they will share this new wealth of knowledge with others in Ningxia. They hope to address issues such as reforestation, desertification, and irrigation.

China Day 2003

A student asks MPR Host Mindy Ratner about her China Experience

On Friday, April 11 the China Center hosted nearly four hundred students from five area high schools at Coffman Memorial Union as part of China Day 2003. Participating schools included: Breck, Minneapolis South, Minnetonka, St. Paul Central, and Highland Park. This annual event is designed to encourage area secondary students to continue studying Mandarin and to highlight opportunities for such study at the University. The morning's activities included opening remarks from Asian Languages and Literatures Department Chair Joseph Allen as well as a lively question-and-answer session with Minnesota Public Radio Host Mindy Ratner, who has lived and worked in China.

More than 40 U of M students currently studying Chinese volunteered to serve as group leaders. Later in the morning the high school students were divided into groups of ten and sent with one of the U of M student volunteers to enjoy great Chinese food at one of eight restaurants who participated - U Garden, Hong Kong Noodles, Shuang Cheng, My Chinese Kitchen, Bona, Lotus, China Express, and Camdi. After returning to Coffman Union, students watched a DVD, "Chinese Traditional Festivals," depicting minority celebrations across China. The final event was a series of skits performed in Chinese by various U of M Chinese language students, with an enthusiastic student emcee for the skits who kept the high school students' attention.

U of M Chinese language students perform a skit

Thanks to all of those who helped make China Day possible including the U of M Asian Languages & Literatures Department and its students, the various high school teachers involved in planning, the Institute of Global Studies, Fred and Jennie Hsiao, the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association, the Chinese American Business Association of Minnesota, the Minnesota International Center, and the Chinese American Academic Professional Association of Minnesota.

SARS Outbreak Affects U of M Programs

The University has recommended that faculty, staff, and students not travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam at this time and that those currently in the region return to the U.S. as soon as possible. This is similar to the approach taken by most other Big 10 institutions. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the State Department have posted warnings against travel to the region.

Two May-term seminars to China — the Institute of Global Studies' China's Urban Sites and Global Trade and the Institute of Technology's Globalization of the Software Industry — have both been canceled. Carlson School of Management's Chinese Executive MBA (CHEMBA) classes scheduled in Guangzhou in April and the international residency program scheduled for May 8-18 at the U of M have been postponed until further notice.

The China Center's Mingda Leadership Training Program has also been affected. It is expected that many of the delegations due to arrive in the next few months will be delayed indefinitely. These programs include the Science Management Training Program from Guangzhou of Guangdong Province, two Business Administration Training Programs from Shengzhen, the Higher Education Policy and Management Training Program from Tianjin, the University Management and Development Training Program from Jiangxi Province, and the Government Administration and Public Affairs Management Program from Sichuan Province.

Consulate Donates Chinese Language Books to University Libraries

President Bruininks with Consul General Xu

The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago donated 388 titles in 684 volumes of Chinese language materials to the University's East Asian Library. Consul General Xu Jinzhong presented President Bruininks a list of the donated books during his visit on April 17. More than half of the items are Chinese language study and teaching materials. The donation also includes tapes, CD-ROMs, videocassettes, slides, and Chinese modern literature. All of the book titles were pre-selected by various U of M faculty. The China Center and the Consulate General in Chicago have been working on this project since 2001.

During his visit, Consul General Xu also had the opportunity to meet with Executive Vice President and Provost Christine Maziar, former U.S. Senator Rod Grams, Hennepin County Commissioner and China Center Advisory Council (CCAC) member Randy Johnson, CCAC President Robert Kudrle, and others.

U of M Students Awarded Chinese Language Scholarships

Four U of M students have received scholarships to study Chinese during the 2003-04 school year.

Brian Dean and Erik Quam were awarded scholarships by Mr. Shane Wu, Director of the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Chicago. Both students have applied to the International Chinese Language Program at National Taiwan University in Taipei. This is the first time the U of M has received scholarships from TECO.

Joseph Allen, Asian Languages and Literatures chair, says with the success of this year's candidates, he believes these scholarships could very possibly continue in future years.

Craig Curtis received the International Reciprocal Student Exchange Program scholarship to study at Nankai University. Adam Ruf was awarded a China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship by Dr. Jiang Bo, Director of the Education Division at the PRC Consulate General in Chicago. The China Center has awarded CSC scholarships for three years.

Message from the Director

I am very pleased to announce that Diane Young, development officer with the University of Minnesota Foundation, will be working with me to enhance private support of the China Center. This collaboration has the potential to play a key role in advancing the mission of the China Center. Historically, private philanthropy has funded the margin of excellence at universities - the margin that turns good programs into great ones. The China Center is poised to take advantage of this opportunity.

Private support already has a visible impact in key areas of the China Center's mission, including:

  • providing scholarships and opportunities for students to study in China,
  • hosting delegations from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and
  • supporting the "Building U.S.-China Bridges" lecture series.

These are all projects, central to the mission of the China Center, that foster greater friendship and understanding among American and Chinese peoples.

In future newsletters, we will share stories highlighting the impact of private support on the China Center's programs. We will also share stories of individuals who are making greatness possible at the China Center through personal philanthropy and will describe ways individuals might support the China Center. For more information, you may contact Diane Young at 612-624-8819 (800-775-2187), young054@umn.edu or myself at the China Center. — Hong Yang, Director

Faculty Travel Grants
Summer 2003 Awards

Ananya Chatterjea, Theater Arts and Dance

Senyu Chen, Southern Research and Outreach Center

Andrew Cohen, ESL/ILES

Edward Farmer, History

Peter Firchow, English

Emi Ito, Geology and Geophysics

Roxanne Struthers, Nursing

David Teachout, Music

Liping Wang, History

Events and Visitors
January – April 2003

On February 24 Bill Moyers gave a preview of his three-part series, "Becoming American: The Chinese Experience." In connection, the Minnesota History Center Museum is featuring "The Chinese-American Experience in Minnesota" exhibit, which is free and on view through May 2003. For info: 651-296-6126.

The China Center, along with the Sabes JCC Festival of Jewish Film and the Jewish Community Relations Council, co-sponsored the presentation of "Shanghai Ghetto," an internationally acclaimed film about the thousands of Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi persecution by fleeing to China. The film was shown March 20 at the Lagoon Theater to a sold-out audience of more than 200. A panel discussion followed with members from the Jewish and Chinese communities, including Dr. Joseph Ling and Mr. Delin Qu. l Professor Ge Shirong, Vice President of China University of Mining & Technology, visited the U of M on March 26.

The Minnesota International Center's China Symposium was held April 16. The sold-out, day-long event, "China and the U.S.: An Evolving Relationship," attracted more than 330 participants. Speakers and introducers included former Vice President Walter Mondale; former U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser; U.S. Senator Norm Coleman; Congresswoman Betty McCollum; Dean Harry Harding, George Washington University; Eugene Sit, chairman of Sit Investment Associates; Shirley Young, president of Shirley Young Associates; Gao Xiqing, vice-chairman, China National Council for Social Security Fund; Warren Staley, chairman and CEO, Cargill; Arthur Collins, Jr., chairman and CEO, Medtronic; Stephen Sanger, chairman and CEO, General Mills; Xu Jinzhong, Chinese consul general; and others. Governor Tim Pawlenty hosted a reception at the Governor's Mansion for selected individuals involved in this event. The China Center was one of the supporting organizations.

The China Center, working with the China AIDS Orphan Fund and various other groups, co-sponsored "The AIDS Crisis in China" on April 22. The event featured Mr. Chung To from the Chi Heng Foundation, Hong Kong.