Events > Current Events

 

READ THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE 2012 ANNUAL REPORT!

 

Building Out and Building Up: Understanding Urban Hyperdevelopment in Contemporary China

Public Symposium on Chinese Urbanism

April 19-20, 2013 (Friday afternoon and Saturday)

University at Buffalo

Free and open to the public

Driven by complex economic and political conditions, the explosive growth of China’s cities has dramatic implications for urban planning, urban form, economic development, the environment, state-society relations, and China’s role in the world. At this symposium, invited scholars from around the world will examine the sources, processes, and consequences of urban development in China.

Friday, April 19, 2013

1:30-5:30 pm

309 Crosby Hall, UB South Campus

Saturday, April 20, 2013

10:00-11:30 am; 1:00-6:00 pm

105 Harriman Hall, UB South Campus

Sponsored by the UB Confucius Institute in cooperation with the Asian Studies Program and the School of Architecture and Planning, with partial funding from the Ibrahim and Viviane Jammal Fund for Global Planning Studies.

For more information, contact Kristin Stapleton at kstaple@buffalo.edu or (716) 645-3474 x 1.

 

THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE IS PLEASED TO SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING MAJOR EVENTS AT UB IN SUMMER 2013

China and India: Comparisons and Connections

A three-week National Endowment for the Humanities summer institute for K-12 teachers

July 1-19, 2013

China and India: Comparisons and Connections will offer a multifaceted exploration of the long histories, rich cultures, and contemporary societies of China and India, with engaging lectures, readings, discussion, and cultural activities. The Institute is open to a limited number of teachers and prospective teachers of any grade level or subject in U.S. schools.Click here for application information.

18th International Conference of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP)

Chinese Philosophy and the Way of Living

July 21-24, 2013

One major characteristic of the Chinese philosophical tradition is that it is not just a matter of theoretical pursuit, but is more a practical enterprise. Philosophy is thought to be a “Learning of Living” (生命的学问), and doing philosophy is to practice a way of life that one chooses and to cultivate and transform character. This international conference seeks not only to deepen our understanding of the nature of Chinese philosophy, but also, through a cross-cultural comparative approach, to enrich the conception of philosophy as a way of living and contribute its revival in contemporary philosophy.

Past Events

 

Chinese Paper Cutting Exhibition and Demonstration

Saturday, April 6, 2013

10:00am - 5:00pm

Power House, Roycroft Campus, 31 South Grove St., East Aurora, the Town of Arts

Admission is free

In conjunction with the UB Confucius Institute, the Roycroft Campus Corporation will be hosting a free exhibition on the Chinese folk art of Paper Cutting. The theme of this exhibition is "Chinese Paper Cutting Arts" or "Jian Zhi" in Chinese. Highlighting the exhibit will be the works of Mr. Min Li, who is honored as one of the best Paper-Cutting artists in China. The new-realism style of Yuxian paper cutting creates an almost photographic depiction. The exhibition will be held in the Roycroft Power House and will feature demonstrations throughout the day.

For more information, please click here for the press release.

 

China’s Top Designer Han Lixun Presents at the University at Buffalo

March 9, 2013 @ 10:30
Center for the Arts Screening Room

Han Lixun, the chief designer for 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony, speaks March 9, 2013 at 10:30am at the University at Buffalo, North Campus, Center for the Arts Screening Room. He will reveal the ins and outs of working behind the scenes of the Ceremony with some of the most well-known figures in the contemporary arts world. From conceptualization and bidding to material and technical choices, from contextualizing the design in a given space to the collaboration with architects and engineers, from experimentation on mechanical, multi-media and lighting devices, to testing the validity of his visual modeling, from what was not realized in the Ceremony to what has happened in China’s design/tech world after the Ceremony, his presentation will provide insight into China’s historical inventions and contemporary culture, including its politics, ethics, aesthetics, technology and the world of design. He will discuss ways to meet today’s societal demands in the field of arts, illuminating career-building skills and strategies. The presentation, made possible through the Confucius Institute at the University at Buffalo and the Technē Institute for Arts and Emerging Technologies at the University at Buffalo, is part of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s Upstate New York Regional Section Spring Conference, will last one-hour with a fifteen-minute period for questions and answers. The event is free and open to the public.

To view the official UB press release, click here.

Contact For Further Information:

Name: Dr. Eric Yang, Executive Director, Confucius Institute at UB
Address: University at Buffalo --202 Baldy Hall- Buffalo, NY 14260
Phone: 716-645-7919
E-mail: wenzhong@buffalo.edu

OR

Name: Professor Lynne Koscielniak, Director of Design and Technology
Address: University at Buffalo – Dept. of Theatre and Dance - 285 Alumni Arena - Buffalo, NY 14260
Phone: 716-645-0574
E-mail: lk2@buffalo.edu

 

 

Chinese New Year Art Contest

This contest is open to anyone between the ages of 5 and 18. The theme is "Happy Chinese New Year: Year of the Snake."

Click here to view the poster, with contest rules, and the submission form.

Chineese New Year Lantern Festival to be Held in Southtowns

The Southtowns Chinese New Year Event Planning Committee announced that several area organizations have partnered to host the Southtowns’ first-ever Chinese New Year Lantern Festival Community Event. The group hosting the event includes the Confucius Institute at the State University of New York at Buffalo, EZ Mandarin of Western New York, the Chinese Club of Western New York, Gold Summit Martial Arts Institute, the Town of Orchard Park Recreation Department, and Bryant & Stratton College. The event will take place on Sunday, February 24th from Noon to 3 p.m. at the Bryant & Stratton College Southtowns Campus in Orchard Park, NY, and is free and open to the public.

The hosting organizations are delighted to partner together to bring this unique cultural celebration to the Southtowns community. Area families will be able to take part in the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival festivities and have fun while learning more about this time-honored tradition.

The event will feature a Chinese New Year performance by the Chinese Club of Western New York and a Dragon Dance performance by the Gold Summit Martial Arts Institute. Other scheduled activities include:

  • Chinese Dumpling making
  • Chinese tea ceremony and tea tasting
  • Chopsticks contest
  • Asian food tasting
  • Chinese traditional medicine and acupuncture seminar
The celebration will also feature a variety of kid-friendly activities, including:
  • Chinese arts and crafts station
  • Reading of Chinese New Year stories
  • Chinese language learning corner (language and songs)
  • Wild snake exhibition
  • Chinese cartoon movie corner
Event Information
When: Sunday, February 24, 2013
Time: Noon – 3 p.m.
Where: Bryant & Stratton College Southtowns Campus
200 Redtail, Orchard Park, NY 14127
Admission: Free

Click here for an event flyer.

Celebrate Chinese New Year!

February 10, 2013

2:00 - 4:30 pm

Mainstage Theater, Center for the Arts

University at Buffalo North Campus

Sponsored by the UB Confucius Institute and the Chinese Club of Western New York, in partnership with the Gold Summit Organization for the Development of Eastern Culture.

Click here for an event flyer

Click here to view this year's program

Read more about this Chinese New Year celebration

Presentation

 

“Design Foreign” How ‘Made in China’ is becoming ‘Designed in China’

by Michael James Rogers, Adjunct Assistant Professor, UB School of Architecture and Planning 

Date: November 13

Time: 5:30 pm

Location: 301 Crosby Hall, University at Buffalo’s South Campus

Free and open to the public.


Iconic Or ?: Regional Practice Within Global Context
by Li Xiaodong, Chair, School of Architecture, Tsinghu University, Beijing.

Date: October 31
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: 301 Crosby, UB South Campus
Free and open to the public

Li Xiaodong, an architect and founder of the firm Li Xiaodong Atelier, has won numerous architectural prizes, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2010 for his design of a school built on a bridge attached to a Hakka Roundhouse in southern China and the World Architecture Festival Prize in 2012 for the Liyuan Library in the Beijing suburb of Huairou. He believes that a good design product is the result of spiritual exploration of ideas with rational thinking, it engages with both technical knowledge and artistic judgment. The richness of a good design relies on how the matrix of detail, scale, proportion and commonsense are carefully orchestrated.

Event is co sponsored by the UB Confucius Institute

China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections
Featuring live interactive webcast with Gary Locke, U.S Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China
Local speaker: Andrew Mertha Associate Professor of Government, Cornell University

Date: Monday, October 29
Time: Reception at 6:00 pm; Program starts at 7:00 pm
Location: 120 Clemens Hall, UB North Campus
Free and open to the public
For event itinerary, click here

China Town Hall is a national day of programming on China involving 50 cities throughout the United States.

The webcast will be moderated by Stephen A. Orlins, President, National Committee on U.S-China Relations. Speaking and leading discussion on-site at UB will be Andrew Mertha, Associate Professor of Government, Cornell University. Before his appointment as Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Gary Locke was Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration and Governor of Washington.
Dr. Mertha is the author of The Politics of Piracy: Intellectual Property in Contemporary China and China’s Water Warriors: Citizen Action and Policy Change.

Event is co sponsored by UB Confucius Institute, UB Asian Studies Program, International Institute of Buffalo, National Committee on U.S-China Relations, with funding from the Starr Foundation.

2012 Moon Festival Celebration

Sunday, September 30

7:00 pm

Slee Hall, UB North Campus

Free and open to the public

The celebration will feature lively performances that evoke the spirit of the Chinese people and draw on the traditions of ancient China. The program will be presented by student artists from Beijing’s Capital Normal University. It will include performances on the guzheeng (similar to a zither), erhu (a two-stringed instrument played with a bow), and gourd flute, as well as spectacular dancing and acrobatics such as Chinese Yoyo and Monocycle.

The Moon Festival Celebration is sponsored by:
The Confucius Institute @ UB, Hanban//Confuciuus Institute Headquarters,Capital Normal University, UB College of Arts annd Sciences

 

Chinese Language Teacher Workshop

August 24-26, 2012

North Campus, University at Buffalo

120 Clemens Hall (Friday, August 24)

280 Park Hall (Saturday-Sunday, August 25-26)

Free and open to current and aspiring Chinese language teachers.

The goal of this workshop is to enhance Chinese language teaching in Western New York. The workshop will cover language learning theories; second language teaching and learning methods; course planning; teaching Chinese through stories; classroom management in American language classrooms; and sample lesson demos. The sessions on August 24, although open to all teachers, are designed for Hanban guest teachers and Chinese language teachers and student teachers who have not previously taught in New York State.

RSVP to Erqian Xu by August 10 at xerqian@gmail.com.

Tentative Agenda

Friday, August 24 (120 Clemens Hall)

  • "Basic Eligibility Requirements and Maintenance Issues for J-1 Scholars," Oscar Budde, Associate Vice Provost for Immigration Services, UB
  • "An Overview of U.S. K-12 Schools," Dr. Wenzhong (Eric) Yang, Confucius Institute, UB
  • "Safety for Yourself and Others," Speaker TBD
  • "New Child Protection Policies," Speaker TBD
  • "The U.S. and New York State Education Systems: Standards, Curriculum, and Testing," Dr. Thomas Ramming, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, UB, and Dr. Teresa Lawrence, Director of Instruction, Clarence Central School District, and Adjunct Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, UB
  • Evening reception at Eastern Pearl Restaurant in Williamsville

Saturday, August 25 (280 Park Hall)

  • "Teaching and Learning Methods and Course Planning," Dr. Lynne Yang, Associate Professor of Learning and Instruction, UB
  • "Recent Teaching and Learning Theories on Cognition and Second Language Acquisition," Dr. Lynne Yang
  • "Demo Teaching: Elementary Ages," Ming Yu, Chinese language teacher, Buffalo Public Schools
  • "Demo Teaching Using Hanban Textbooks/Teaching Materials and Self-created Materials," Dr. Qingjie Fan, Hanban guest teacher at Canisius High School, with support of Zhengzhi Miao, Hanban guest teacher at Sacred Heart Academy, and Ying Wang, Hanban guest teacher at Lewiston Porter High School
  • Dinner at Eastern Pearl Restaurant inWilliamsville

Sunday, August 26 (280 Park Hall)

  • "Classroom Management in American Chinese Classrooms," Dr. Wendy Zhou, Assistant Professor, Confucius Institute and College of Education, Michigan State University
  • "Teaching Chinese through Stories," Dr. Wendy Zhou
  • "Demo Teaching: Middle School Students," Yajie Zhang, Chinese language teacher, Nichols School
  • "Demo Teaching: High School Students," Shu'e Zheng, Chinese language teacher, Buffalo Public Schools
  • Dinner at Eastern Pearl Restaurant in Williamsville

Click here for a complete tentative agenda.