2014 Chinese Class Project Work

These project work are completed by students from Grade 7-11. Aren't they adorable for capturing the essence of Chinese culture?


1. Modern ink art:

This student took Chinese ink art elements and combined it with modern (political) American art. A bald eagle perched atop a giant rock looked into the rugged horizon of, perhaps American west (?), where giant words emerged that said, mei guo, am i free?

2. Chinese New Year lion head:

This student started from scratch to make this lion head. He experimented with several different materials for making the frame of heads, failed a few times, and finally got the frame made with chicken wire.

He then covered that frame with paper mache. While he was doing it, according to his mother and sister, he was covered with paper dust like a carpenter.

The paint on the lion's face is industry paint.

The jaw of the lion can open!

The size, make, motif and color of this lion is compatible to a commercial one for a lion dance troop. Everyone is impressed as it really looks like a manufactured lion head from a Chinatown store!

3. Calligraphy:

What is amazing about these two calligraphy work is not only that you can see the nascent structure of the characters emerging in these two works, not only that the student knows how to go from right to left, and from top to bottom, not only that he knows to sign his name in a smaller font in the mid-bottom on the left side of the scroll.

What is amazing about this project is that the student, who is of French heritage, compared Chinese calligraphy with French calligraphy, and found that both Chinese and French people take great care and pride in producing beautiful calligraphy and value calligraphy as a cultural heritage.

 4. Calligraphy scroll:

Because I myself is a calligraphy and Chinese painting practitioner, I have a soft spot for students who finds a love for these arts.

This project impressed me for many reasons. First, the student took the initiative to learn calligraphy from a mother of his friend's. The process of calligraphy making speaks for the quality of the work itself.

Second, he truly grasps the essence of Chinese art by pairing a quintessential Chinese poem with characteristic Chinese motif with an accompanying Chinese landscape painting. The proportion of the landscape versus people, the bony look of the mountain ridges, the position of the river at the two thirds height of the painting all look deliberately artistic. He even used some sliding-brush technique in his painting to produce the watery, hazy effect of the clouds. Very intentional student indeed.

Third, nascent aesthetic attention is paid to strokes in his calligraphy work: when to stop, when to stress, when to elongate, when to curve - he seems to start to get the idea of the subtle manipulation of the brush to produce deliberated outcomes.

Furthermore, he framed his work on two scrolls himself (with some help from his mother)! The presentation speaks for his faith and joy in his art. What a delightful project work!


5. Model of a Suzhou garden:

This handsome rendering of Suzhou's Lion Forest Garden is done by careful planning, meticulous attention to details, willingness to work hard, an eye for beauty and a heart for gentleness.

The gravel road is made of tiny pebbles, the wall and bridge of clay, the grass of special grass paper, the water of special gel, the pavilions of bamboo and wood sticks and planks. It is amazing that it looks like a real landscape model displayed in the lobby of an industry building!



And it's not just the specialty materials that enabled this great work, but an understanding of Chinese culture embodied in the Suzhou gardens. By naming her garden "Serene", this student has understood the essence of garden art lies in tranquility and peace. By designing a moon-shaped gate into her delicate garden, she is clearly inspired by Suzhou-style garden aesthetics. By positioning distinctly stylish objects in her garden seemingly randomly - but in fact strategically and purposefully - on both side of a meandering brook, she understands the Daoist philosophy of "the highest order of having no order."








I am amazed by these project work. They remind me how much I love my students. They make me smile every day, and they've made me proud.

Five iPad apps for Teaching Kids Chinese 五大幼儿 iPad app 教中文

I'm starting a Chinese Club for young children this winter - and by saying "young children," I mean kids in graders 1-3. As I am trying to think what ways of teaching would work for these little ones, a parent recommended that I look into iPad apps. So I did. It was a great idea. I found quite a few cute, colorful, and animated apps that seem perfect for engaging young children. In the meantime, I found a couple apps useful for students of all ages.

iPad apps for teaching young - e.g. elementary school - children Chinese:

1. Kids Learn Mandarin Free app

1. Kids Learn Mandarin Free - An amazingly cute app. What I love most about it is that even it is designed as a pretty, fun and entertaining app for kids, it teaches effectively through repetitions and "drills" without making you aware of them. It also teaches stroke order through a game. The free version only comes with the lesson on numbers, but it is very well done. It may just be worth it to purchase the full app!

2. LoveChinese app

2. LoveChinese - Great fun with memory and flashcards games. The free version teaches numbers, shapes, and colors. Every time you get something right, the recorded praise goes effusively encouraging.

3. Kids Animal World app

3. Kids Animal World – Good listening exercises; great music as well! This free version shows you animals in different habitats, how they "speak" and what they "eat."

4. Lingu Pinguin (English, Chinese) app

4. Lingu Pinguin – Choose a theme and select objects to hear their name and sounds. The free version has lessons on animals and transportations. The paid version adds lessons about body parts, food, farms, toys, nature, clothes, and houses.

5. Chinese Balloon Lite app

5. Chinese Balloons Lite - A fun game for character recognition: you hear a word being spoken, and you have to poke the ballon with that word written on it. The Lite version actually comes with quite a few words, so it can be quite challenging!

Chaperone Reflections (Answers to the Ten Questions from my Last Blog) about the China Trip

1. What did you learn about yourself on this trip?

Home is, and always will be, my fountain of inspiration. I learned so much about myself on this trip: I realized that I really enjoy being a teacher, that I want to further my calligraphy studies, that I want to read more Chinese classics, and so on.

2. What challenged you about living with a host family? What did you learn from living with a host family?

Observing students’ homestay experience convinced me that in order to truly gain an insight into another culture, it is so important to go beyond mere sightseeing when traveling in a foreign country. Although homestay was a challenge for many students, they embraced these challenges as valuable opportunities to grow. I do believe that in the end, both American and Chinese students learned a lot from their host siblings and emerged from the homestay experiences more receptive, tolerant, and cooperative.

3. How would you compare the four schools we visited in China?

Each school has its distinct characteristics, and their differences, represented in their campuses, curricula, students, etc., are the results of geographical locations, history, and nationality. S was the most beautiful, most prestigious, most historical and most academic. I campus was also very studious, yet the students seem less privileged. Because it is a boarding school, students also seem more social. D is an international school based on I. It feels like an American school. While some of our students loved it, others felt it was exclusive and isolated. X was the only rural school we visited. Although the facilities are less modern, we received the most attention there because American visitors were so rare to the school.

4. What surprises / cultural differences challenged you to think about your own biases?

I regret a lot that I did not communicate to our participants the importance of being indirect, reserved, and face-saving in China. My bias was that when in China, we could still act “American,” but I was wrong. One day in S, while S teachers were listening and watching, our crew loudly complained about a certain thing about S. Although that certain thing was unpleasant, it was not the fault of those teachers who were listening, and I felt so embarrassed that we displayed our discontent noisily. After all, the teachers had organized everything for our stay in S, be it lodging, food, transportation, or even clothing. As guests taking advantage of their hospitality, we could have been more thoughtful and considerate.  In other words, when in China, be less blunt like the American, but more reserved like the Chinese. We certainly should discuss the negative experiences among ourselves, and we did, but we should not have done that in front of our Chinese hosts, because we were guests by all definitions of the word.

5. What did you find in common between "your" culture and Chinese culture?

Despite the seeming differences, I believe that American and Chinese cultures share a lot in common as well. For example, the quest for school success (and success in general) is a shared craze in China and America. Even in prestigious schools like our own and S, students have enormous pressure. Another example is that etiquette goes a long way both in America and in China. One of the host mothers had only good things to say about her host son because she so appreciated the American boy’s politeness and gratefulness. Similarly, when a Chinese student did not behave graciously or responsibly as a host, no Chinese or American respected him.

6. What Chinese words/phrases did you learn on the trip / from your host siblings?

I learned some Chinese slangs myself too: 酱紫 = 这样子啊；吐槽 = 太没道理了。I found that the students’ favorite ones are, of course, 高富帅 and 百富美. These were also the easiest words for them to remember.

7. What did you learn about Chinese culture (family relationships, family values, school culture, social interaction, Confucianism, history, etiquette, etc.)?

From talking with families, friends, and colleagues in China, I witnessed a sizable force for the revival of Confucianism in China. This revival includes the establishment of private schools that dedicate themselves to teaching Confucian classics, the emergence of artists who promote calligraphy and Chinese painting, the growing popularity of activists from all walks of life who travel across the country to spread the idea of Confucian philosophy to common folks. I was deeply impressed and inspired by this burgeoning cultural renewal.

8. How do you think you can help raise international and multi-cultural awareness at school?

Immediately upon my return to New York, I made a plan for teaching 《弟子规》(Rules for the Young), a Confucian classic for the young, to my students at school. The initial response I have received thus far has been so amazing and encouraging. Your interest will motivate me to carry on a mission that is extremely important to me: help more American know about Chinese culture and values, and help more Chinese know more about Western values, through my words and deeds.

9. How do you think you can contribute to global collaboration in the future (in your studies, work, humanitarian work, environmental conservation, economic development, cultural exchange, etc.)?

This trip helped me realize that in order to contribute something to global collaboration, I have yet to learn much, much more about the most profound of Chinese culture and the most diverse of American culture. I have started with reading “四书”(The Four Books), the canon of Confucianism. My goal is to be well-versed in both Chinese and American cultural and intellectual traditions. It is a challenging, but a most worthy, goal.

10. What was the best/most fun moment on the trip?

The most fun moment was certainly learning “Gucci Gucci” rap on the bus. The most special moment was visiting L’s home and witnessing their graciousness and kindness. Thank you everyone for these and other beautiful memories.

Seize the Educational Moments: Questions for Reflection After a School Trip to China

Right now is the first week of school after spring break. I asked my students, who participated in the China Trip during the past spring break, to reflect on their experiences by answering the following ten questions. Since teachers usually serve as chaperones on school trips, they make school trips special by taking advantage of all the educational moments on and beyond the trip. Having the students reflect in depth their experiences shortly after the trip takes place is certainly one of those educational moments. I hope these questions can help other school develop similar questions for their various school trips.

1. What did you learn about yourself on this trip?

2. What challenged you about living with a host family? What did you learn from living with a host family?

3. How would you compare the four schools we visited in China?

4. What surprises / cultural differences challenged you to think about your own biases?

5. What did you find in common between "your" culture and Chinese culture?

6. What Chinese words/phrases did you learn on the trip / from your host siblings?

7. What did you learn about Chinese culture (family relationships, family values, school culture, social interaction, Confucianism, history, etiquette,etc.)?

 8. How do you think you can help raise international and multi-cultural awareness at Riverdale?

9. How do you think you can contribute to global collaboration in the future (in your studies, work, humanitarian work, environmental conservation, economic development, cultural exchange, etc.)?

10. What was the best/most fun moment on the trip?

 In fact, these questions were sent to both students and chaperones (myself and my colleague included). After collecting all the responses, I plan to videotape participants for some of our responses. Other responses will be shared in writing. All reflections, photos, and memorabilia from the trip, will finally be compiled into a China Trip photo video, so that we as participants, and everyone else, can always relive our beautiful memories together.

Learning Chinese with IPad 用 IPad 教中文

My newest gadget Ipad has occupied my free times for weeks now, and I marvel again at how easily accessible information has become. So for serious and potential Chinese learners out there, I recommend the following Chinese-related Ipad apps. All these are survivors from hours and hours of search and trial. Although they are by no means exhaustive, they are probably the most functional out there so far.

You can click the icons or app names to follow the links.

Learning Character apps

eZi Test

• A very comprehensive app and is FREE!
• It includes information as to audio flashcards, stroke orders, quizzes and games.
• The word index can be any index that you can download, also for free.

• iLearnChinese is worth purchasing the full version for. It includes information not just about how to write characters, but about their etymology, uses, and derived characters.

• ChineseWords has attractive page design and can work well with children.

• Writer is a cool game. You have to know the stroke order of characters in order to win!

• 写汉字免费版 has a rather bland interface, but nonetheless provides good space for practice screen writing.

Chinese Reading apps

Nciku Reader

• You have to make in-app purchases, and the list of books are limited. But it has good dictionary and annotation functions that make it appealing to a Chinese learner.

老夫子精选漫画

• In-app purchases can be worth it.
• The cartoon books are illustrated with traditional characters, but they are entertaining and appropriate for all age groups.

囧四格漫画

• Another cartoon reading app. However, compared with 老夫子精选漫画, the audience of 囧四格 may not include the very young. Yet for the right audience, it can be pretty funny.

Chinese Listening apps

Radio Chinese Plus +

• Free Mandarin and Cantonese radio stations from LA and NYC.

• Radio can play while you do other things with your Ipad.

Chinese Video apps

• These are all from 5Q Channel Chinese Reading apps, some of my favorite apps. Although their difficulty level is relatively high, they are great classroom aids when introducing Chinese culture to students.
• I myself learn a lot about the traditions and legends of each of these festivals from these apps.
• These are all the festivals the provider currently has.

• These are also from 5Q Channel Chinese Reading apps. Again, gorgeous interface. You can easily find an Apple VGA adaptor and show these videos in class.
• The stories are all about Chinese folktales or idioms. Great cultural infusion.
• The video comes with both simplified and traditional characters, picture books, with pinyin and English translation.
• Although you have to pay for each individual story, it is worth it. They are very well done.
• All the stories I have here are relatively easy ones.

Chinese Game apps

These characteristic Chinese games can subsidize Chinese learning with a taste of Chinese culture.

• Chinese Checkers is a great game and it's free. It reminds me of the checkers games I used to play with my dad when I was little, and in Chinese, we call it "jumping chess." What makes this version cool is that instead of having just two players, as I was used to, you can play with as many players as you want (up to six real or virtual players).

• Chinese Chess is another Chinese game that is free. I have a student who loves learning Chinese partially because he enjoys playing Chinese chess. We even play it in class sometime!

• Puzzle Games for Chinese Idiom is a game that tests your familiarity with Chinese idiom. I like it, because I'm more advanced in Chinese. I even got the full paid version for it. The default is in traditional characters, but you can easily change the setting to display simplified characters.

• Love Chinese is a cute game for baby. Lovely interface. They even let you get stickers as a prize! Has a paid version.

• Matching Game for Chinese poetry is quite hard I have to say, but could be a fun activity for more advanced learners. Needs to pay if you want the full version.

Testing apps

HSK Test

• These are test questions based on the HSK Test, the official Chinese level test administered by the Chinese government.
• I thought the full version is not free, but it seems like you can still get a lot of free test questions from the free version of this app.

• It can be a good help to teachers who write new tests so often!

Learning Chinese has never been so easy and fun. As a teacher, my role is to facilitate learning with technology, to infuse classroom with digital learning. In specific, I can request the school purchases a VGA adaptor so I can project my Ipad to a larger screen. Let students try my apps. They may even be able to download the apps for their own Ipads or Iphones. Also, I should recommend these apps to my colleagues and parents so more people can get involved in promoting digital learning in and beyond school. In addition, I can even request that the school can provide Ipad carts for classroom use. Technology does not threat the profession of teachers because teachers mean more than passing on knowledge, but technology should become more prominent in classroom to expand the capacity of teaching and learning.