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Letter from the Director

Welcome again to our new spring students! I hope all of us can make you feel at home as quickly as possible! I have a mixed bag of things to report to you all. iKnow online language learning platform: We had a talk by Ken Young of iKnow.com (soon to be SmartFM.com), which in his words is a “Wikipedia-like” online

platform of user generated and mutually-enhanced language learning resources for as many languages as users. This could be useful to IUP students and alumni in a number of ways. First of all, they have a sophisticated online application that allows users to build their foreign-language vocabulary from curricula that are already online, or that users upload themselves. We can provide the company with vocabulary lists from IUP textbook lessons, thereby collectively creating an IUP vocabulary database that would be available to everyone for free.

The application also works like flashcard software, but it’s based on learning science theory that maximizes the efficiency of vocabulary acquisition and tracks how well you know each word over time. I think it will help you retain vocabulary better, because you can keep using it long after you leave IUP, and you can determine the words you need to know most over time. I invite you to go to iKnow.co.jp and set up an account. In the meantime we will think of guidelines and ways to standardize our contributions, as well as to maintain an IUP community at iKnow.

The American Institute in Taiwan’s training program for diplomats has already uploaded core vocabulary lessons (2700 Chinese characters, I think) that you can work with before you/we start uploading our material. Kro’s Nest! I recently ate at Kro’s Nest (乌巢) and discovered that their original store on Yiheyuan lu north of Beijing University’s West gate has added a huge second floor, greatly expanding their space. It’s still probably the best pizza in Beijing, so it’s big enough for us to have large IUP events there. Drama: Another thing I would like to emphasize more is theater in Beijing, one of the liveliest aspects of the city’s cultural life. I recently visited the box office at the Capital Theater (首都剧场), and got

flyers for their following upcoming plays: 《幸福像

草儿一样》，《操场》，《开心喜宴》，and

《办公室有鬼第二季：谈谈情，跳跳槽》. They

are also showing soon《鹿鼎记》and 《明朝那些

事》. I’ll post the flyers on the white board in Wenbei lou. Books: Students remaining from the fall were oriented to how to use the Tsinghua library and we’ll soon be doing a refresher for the new students. In addition, we have a rudimentary and at present disorganized collection of material in our own reading room. Most of the good books (the ones locked in the glass cabinets) were catalogued some time ago and can be borrowed with Jia laoshi’s help. I have also purchased a number of additional books about Chinese culture and society that are sitting in my office waiting to be catalogued; interested students may come have a look and borrow volumes on an informal basis. We have also subscribed to The China Quarterly and Foreign Affairs, two of the most influential publications that cover U.S.-China relations.

The Beijing Center (TBC) in the International University of Business and Economics has at about

清华大学 | Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies ( 清华 IUP中文中心)

IUPeople Volume 2, Issue 4 February 2009

Charles Laughlin, Director

17,000 volumes the second-largest collection of English-language books on China, second only to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. You can get a borrowing card there for a reasonable fee and borrow several books at a time for up to a month. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk east and slightly north of the Huixin xijie nankou exit of the No. 10 subway line, not far from the university’s east gate. If you’re coming from the south, the No. 13 line’s Shaoyaoju exit is a little closer. While you’re in the neighborhood, check out

汶川汶川汶川汶川

李耘, IUP 老师

圣诞节以后，我仍然没有找到理想的渠道，把

老师同学的捐款以最有效的方式送到灾区。一些老

师建议我直接跟地震当地联系，而不必通过中间环

节，以减少损耗。好在我跟黎静联系上了，她曾经

在 IUP工作，而且她的老家就在地震发生的地区。

通过她，我认识了余理胜，她的高中同学，现在在

理县的通化乡政府工作。通化乡行政上属于理县管

辖，实际上离汶川更近。

于是我决定趁寒假去汶川和通化。

成都到汶川的长途汽车单号发车，双号则从汶

川发车往成都。21号，我坐上了成都开往汶川的

车。三个小时的车程，汽车经过都江堰、紫坪铺、

映秀、漩口、绵篪，最后到达汶川。这些地名在去

年五月以前大都默默无闻，连我这个四川人也知之

甚少，那以后却在很长时间内成为新闻的焦点。

虽然到处都是有裂缝的楼房——有的仍在使用

中——和中国其他地方一样，汶川县城处在春节来

临的快乐气氛中，腊肉、灯笼、年画、鞭炮礼

花……人们在储备年货。我也开始买东西，小摊上

的衣服比商店的更便宜，小孩的冬衣只要四十元一

件。药店的老板娘很实在，告诉我哪些药更常用和

实用，“老百姓都买这个”。然后我拖着一个半人

高的装满衣服的口袋，拎着两塑料袋药品，到茶馆

喝茶，等余理胜下班以后来和我见面。茶馆老板是

the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature north of the university campus across Wenxueguan lu. In addition to museum displays about modern Chinese writers, they have a research library and a photo archive. They also run lecture programs in their auditorium. IUP Google Map: Our Google Map is now open to everyone to edit. Students and alums are welcome to contribute; go to Google Maps and search for IUP Tsinghua: Essential Venues. I have added placemarks for Kro’s Nest, The Beijing Center, and Capital Theater.

一个很酷的中年男人，当余理胜大声招呼“小妹，

加水”时，他拿着水壶出现了，说：“小妹？没

有！”然后他看着我：“她一看就是志愿者。”我

不知道这算不算误会，不过高兴地默认了。

当天住在汶川，通化乡没有旅馆。

第二天一早余理胜开着他的小面包车，拉着我

和东西去通化。而下午我必须赶回汶川坐回成都的

汽车，否则就要等两天之后的另外一个双号。学校

已经放假，我不能按原先的预想把衣服集中地给某

个学校的孩子们。结果就是我只有半天的时间，去

一些余理胜了解情况的人家。

印象最深的是我们拜访的第一户。他们住在相

当偏僻的地方，附近一共只有三户人家，我相信春

天来临以后，那个山谷一定是一个美丽幽静的世外

桃源。不过要在那里养活一家四口可不容易，更糟

糕的是地震毁掉

了他们的房子，

他们住在一个塑

料布搭成的棚子

中，我进去的时

候，两个孩子正

在烤火。四口人

是爸爸妈妈和两

个女儿，妈妈的

腿有残疾，姐姐

从小身体就不

好，全家人都喜

欢微笑。我们留

下一些衣服和药，给他们，也请他们给附近的邻

居。还给了小姑娘一点压岁钱。

离开汶川的时候还剩下一些东西，只好请余理

胜代为转送。我们把钱变成东西送到了当地，没有

中间环节的损耗。但是我怀疑自己是否找到了帮助

他们的最好方式。怎么让大家的善心有最有好的效

果？我仍然在寻找答案。也常常想起那一家四口

人，他们的平静和美丽。我们还可以做什么？

Photo: L

i Yun

Beijing on New Year’s Eve by Jillian Schultz

Lecture Series 1: “Doing Business in China” Jim McGregor, previously CEO of Dow Jones & Company in China and bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal in China and Taiwan will talk on February 26, 2:30, Wenbeilou, Rm. 707

Lecture Series 2: Zhai Xiaobo is a lecturer on constitutional law at the Beijing University Law School. Dr. Zhai’s main interests are in the areas of legal theory and democracy. Come listen to him share his insights on March 12, 2:20, Wenbeilou, Rm. 707

The IUPeople Newsletter is published monthly by the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies. Wen Bei Lou, 502, Tsinghua

University, Beijing, China 100084. Visit us at http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup. Editor-in-chief: Charles Laughlin, Managing Editor: Vivian Li

Ditan Temple Festival: One of the busiest and long standing temple festivals in Beijing during the Lunar New Years

IUPers Justin Knapp, Sarah Burnham, Alex Wald, Jillian Schultz, Dan Alderman, and Jared Glanzberger and friends preparing to set off a cornucopia of fireworks after a jiaozi feast on New Years Eve

Fans and lanterns everywhere at the colorful & crowded Ditan Temple fair

The streets of Wudaokou were ablaze on New Years Eve

Mark Your Calendars

Taiwan Familiarization Program by Michael Jacobson

Previous to my experience at Taiwan’s

National Chengchi University, I had never been to Taiwan. If not for the Taiwan Familiarization Program,* I would never have had a chance to visit this beautiful and diverse part of Asia. I am extremely grateful to all those who made it possible, particularly Alison Ho from NCCU who organized all our activities and some of our meetings. It is an excellent opportunity for anyone studying Chinese, but particularly for those who might not have another way of visiting Taiwan.

I found the arranged seminars on Taiwanese history and culture to be helpful, particularly those focusing on uniquely Taiwanese topics such as minority culture and the divide between ‘blue’ and ‘green’ parties in Taiwanese politics. These seminars were presented on the first day of the program to all five of us together and included a lunch where we could meet with some NCCU students.

While I only met with one professor for individual research, it was a very productive meeting. We discussed a number of topics regarding security studies and future possibilities for research. I found our discussion stimulating and remarkably open. There is a marked contrast between Taiwan and Mainland China in the willingness of individuals to discuss controversial issues.

I admit to being somewhat disappointed in not being able to secure more relevant contacts during my visit. I believe my difficulties in meeting with more than a single specialist stem mainly from my academic focus on security studies and military topics. I strong recommend a healthy dose of individual initiative when making contacts and arranging meetings.

Taipei is a wonderful city to visit and a nice change of pace from Beijing. It is warm, open, and much smaller – anyone who has lived in Beijing for a period of time will find Taipei very easy to navigate. Prices in Taiwan are not significantly higher than in Beijing – this surprised me. Excellent food can be had at a relatively low price, especially around the university areas.

While our trip to the coastal city of Hualian and Toroko Gorge easily eclipses all other sightseeing I did while in Taiwan, I personally felt going to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was one of the best things I did. I was lucky enough to have a Taiwanese friend accompany me, and we discussed how the Memorial Hall has been, in recent years, a focal point for political conflicts on what, precisely, the ‘official’ legacy of Chiang Kai-Shek should be. With the KMT decisively sweeping the last round of elections, the Hall had been stripped of democracy and freedom themed displays erected by the Chen Shui-Bian government that many people found offensive. However, it served to illustrate that many Taiwanese remain resentful or outright hostile towards the KMT, which ruled with an iron fist for many decades following the flight from the mainland.

In summary, Taiwan is a wonderful destination for both study and travel. It truly is a beautiful and pleasant island, and I was struck by the hospitality and kindness shown me by all the people I met with. NCCU has some good academic resources of its own, but I would urge students to go and seek their own outside the university walls to make the most of their experience.

*For the past few years IUP has participated in the Taiwan Familiarization Program, where a group of five IUP students visit Taiwan for a week and make professional and academic contacts. Recently a group went in mid-January. This article has been excerpted for the newsletter.

IUPers Eleanor Hyun, Joe Narus, Lila Buckley, Carol Liu, and Michael Jacobson on one of their excursions in Taiwan

Photo: C

arol Liu

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Square at night

Photo: C

arol Liu

Chunjie in Taiwan: a New Year, Old Traditions by Lila Buckley January 30, 2009. I woke before dawn this morning, my final day in Taiwan and the third day of the Lunar New Year. I find myself in rural central Taiwan, adopted by a family that was completely unknown to me just two weeks ago. Through the darkness I can make out only the outline of the rice fields that surround the Wang family home.

Four generations sleep below me as a rooster’s call pierces through the night. My mind is filled with moments of the last several days with the Wang family: The joy of family reuniting, the anticipation of a new year ahead, the rituals of red envelopes and ancestor worship, and the foods—so many, delicious, home-made foods whose recipes have been passed from stove to stove through generations. In Taiwan, I am coming to understand, the New Year is a time of new beginnings that holds strong ties with the past.

For all of its turmoiled history, it is the continuity of time that is the focus of the Taiwanese Spring Festival. “Chunjie is about remembering where you come from,” explained my host, Professor Wang of the National Chengchi University, as we made the six-hour drive from her apartment in Taipei to her family home in the mountains of central Taiwan. She had met me only days earlier, but generously invited me to spend the holiday with her and her family. “During the New Year, you return to your roots, spend time with your family, and honor your ancestors,” she continued.

While I had read about “ancestor worship” ever since I started studying Chinese nearly a decade ago, the concept has truly come alive—so to speak—for me this year. Every household in this village has an altar naming each of the family members who have passed away. In addition, there is a village altar with the names of the village ancestors. Each of these ancestors is honored with

incense and elaborate meals (according to their individual preferences) and joss paper offering multiple times per day throughout the two weeks of the New Year. It is also possible to talk with the ancestors. One of the first questions posed upon my arrival to the house, for example, was “Are you happy that we have an American guest this year?” Thankfully, the answer was yes. As I board the plane tomorrow and the incense fades from my clothing into memory, it is this exuberant celebration and sense of deep cultural roots that will form my lasting impression of Taiwan. View more photos of Lila's week with the Wang family at: http://picasaweb.google.com/buckleylila/WangFamilyNewYear2009?feat=directlink

Travelogue

Professor Wang offering liqueur to the ancestors

Ping-yi, Professor Wang’s niece, learning to communicate with her ancestors

Lila having lunch with the Wang family

Photo: L

ila Buck

ley

Photo: L

ila Buck

ley Photo: L

ila Buck

ley