VALPARAISO, Ind. – One of China’s premier performing arts troupes will help Valparaiso University celebrate the Feb. 13 opening of its Confucius Institute, which aims to build greater cultural understanding and business ties between northern Indiana and China.
The opening ceremony at Valparaiso’s Center for the Arts will be attended by representatives of the Chinese government and the institute’s partner institution – Zhejiang University of Technology – and feature the Zhejiang Butterfly Performing Troupe and acclaimed Chinese tenor Yan Shengmin. The troupe will present traditional Chinese music, folk dance, acrobatics and excerpts of the classic Chinese opera “The Peony Pavilion.”
Zhejiang Butterfly Performing Troupe has toured extensively throughout China and internationally and its members are the principle performers of the Zhejiang Provincial Singing and Dancing Theater. The troupe is composed of 11 musicians, seven dancers, two acrobats and an actress from the renowned Kun Opera.
The opening ceremony will include remarks by Valparaiso president Dr. Alan Harre, a representative of Zhejiang University of Technology and a Chinese student enrolled at Valparaiso.
Jianyun Meng, director of the Confucius Institute and a lecturer in foreign languages and literatures at Valparaiso, said the opening ceremonies will be the first in a series of programs that will bring a stronger sense of Chinese culture, language and the arts to Northwest Indiana.
“Our goal is to make Valparaiso’s Confucius Institute an essential resource to help northern Indiana businesses, K-12 schools and the community at large develop relationships with China,” Meng said. “Indiana and China will benefit greatly from stronger economic and cultural ties.”
Valparaiso is the first faith-based university in the United States to host a Confucius Institute, a non-profit institute established and funded by the Chinese government to promote cultural, business, educational, artistic and government exchanges. In particular, the Institute will work to develop these exchanges between northern Indiana and Zhejiang – which became Indiana’s sister province in 1989. Zhejiang, located south of Shanghai with a population of more than 50 million, is one of China’s most prosperous provinces.
As part of the Confucius Institute opening ceremonies, a Feb. 14 concert in the Chapel of the Resurrection on campus will feature a joint performance by the Zhejiang Butterfly Performing Troupe, Valparaiso University Symphony Orchestra and the concert band Windiana. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
The Zhejiang Butterfly Performing Troupe also will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Governors State University in University Park, Ill., at 2 p.m. Feb. 16 at Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, and at 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at Purdue University in West Lafayette.
Among the first initiatives of the Confucius Institute, Meng said, will be hosting two Chinese language teachers this spring to lead language courses for members of the campus and Northwest Indiana communities. Future programs will include:
● Offering Chinese classes in local school districts and bringing teachers from China to assist in the development of courses.
● Workshops and guest speakers on Chinese policies and culture for businesses, government officials and other interest groups.
● Classes and events exploring Chinese traditions and arts, including calligraphy, painting, landscaping, film, music and traditional Chinese medicine.
● Sponsoring trips to China for various groups, including medical professionals, small business owners, educators, farmers and retirees.
The Confucius Institute will take up residence in the former Valparaiso International Student Association House on campus. Meng said he is working with the Chinese government to build a library that will be open to the public and include textbooks for teaching the Chinese language, information for tourists, cultural materials and a selection of Chinese movies and music.
Valparaiso has maintained strong programs in Chinese studies for many years, including the development of partnerships with universities in China
and creation of the University’s Hangzhou Study Center. In 2002, the Freeman Foundation awarded Valparaiso a $1.8 million grant to fund initiatives strengthening its Chinese and Japanese studies program.
For more information about the Confucius Institute at Valparaiso, call (219) 464-6771 or visit valpo.edu/confuciusinstitute
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