The Asia Center and the Confucius Institute hope to start bridging cultural and linguistic divides between Utah and China with the first annual Chinese Culture Week being held at the U this week.
Events will introduce participants to aspects of Chinese culture through music, documentary film and lectures on relations between China and the United States. All events are free and open to the public.
Last October, the U created a partnership with Sichuan University, located in Chongqing and Chengdu, China, and became one of 13 institutions in the U.S. to open a Confucius Institute. The Confucian institutes offer Chinese activities to the public as a way of educating people about Chinese customs and traditions through music, films, opera and art. The U’s Confucius Institute strives to introduce Chinese language into the K-12 school system and provides basic courses in Chinese to the public. For more information, visit www.confucius.utah.edu.
The Asian American Student Association and the Asian Pacific American Studies Program are also hosting Asian American Awareness Week beginning today. Events are free and open to the public. Topics include the reality of racism, the strengths of Asian women and the debate surrounding human rights at Guantanamo Bay.