Fall 2024 Talk


Learn more about the events that the Chinese Studies program has hosted over the past few years, including visits from teachers, professors, and administrators from other Chinese programs, such as Taiwan's Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
On October 22nd, Professor Ssu-Fang Jessie Liu of Hunter College’s Chinese Department presented a talk to 35 students about her travel experiences and the inspirations that led her to write many popular stories. Professor Liu is an award-winning writer in Taiwan and the author of Poor Little Things (a short story collection) and Hide and Seek (a collection of essays). During the talk, she spoke about her experiences studying in California, moving to New York, and her most recent trip to Belize. She described how those moments broadened her knowledge, changed her perspective on life, and inspired her creativity in writing. She encouraged students to travel, write down their daily experiences, and reflect on how a traveler's gaze influences the thoughts one may have when visiting a foreign place. Hearing all the stories and insights Professor Liu shared, students became very interested in her creative works, and some bought her book Poor Little Things to read in their spare time. We thank Professor Liu for hosting this session and look forward to her next novel, Stranger Things in Taipei, which will be published in Spring 2025.
On May 7th, 2024, we were thrilled to have Professor Holly Chiu share her insights and academic knowledge of cultural differences between East Asian and US cultures in the workplace with 35 students and teachers, many of whom were from the Chinese Flagship Program at Hunter College. Professor Chiu has a PhD in Organizational Management from Rutgers Business School and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Brooklyn College. Using her extensive working experience in both Taiwan and the US, Professor Chiu discussed the causes of cultural differences in the workplace, using personal and real-world examples to help students understand the impact these differences have on employees and the work environment. Her talk helped students to understand the working cultures of East Asian countries and how those compare to American working cultures. Professor Chiu, who was born in Taiwan, highlighted the typical cultural challenges of working overseas. Flagship students are required to work in an internship during their final year of study overseas in the program, and were eager to discuss their concerns with Professor Chiu. We are grateful to Professor Chiu for providing students with a better understanding of what should and should not be done in an East Asian workplace as they step into the workforce in the near future.
The Hunter College Chinese Program welcomed a visiting delegation of administration officials and teachers from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages at Hunter on November 17th, 2022:
The delegation came to Hunter to commemorate the new Hunter/Wenzao partnership in the Taiwan Huayu BEST: Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent Program. The benefits of the partnership include exchange teachers for each institution, and generous scholarships for Hunter students interested in studying Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan at Wenzao during the academic year.
The delegation met with Hunter Provost Manoj Pardasani, Chinese Program Head Der-lin Chao, Education Abroad Director Sarah Craver, and the teachers and staff of the Hunter Chinese and Flagship programs, to discuss the progress of the new partnership in its first year, and suggest ideas for expanding areas of cooperation in the future.
Hunter President Jennifer Raab kindly joined the meeting to welcome and thank the delegation.
On December 2, 2022, the Hunter College Chinese program held a symposium for The Taiwan Huayu BEST Program, entitled: “Life-Changing Study Abroad Opportunities for Your Students to Learn Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan”. This virtual symposium was sponsored by the Chinese Program and the Education Abroad Office at Hunter College, and by TECO New York, for the purpose of introducing the BEST program to U.S. institutions interested in joining. The symposium also showcased the You Hua Yu BEST program partnerships between many American institutions and their Taiwan counterparts. Hunter College of New York City is a new member of the BEST program, and is proud to partner with Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The symposium featured four panel discussions by study abroad directors and administrators, students participating in the program, and BEST program teachers.
The directors of the study-abroad offices at Hunter College, Juniata College, and the College of New Jersey (CNJ) each gave presentations on the challenges in restarting study abroad at their schools, including reestablishing their presence on campus and increasing the number of students studying abroad; risk management and managing mental and physical health while abroad; supporting economically disadvantaged students; and looking for new ways to expand faculty/staff collaboration with their Taiwanese partner schools. They talked about how student interest in studying Chinese in Taiwan has dramatically increased at their colleges.
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Sarah Craver Director of Education Abroad Hunter College |
Jamie Weaver Director of Education Abroad Hunter College |
Christina Olson Executive Director - The Center of Global Engagement The College of New Jersey |
Four U.S. students from Hunter, Juniata, and CNJ shared their experience studying in Taiwan supported by Huayu scholarships. The students talked about their classes overseas, their positive interactions with Taiwanese people, their favorite foods, the places they visited, and the most rewarding aspects of their time in Taiwan. They also offered tips for future students: to challenge themselves to “be bold” and push beyond their comfort zones to experience as much as possible; to be open-minded; and to create a supportive community with other students and program staff while abroad.
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Wesley Eaton - Class of 2025 International Business and East Asian History Juniata College |
Catalina Bedoya - Class of 2024 Computer Science and Chinese Hunter College |
Jason Rosen - Class of 2022 Mechanical Engineering The College of New Jersey |
College professors from CNJ and Hunter College discussed details on how to prepare their college students for study in Taiwan. The professors recommended that U.S. schools teach traditional characters and differences in vocabulary, and familiarize students with Taiwanese culture, etiquette, and laws. U.S. schools also need to determine course equivalencies between the partner schools so that students can earn the credits they need while abroad, and are ready to take next-level courses when they return to their home institutions.
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Celia Liu Academic Director of Chinese Studies The College of New Jersey |
Der-lin Chao Director and Professor Hunter College |
Two exchange teachers from Taiwan currently teaching Mandarin in American institutions talked about how much they have learned in teaching different styles of classes – large, small, and individual tutoring – and about the workshops and conferences they were able to attend to enhance their professional development. They emphasized the importance of introducing cross-cultural understanding to their students. They designed and held very creative and engaging cultural events for their students to introduce them to Taiwan, such as a Tea Culture Experience, Mandarin Table, Night Market, Painting Opera Masks, and Chinese Bamboo Painting. They also held information sessions for their U.S. students on the study-abroad opportunities provided by Huayu scholarships.
The symposium attendees came from 26 educational institutions across the United States. Ten institutions were from the TECO New York region. All participants attending the symposium expressed interests in either joining or continuing the You Hua Yu BEST program.
We hope that the symposium helped to inspire teachers, students, and administrators to reexamine the value of studying abroad as they prepare to restart their overseas study programs after a three-year pandemic-induced break. To conclude, this event showcased the importance of U.S.-Taiwan educational exchanges, and the benefits of international collaborations in cultivating future global leaders.
View the Event Flyer and Agenda
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Ya-Hui Weng Instructor The College of New Jersey |
Ying-Jung Lai Instructor Hunter College |
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Group Photo - Info Session |
Hunter College’s Chinese Program hosted an information session to introduce the Taiwan Huayu Bilingual Exchanges of Selected Talent (BEST) Program to Hunter students on November 1, 2023. The Huayu BEST Program, sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE), is an excellent opportunity for American College students to study Chinese and Taiwanese culture in an immersive environment. The presenters introduced the BEST program based at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, which is the partner school of Hunter College.
Chun-ying Tu is a visiting Chinese language instructor from Wenzao University who is teaching at Hunter under the Huayu BEST teacher exchange program. As the host of the information session, she talked about the details of the program, including costs, curriculum, location, duration, etc., as well as the linguistic and cultural benefits of studying abroad in Taiwan. Three current Hunter students who participated in Huayu BEST at Wenzao shared their experience in the program and reflected on the ways the program's curriculum, as well as living in Kaohsiung, helped them improve their Chinese. The audience of the presentation comprised not only Hunter students presently enrolled in the Chinese courses, but also college students at all levels who have an interest and/or background in the Chinese language. The Hunter Chinese Department team is proud to say the presentation successfully generated interest in the study abroad program.
Taste and Learn About Taiwanese Tea
The Hunter College Chinese Department hosted a tea-making event for the Hunter community on November 7, 2023. Hosting the event was Ms. Chun-ying Tu, a visiting Chinese language instructor from Wenzao as a part of the Taiwan Ministry of Education-sponsored Huayu BEST program. Ms. Tu introduced different kinds of tea leaves, with an emphasis on those that are grown in Taiwan. Attendees learned how to properly brew tea and brewed tea themselves using teapots provided to them. Attendees also enjoyed small snacks typically seen at tea-drinking ceremonies—such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds—while they brewed and drank tea. The event not only gave attendees the opportunity to learn about various types of tea and the proper tea brewing method, but also allowed them to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea experience together with classmates and teachers.