--A Story about a practice team from Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University

As Chinese New Year is drawing near, good news comes to Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University that a practice team from the Faculty of Foreign Languages has been highly commended by leaders of Zhejiang Province and Ningbo as well. Secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Committee also gives instructions to it.

This students practice team boasts a nice name "Voice Tells Stories". The team has interviewed more than 700 foreign friends from over 50 countries and regions since it was founded in 2008. With about one million words and other audio-visual materials they have accumulated and compiled, they have published a book, Voice Tells Stories - A Dream about Ningbo, which becomes a testimony to their hard work. In the past four years, they also initiated and organized the first Foreign People in Ningbo and Ningbo's International Image Forum. Besides, they offered free classes on the Chinese language and Chinese culture. With the efforts of those students, more and more foreign people are making a contribution to the construction of Ningbo. They are also highly praised as the main force to spread Chinese culture by some foreign friends.

Special three-minute assignment

The idea of forming such a team derived from a special three-minute assignment.

"I never thought such little course work would do so much wonder", said Cai Liang, associate professor with the Faculty of Foreign Languages. In April, 2008, he was teaching Integrated English to sophomores and they were just doing the part of language communication. He began to wonder how the students can learn to communicate with people from different countries in real situations. So he decided to make a difference. Some days later, the students got a special assignment, interviewing foreign people in the streets and getting them talk about Ningbo in their eyes. Then they made three-minute videos and brought them back to the class for discussion.

Fifty nine students, divided into groups of three or four, began the interview in the streets with full curiosity. However, it turned out to be not that easy. Some students were rebuffed shortly while others summoned up all their courage to say something but failed at last. The complicated mood of wanting to talk with foreign people but being afraid to talk is still fresh in students' mind. It touched Mr Cai deeply that no one failed to hand in the assignment in due time despite all the difficulties.

Every group showed their video in class. In the videos, foreign people talked about Ningbo in their eyes with great enthusiasm and their suggestions for the construction of the city. It suddenly dawned on Mr Cai, who was doing a study of foreign people in Ningbo, that what can be done to make expats part of Ningbo. It used to be a big problem. However, he felt he had found an answer owing to the special three-minute assignment.

In the summer holiday of 2010, Mr Cai decided to carry out his plan. "Could we just focus on the cultural adaptation and integration of foreign people in Ningbo? And students could communicate, listen, record and reflect in this process. Then our findings and suggestions would be reported to relevant departments." With lesson gained last time, the students became more active and experienced.

According to Mr Cai, they named this activity as Voice Tells Stories, for this is a quite valuable class, in which the voice of foreign people are heard and students can learn to make their own voice. They are making use of what they have learned, and it also shows their responsibility.

62 students initiated public Chinese class

"This is a bridal sedan chair which seats the bride and the bridegroom walks in front of it", when a journalist came to the free Chinese class in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Guan Erjia, a Chinese student, was explaining "the ten-mile red dowry parade" to her American student.

The public Chinese class began in the August of 2011. Although it was new, there were 42 students from 15 countries attending it. And it has established reputation among foreign people in Ningbo.

Since the reform and opening-up to the outside world, Ningbo has attracted many overseas companies to invest in Ningbo and foreign people have played a major role in the development of the city. Last summer, the practice team carried out a survey among small and medium-sized foreign-funded enterprises. It found that due to the difference between eastern and western culture, more than 90% of foreign people were eager to attend Chinese classes so that they could be better adapted to the society and more acceptable.

Why not open a public Chinese class？They can have more chances to communicate and our students can also take advantage of their major to spread Chinese language and culture. Thanks to the support of the university, a public Chinese class came into being and 62 students volunteered for this program. Hearing the news, some foreign people hurried to sign up. 

Volunteers do one-to-one or two-to-one teaching to foreign people. They sign a one-year contract. Volunteers offer 30 hours' service in the 15 weeks in this semester. Teaching hours are on holidays or at weekends. Contents are daily Chinese, business Chinese, experience of Chinese culture. Mr Cai, who is in charge of this program, said that there are activities such as experience of eastern and western food culture, Chinese traditional holidays and Chinese children's games. The melodious music of zither, soothing green tea, yummy Tangyuan and moon cakes make foreign friends fall in deep love with Chinese, profound Chinese culture and Ningbo as well.

Ningbo Institute of Technology of Zhejiang University was planning to found Yangming School with characteristics of East Zhejiang on the basis of the class, echoing Confucius institutes overseas.

Foreigners do not only learn Chinese culture from these college students, but also offer their ideas for the development of Ningbo. In November, 2011, more than 30 foreigners from America, Japan and South Korea attended the Forum for Foreigners and Ningbo International Image. The forum , initiated by these college students and housed information from foreigners for Ningbo development, was listed as an important event of foreign affairs in Ningbo in 2011.

Through these lectures, these college students also learned a lot.

“Terrific!” said the American girl Suncny, “Thanks to them, we foreigners are closer to Ningbo and Chinese culture. They make us feel that we are welcome in Ningbo.”

Chen Wenwen, a student also said: “we have learned much from these lectures.”

In the past four years, the team has interviewed over 700 foreigners from more than 50 states and regions, recording how they had sought to fulfill their dreams in Ningbo, listening to their ideas on the development of this city and learning about their lives in Ningbo. As a result, the project has attained innumerable achievements. To be specific, firstly, the team members finished the compiling of a pamphlet on the basic patterns and characteristics for foreigners to participate in and be part in the local communities, mirroring the cultural immercing activities for expatriates conducted in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. Secondly, they handed over a report of more than 100,000 Chinese characters to the government, providing suggestions and advices in lifting Ningbo’s image in the eyes of foreigners.

While spreading Chinese cultures to foreigners, those who are accustomed to foreign brands such as KFC got a new understanding of Chinese cultures.

When the writer interviewed Chen Ningling, a member of the investigating team, she told the writer a rather embarrassing story. One time, she and her classmates went to interview a foreign teacher with Ningbo Nottingham University and asked the teacher whether he/she knew something about Chinese culture. Instead of answering her question, the teacher asked Chen about her knowledge of Chinese culture and at the same time invited her to introduce some Ningbo local cultures. Yet Chen and her classmates were baffled by the questions. Facing with Chen’s silence, the foreign teacher couldn’t help sighing that although China is rich in culture, yet so many Chinese know little about their own cultures, which is extremely stunning. After returning to school, Chen constantly reminded of the sighs of the foreign teacher’s and swore to herself to get herself familiar with Chinese cultures.

Another story is about Guan Erjia, a girl who was interested in English as a child. Her father, who is a professor, always told her to learn Chinese traditional cultures, but she paid little attention to her father’s words. While after she became a volunteer teacher of the complimentary Chinese course, she began to be immersed in learning Chinese traditional cultures. Otherwise, how could she teach foreign students Chinese cultures?

“We spread Chinese cultures to foreign friends and help them learn more about Ningbo and be part of Ningbo. At the same time, foreign friends also impel us to realize the greatness of our own culture.” said a team memeber in the project.

Jin Weiliang, president of Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University said that the project has gone beyond its significance in the language part; it has great significance towards cultivating students’ senses of nationality, cross-culture, responsibility and their concern about the reality.

Source: Page A1, Ningbo Daily, Jan. 9, 2012