Amazing China

Invited by the Confucius Institute at Purdue University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Symphony Orchestra made a special trip to perform at Purdue University in conjunction with the China-US Symposium on September 27, 2011. Established in 1896, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) of China has a long history of music and art education. The University’s own symphonic orchestra and choir date back to the 1920’s, and have performed extensively in China and in the US, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. Members of the Symphony Orchestra are undergraduate and graduate students with extraordinary artistic talents from all academic majors of SJTU. Joining the SJTU group were our proud dancers from the Institute Performing Arts Troup, who presented an extraordinary combination of dances from diverse ethnicity of China.

Loeb Theater was packed with excited audience from the China-US symposium, Purdue senior administrators, faculty, staff and students. A good number of Chinese students, including SJTU alums, were in attendance cheering for the SJTU students. Dances, songs, music from China and US, and interaction between the suona player and chief conductor, Mr. Yao Di, were just a few highlights from the stage that took away the breath of the audience.

In attendance was also Mr. Eric Maltzer, of US Department of State, invited by Purdue’s Center for Energy. Mr. Maltzer complimented this concert with great enthusiasm, “That’s Great! That’s the best cultural event I’ve ever seen in the U.S.”, said Mr. Maltzer after the show when congratulating the Confucius Institute on making this show possible. John Bickham, Director from Center for Energy, exchanged gifts with faculty leader of the orchestra, Professor Tang Yizhong, and thanked the SJTU group for performing at Purdue. He further commented “I like the little horn, it’s amazing! The music and the dance are very beautiful, it’s beyond my imagination! My wife and my daughter watched the performance as well. They liked the music and your costumes very much.” Professor Tang Yizhong presented a symbolic gate of SJTU to Purdue and invited Purdue students to visit Shanghai, and said the “gate of SJTU is always open to Purdue”. With overwhelming applauses from the audience, it was heart-warming to be invited this way.

“Amazing China” was widely covered by local media and Purdue University news.

Worldview Presentation at Oakland School

As part of our engagement with the local K-12 school, the Confucius Institute helped once again with the annual “Worldview” panel. Dr. Hongling Jiang, the Associate Director of the Institute, along with Ms Dongning Hu and Mr Xiao Liu, two teachers from the Confucius Classroom, presented the students on what Confucianism is and how it is impacting today’s China---its way of living, and the youth. “Worldview” panel intends to give the students opportunity to understand the variety of worldviews and how people from different views interact with one another.

The Confucius Institute presented cultural artifacts that attracted most attention from the students; the dragon plate, the Confucius quotes, the lanterns, the calligraphy set, to name a few. Students who have had Chinese expressed great interest in visiting China someday and want to simply try “Kongbao chicken”, and or to find out why the Chinese love rice. Ms. Clare Lutgen, Principal from Oakland School, appreciated what the Confucius Institute has been doing to support the school.

The Confucius Institute maintains its strongest support for the University, Greater Lafayette area and the State of Indiana in bridging US and China by providing academic, business, cultural and community activities.