Students hold Chinese language competitions, economic forum
Student groups on campus were involved in conferences and contests related to China during the month of April at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That includes a statewide speech contest for Chinese language learners, a UW-Madison student-run contest judged by “Chinese Champion” elite athletes, and a student-organized forum on economic issues related to China.
STATE SPEECH CONTEST APRIL 30
UW students swept the college level of a state-wide Chinese speech contest April 30. The 8th annual Wisconsin State Chinese Speech Contest was held at UW-Madison and co-sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies and the Confucius Institute of UW-Platteville. Over 100 contestants took part in this event, competing at the elementary school, middle school, high school and college level.
“I am so proud of them!” said Chinese language professor Zhang Hongming of the eight medalists from UW-Madison.
Click here for a photo and listing of all UW-Madison winners.
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CHINESE CULTURE CLUB INVITES CHAMPION JUDGES
Chinese language speech event participants include (from left): judge Wang Shuo, judge Zhong Hongyan, Jarrett Wiesolek, Michael Mullahy, Jim Trauba, Alex Evans, Alex Bucholtz, Eric Zhang, Maromi Ahn (for John Olsan), Richard Young, Nick Monaco, judge Zhou Yan and judge Qiu Hongxia.
Students from UW-Madison’s Chinese Language and Culture Club (CLACC) held a speech contest April 16 and invited judges from the Chinese Champions program to award ribbons.
The CLACC contest also featured a symposium of UW professors talking about their China-related research.
According to club president, Jarrett Wiesolek, the club hosts social events throughout the school year designed to bring together Chinese and non-Chinese students. CLACC also hosts a weekly Chinese table that allows Chinese language learners to converse with native speakers.
At the speech contest, four “Chinese Champions” served as judges: taekwondo star Wang Shuo, kayaker Zhong Hongyan, curler Zhou Yan and weight lifter Qiu Hongxia. The Chinese Champions program, now in its second year, brings world-class Chinese athletes from Beijing Sports University to UW-Madison to study leadership skills and the English language. (Learn more by clicking on this link: http://www.chancellor.wisc.edu/china/ )
Mr. Wiesolke said contestants wrote their own speeches.
“Some detailed their experiences in China, others talked about their experiences in America, and others directed their speeches to the judges, welcoming them and telling them what they could do in Wisconsin,” he said. “One speaker told the judges he was not used to living in America after 23 years and told some funny stories from his childhood. Another Korean student talked about her dad's experiences ordering food in America and wondering what a ‘super salad’ was after the waitress asked if he wanted soup or salad.”
Here are the winners for this year’s CLACC contest:
1st-year Chinese -1st place: Jae Sang Lee, 2nd: Nicholas Joseph Monaco, 3rd: Richard Young
2nd-year Chinese -1st place: Eric Chen Zhang, 2nd: Maromi Ahn 3rd: John Nathan Olson
3rd-year Chinese - 1st place: Alex Bocholtz, 2nd: Seung Hoon Hong, 3rd: Alexander David Evans
4th-year (and above) Chinese - 1st place: Jim Trauba, 2nd: Michael Mullahy, 3rd: Jarrett Wiesolek
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CHINA ECONOMIC FORUM HOSTS CONFERENCE
Members of the China Economic Forum student group (including club president Tian-yang Li at center) joined faculty professors (seated from left): Xiaodong Du, Bob Krainer, Sida Liu and Ed Friedman.
The student-led China Economic Forum hosted its first-ever conference on China, held April 8 at the School of Business. The event featured a panel of four UW-Madison professors: finance chair Robert Krainer, political scientist Ed Friedman, energy economics expert Xiaodong (Sheldon) Du, and sociologist Sida Liu.
CEF president Tian-yang Li said that while the forum has hosted lectures in previous years, this is the club’s first experience with a full conference of speakers. He hopes to make the conference an annual spring event.
The conference opened with a welcome by Gilles Bousquet, vice provost for globalization, who spoke about Chancellor Biddy Martin’s two trips to China in 2010.
“We view China as a metaphor for the kind of accelerated pace of global change that will affect us all,” Bousquet said. “Strengthening our ties to China helps our students, faculty and community prepare for – and see the potential in – a fast changing world.”
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