Each year one or two students have the opportunity to spend an academic year studying in China. This is normally done after completion of Chinese 101-102-201-202, but other arrangements are also possible. In recent years, students have spent the year studying at Shandong University in eastern China. Here are the participants in the last few years:

2000-2001	Matthew Adair
2002-2003	Justin Wilson, Karl Heinmiller
2003-2004	Mark Hohmann
2004-2005	(Two applicants: Participants announced soon)

When the students return to Bowling Green, their Chinese language skills are greatly improved, they have a good understanding of Chinese culture, and they share their experiences with the campus community to help promote an understanding China and Chinese culture.

Chinese New Year Celebration

On January 24, 2004, the Chinese Club and students studying Chinese 102 and Chinese 202 participated in the celebration of the Chinese New Year, a party in campus attended by around 600 people. Students did a short comic skit, sang two Chinese folk songs, and helped to serve the food and to clean up afterwards. Some of the students in the picture participated in the Chinese Student Exchange program. Dr. Fuji Kawashima, the director of the University’s Asian Studies Program is third from the right in the picture. The Chinese instructor, Maorong Lancaster, accompanied the students on the accordion in the picture.

Chinese Club

The Chinese Club has numerous activities every semester. The activities in the past few semesters included Chinese movie nights, lectures and discussions on contemporary Chinese politics, economics and culture, demonstration of Chinese calligraphy and art, demonstration of meditation and Qigong, learning and sampling of Chinese cuisine, participation in the celebration of the mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year, and similar events. Participation is open to any interested students.

Talk to Bowling Green Junior High School

The Chinese instructor, Maorong Lancaster, was invited to Bowling Green Junior High School on December 16, 2003, to talk with students about The Good Earth, a novel written in 1931 by Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck. This book tells a story of Chinese life at the beginning of the 20th century. The students had read the book and were studying various elements of Chinese culture, and they wanted to know which elements described in the book were still part of Chinese culture, and wanted to know in what ways the culture has changed since then.

Chinese Club Holds Forum on the PRC’s Economy

Chinese Club had an open forum on "Business Opportunities in China" in the evening of November 10. About 20 people attended the meeting, including the club members, Chinese exchange scholars, and faculty members from multiple disciplines. The discussion was animated—lasting two hours—and longer than anticipated.
There were comprehensive and deep insights on China’s economy and its future trends. Dr. Philip Xie from Recreation and Tourism compared the Chinese economical system with that of the western societies. Dr. Hai Ren from Popular Culture provided a cultural perspective on Chinese economy. Professor Fuji Kawashima, director of the Asian Studies program, and Professor Akiko Jones, Japanese instructor, provided comparisons with other Asian economies.
Students and faculty both responded very favorably to this interchange of ideas and suggested that the club schedule similar programs in the future.