Chinese Ethnic Nationalities Program
Recent Exchanges
Since the establishment of the Chinese Ethnic Nationalities Program, the University of Hawaii Center for Chinese Studies and Chinese university partners have worked to coordinate scholar and student academic exchanges.
Over the past year, 2004-2005, the Center for Chinese Studies, at the University of Hawaii, has invited and hosted multiple international academic visits. These include:
Scholar and Delegation Visits
October 13th 2004, Yunnan Province Delegation The Minister of Education in Yunnan (vice governor level) led the delegation to UHM. The major purpose of visit for this delegation is to promote exchange programs for higher education, vocational education, minority education and tourism education as well as training programs.
The Yunnan delegation's names and titles:
- Head of delegation, Mr. He, Tien Chun, Education Bureau chief (vice governor level) of Yunnan.
- Zhou, Rong, President of Yunnan University of Science and Technology.
- Liu, Huiming, President of Southeast Forest College.
- Wang, Libin, vice president of Yunnan Finance and Trade College.
- Chen, Wenzhang, director of Yunnan International Education Exchange Center.
- Wang, Yuan, Project Official, Yunnan International Cooperation and exchange Bureau.
October 18th 2004, Dr. Wang Jianmin, Professor of Anthropology Central Nationalities University Invited as guest lecturer for the Center for Chinese Studies Fall 2004 Research Seminar Series. Presentation Title: "China's Last Nomads' The Kazakhs of Xinjiang"
Dr. Wang Jianmin is a Professor of Anthropology in the School of Ethnology at the Central Nationalities University in Beijing. He is also currently the Dean of the International Center. A native of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Dr. Wang is a specialist on the history and anthropology of the Kazakh nomadic Muslim peoples. He has conducted frequent comparative field research among Kazakh nomads in the Tianshan and Altai Mountains over the last 15 years. He also carried out comparative projects in Northeast and Southwest China.
2005 new album "Red" November 17th, 2004,
Ms. Han Hong (Tibetan), Famous Musician and Singer Invited as guest presenter at the Center for Chinese Studies. Ms. Han Hong offered a discussion on modern Tibet and the promotion of Tibetan Studies, followed by a short performance of traditional and contemporary Tibetan songs.
November 17th, 2004, Dr. Yuan Yan, Professor of Linguistics The Institute of Chinese and Internationality Studies at Yunnan Normal University Invited as guest lecturer for the Center for Chinese Studies Fall 2004 Research Seminar Series. Mrs. Yuan Yan is a specialist in Chinese minority languages. Presentation Title: "Language Endangerment of the Minority Nationalities in China"
According to estimates by linguists, 90% of languages currently spoken in the world will disappear over the next century. Languages of minority nationalities in China are also in danger. This lecture will discuss the situation of these languages, the features of the endangered languages, the process of their language death, the problems that they are facing, and the work that linguists and government have done to preserve them.
Student Exchanges
Patigul Ahat, Master's degree graduate from Central University of Nationalities and from the Uyghur nationality, was admitted into the Master's degree in Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii in the Fall of 2004.
Ford Foundation sponsored eleven (11) Chinese Fellows through their IFP program to enroll in University of Hawaii degree programs in cooperation with the East West Center. Chinese Fellows are from all over China and are from different ethnic backgrounds, i.e Tibetan, Tatar, Hui, Tujia, Tu, and Han.
UHM Scholar Visits to Chinese Partners Universities
June 2004. Reginald Kwok, Professor of Asian Studies and Urban and Regional Planning University of Hawaii at Manoa Invited as guest lecturer to the Department of Ethnology, Central University of Nationalities. Presentation Title: 'Cultural Impact on Urban Space: Case Studies of Tokyo and Taipei'
Reginald Kwok, was also invited as guest lecturer to the College of Economics, Central University of Nationalities. Presentation Title: 'Globalization of the South China Triangle: Economic Integration of Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong Metropolitan Regions'