UM publishes trilingual comic books to promote Chinese history and culture
Two centres of the University of Macau (UM), namely the Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC), and the Chinese-Portuguese Bilingual Teaching and Training Centre (CPC), have edited and published the Chinese History and Culture Comic Book Series, a series of books that present traditional Chinese myths, legends, and historical stories in Chinese, English, and Portuguese, with the aim of enhancing the understanding of Chinese culture among young people in Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries. In order to promote the comic books, the CPC visited Zheng Guanying Public School to organise activities, interacting with the students in the form of improvised comedy show, providing more students with the access to traditional Chinese culture, allowing them to know more about ancient myths and legends.
In 2018, the CCHC published two comic books in Portuguese, including Chang’e Flying to the Moon and Nu Wa Mending the Sky. In 2021, the CCHC and the CPC edited and published the Chinese History and Culture Comic Book Series, including Chang’e Flying to the Moon, Nu Wa Mending the Sky, and Jing Wei Filling the Sea, allowing youth from Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries to get to know the fun, wisdom and culture of Chinese ancient myths, to learn about Chinese history and culture, as well as allowing students in Macao to learn Portuguese through these easy to understand comic books.
In addition, the CPC organised a series of activities at Zheng Guanying Public School to promote the comic books. Apart from improvised comedy show, the CPC also invited the third grade students to improvise and illustrate the story of Chang’e Flying to the Moon. The CPC also organised a bilingual contest that revolved around Chinese and foreign myths and legends, traditional Chinese culture, and translation between Chinese and Portuguese words. Participating students say they enjoyed the event thoroughly and could not get enough of it. The principal of Zheng Guanying Public School, Chan Ka Man, pointed out that this activity fits the reading task currently arranged by the school for third grade students. It not only allows students to learn more about ancient myths and stories, but also stimulates students’ interest in reading and cultivates good reading habits.
Both centres are part of the Macao Base for Primary and Secondary Education in Humanities and Social Sciences, which aims to promote the development of humanities and social sciences education in Macao and to nurture young talent through a series of teaching and training programmes, in collaboration with educational institutions and primary and secondary schools in Macao.
The CCHC aims to strengthen the study of Chinese history and culture, to cultivate local talent dedicated to the dissemination and promotion of Chinese history and culture, to establish a high-level mechanism for the exchange of Chinese history and culture, to promote Chinese history and culture to the Macao community, especially the youth, and to promote the dissemination and influence of Chinese history and culture in Portuguese-speaking countries and regions, so as to enhance the awareness and understanding of Chinese history and culture in Macao and the international community.
Since its establishment in 2017, the CPC has been committed to developing long-and short-term partnerships with institutions in mainland China and Portuguese-speaking countries, establishing links in teacher training, focusing on the training of bilingual talent, conducting research in the areas of Portuguese teaching and Chinese and Portuguese culture, and promoting cross-cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Chinese History and Culture Comic Book Series
Improvised comedy show and bilingual quiz conducted in Chinese and Portuguese
Teachers and students of UM and Zheng Guanying Public School
Another link:
Prof. Zhu Shoutong participated in the 2021 Macao HualiHuafu Culture International Forum and delivered a keynote speech
On April 11, 2021, the 2021 Macao HualiHuafu Culture International Forum was held at the Macau Tower. Prof. Zhu Shoutong, the director of the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the University of Macau, participated in it and delivered a keynote speech. Prof. Zhu spoke highly of the academic planning that combines Chinese clothing with Chinese rituals. He believes that the basic feature of Chinese clothing culture is etiquette , and aesthetics is the most important. And the function of keeping warm and cold is not dominant. Therefore, the culture of Chinese clothing is the exquisite epitome of Chinese culture. Brilliantly presented, the tradition of Chinese clothes can see through the elegance of the state of Chinese etiquette.
CCHC participated in UM Language and Culture Day kicks off to promote linguistic and cultural diversity
The 3rd UM Language and Culture Day 2021, organized by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) of UM, featured the theme of “Value your own language; Embrace everyone’s cultures” with various cultural and folklore performances and the “International Language and Culture Fair”, as well as language workshops.
In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of UM, this signature event of FAH aims at preserving the various mother tongues of the people in Macau, as well as raising students’ awareness about the importance of sustaining linguistic and cultural diversity in the city.
Prof. Billy So, Vice Rector of Student Affairs, Mr. Paul Pang, Dean of Students, Prof. Katrine Wong, Director of CTLE, together with Prof. Xu Jie, Interim Dean of FAH, were among the officiating guests. In his welcoming speech, Prof. Xu highlighted the special role that Macau plays in its transition to a world center of tourism and leisure, emphasizing that such a developmental goal cannot be achieved without linguistic and cultural diversity. Citing renowned Chinese anthropologist and sociologist Fei Hsiao-Tung, Prof. Xu suggested that our world is only beautiful when we treasure others’ values, languages, and cultures.
The event, co-organized by Prof. Joaquim Kuong, Ms. Lisa Lam, and various colleagues of FAH, attracted over 300 UM students and staff, who were impressed by the huge array of multilingual singing, dancing, musical and folklore performances. Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Portuguese, Japanese, and Filipino were among the languages showcased this year. The Centre for Chinese History and Culture has also participated in this event. Aside from the Bamboo Flute Art Performance by the Centre’s postgraduate students, the Centre has arranged a game booth. All the participants enjoyed the booth games, demonstrations of diverse traditional cultures, movie screening, and food stalls. In addition, students had the opportunity to improve their language skills by attending the English Movie Dubbing workshop, and to learn how to read and compose Chinese poetic couplets. Many participants considered the Language and Culture Day to be a highly significant and meaningful event.
The Journal”Exploration and Free Views” published the introduction of the International Video Conference on (the cultural self-confidence of Chinese literature) held by the Centre for Chinese History and Culture and the release of the representative results
Cultural Confidence and Cultural Identity: Observation from the Perspective of Chinese Literature and Language
In 2020, when the domestic epidemic situation was still under tension, we prepared for a large-scale international video academic seminar in the humanities and academic circles, and set the theme as “Cultural Confidence in Chinese Literature”. Colleagues in the academic circle have their own understanding of this subject, and many people think that the cultural confidence of Chinese literature is not based on speaking out. I agree with this view, but I still insist that there is still a need to say “cultural self-confidence”.
—-Prof. Zhu Shoutong ,The Host of Centre for Chinese History and Culture
For more details ,please refer to the Chinese version:
CCHC Lecture Series-Sacred Heart Canossian College recently invited Prof. TANG Keng Pan to give a lecture on “Rhythm and Recitation of Metrical Poems” for the students
Through the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the UM, The Sacred Heart Canossian College recently invited Prof. TANG Keng Pan, an emeritus professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of the University of Macau to give a lecture on “Rhythm and Recitation of Metrical Poems” for the students of the school.
For more details ,please refer to the Chinese version：澳門日報鄧景濱進聖心講授格律詩
UM holds “Legend of Paper and Ink: Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Celebrities of Calligraphy”
“Legend of Paper and Ink: Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Celebrities of Calligraphy” has been recently held by the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the University of Macau, which lasted for six days from 17th to 22nd January 2021. The exhibition is also one of the exhibition series of “Mr. Fu Tianhong’s New Poetry Collection”. There are more than fifty pieces of works displayed in the exhibition, all of which are works from outstanding calligraphers, artists and litterateurs, including Guo Moruo, Lin Sanzhi, Sha Menghai, Fei Xinwo, Zhao Piaochu, Ouyang Zhongshi, Wu Guanzhong, Fan Zeng, Shen Peng, Ya Ming, Ai Qing, Jin Yong, Zang Kejia, Yu Guangzhong, Luo Fu, Mo Yan, Jia Pingwa, etc. The opening ceremony was held in the afternoon on 17th January, and many distinguished guests attended the ceremony and visited the exhibition afterwards. From these great works, viewers have better understood and memorized the lives of the celebrities.
UM Open Day – FAH’s “Opening the Door to a World of Possibilities” received great success
This year, FAH featured “Opening the Door to a World of Possibilities” with 11 booth games, including various language, culture, philosophy and
history games. Visitors were exposed to the multilingual world as they explored human stories and experienced riches of various cultures. CCHC
also takes this opportunity to organize a ceremony to kick off the “Legend of Pen and Ink -Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Celebrities Calligraphy
(One of Fu Tianhong’s New Poetry Personal Collection Exhibition Series)”.
We hope you had a wonderful and fulfilling day at UM
“Professional development activities for teaching staff – topics of Chinese, Portuguese and education” by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau and Centre for Chinese History and Culture
The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, Centre for Chinese History and Culture and the Macao Base for Primary & Second Education in Humanities & Social Science co-organized the “Professional development activities for teaching staff – topics of Chinese, Portuguese and education” .The target students are primary and secondary school teachers in Macao.
The courses “Training Method and Skills of the Sense of Mandarin” of Prof. SIO Chio Ieong, who is of Department of Chinese Language and Literature are welcomed by school teachers in Macao.“ Appreciation and Creation of Couplets” of Prof. TANG Keng Pan, who of Department of Chinese Language and Literature. “PLE:O cultural na expressao linguistica e a lingua na expressao cultural” of Prof. AO Sio Heng, who is of Department of Portuguese. “Definicao e fixacao de padroes e de instrumentos nnormativos na educacao em linguas” of Prof. Jose Fernando Lino Pascoal, who is of Department of Portuguese. In total, there are about 30 students in each class and more than 120 teachers participated in the 11 hours’ courses.
The courses “Training Method and Skills of the Sense of Mandarin” of Prof. SIO Chio Ieong
“ Appreciation and Creation of Couplets” of Prof. TANG Keng Pan
A Series of Academic Exhibitions on Studies in Critical Situation during Critical Times by the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the University of Macau
In order to systematically display the research results of the humanities researchers of UM in this pandemic period, the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of FAH has invited professors from departments related to humanities to deliver lectures via online channel on the main theme of “The Consciousness of Critical Situation and Hardship in Chinese Traditional Culture”, at the end of the year 2020.
The lectures via online channel were delivered successfully. The lectures series include the topics of “The Consciousness of Critical Situation and Hardship in Chinese Traditional Culture” of Prof. YEUNG SIU KWAI from Faculty of Education, “Endless life in difficult times: Views of Macao University Students on the Value and Significance of Chinese Traditional Culture” of Prof. GONG YANG from Faculty of Education, “Cultural Responsibility in disaster” of Prof. TANG CHON CHIT from Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Faculty of Arts and Humanities, “The issue of epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic method – the role of regulating immune response in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19” of Prof. CHEN XIN from Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, “The Public Sphere and Urban Management in Contemporary China: Historical Considerations during COVID-19” of Prof. WANG DI from Department of History of Faculty of Arts and Humanities. These lectures were popular among students in University of Macau. Hundreds of students participated in the lectures actively and indicated that these lectures inspired them a lot to think about the pandemic period in China deeply, and it is of great significance for deeply understanding the Culture of Critical Situation in China.
