The Confucius Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) was established on November 6, 2006. It was co-built by UHM and Beijing Foreign Studies University. CI-UHM is the sixth Confucius Institute founded in the United States.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) was established on November 6, 2006. It was co-built by UHM and Beijing Foreign Studies University. CI-UHM is the sixth Confucius Institute founded in the United States.

1. Chinese Language Teaching and Examination

Two main methods of Chinese language teaching are adopted. First, we provide courses by our own teachers: Noncredit courses are provided among Hawaii Community Colleges (UHCC) on weekends, which are at 8 levels. For each term, 100 students are recruited. Customized courses are also offered to groups of five or more students. Since 2015, VIP courses have been set up according to student’s needs. From 2011 to 2013, around 2,000 public school students from the Oahu Kaiser school districts and Paauilo School, HI took part in CI-UHM Chinese courses. After-school Chinese courses were also set up in President Theodore Roosevelt High School. Second, we offer support to other Chinese language programs in Honolulu: including the Chinese Language Flagship Program newly established by faculty and students in the Chinese major, East Asian languages & literature Department (EALL), UHM; the afternoon Chinese immersion program of Punahou School; and other after-school or weekend courses, such as offered by Mun Lun School.

We also organize Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK Exams) if needed.

2. Cultural Activities

Colorful cultural activities are provided and supported. An annual Chinese Culture Day is jointly hosted by CI-UHM and the Chinese Section of EALL, UHM, which were joined in by more than 500 people every year, mainly UHM students, primary and secondary school students learning Chinese and other community residents; support and participate in the Chinese Cultural Festival held by Chinese Language Education Association of Hawaii (CLEAH) every two years, which attracted around 150 primary and middle school students learning Chinese; joined in the UHM Ka Leo Arts Festival; arranged “Three Tours” (of shows, speeches and exhibitions) activity with the help of the CI Headquarters and performances given by art troupes of Sichuan University, Zhejiang Normal University and Beijing Sport University were enjoyed by a total of 6,000 people; assisted in arranging two rounds (eight in total) of performances given by Yunnan Ethnic Art troupe to Hawaii, attracting more than 2,500 people; supported the Chinese film projects of Hawaii International Film Festival by inviting famous directors such as Zhang Yimou, Jia Zhangke, Lu Chuan, Diao Yinan and other famous directors and by communicating with audiences and holding seminars and forums during the festival; since 2006, a Performing Art Festival has been conducted by CI-UHM annually, covering Chinese folk music performances, solos by the guqin (an ancient stringed instrument) master Li Xiangting, nanyin (southern sounds) performance by the master Ou Junxiang and one-week performances by xiangsheng (cross talk) master Ding Guangquan with his non-Chinese disciples including the famous one, Dashan (Mark Henry Rowswell); and subsidized two Beijing operas rehearsed and acted by UH students, named as Legend of the White Snake and Lady General Mu Takes Command. Many of those performances were also given to schools outside Honolulu and to other islands, which aroused interest of many faculty members and students.

3. Scientific Researches

The US director Cythia Ning has presided over the compilation and publication of Encounters Chinese – Chinese Language and Culture 1&2; the Chinese director, faculty and volunteers have thrown themselves into researches on Confucius Institute, public diplomacy and cultural exchanges and have published three articles in Guangming Daily, Public Diplomacy Quarterly and Party Building. One more textbook is to be edited.

4. Features of the Institute

First, highlight building an academic brand. Each year, at least one large symposium is hosted or co-organized by CI-UHM, covering different fields of China studies, like the international symposium “Confucian Values and Changing World Cultural Order” held in October, 2014; each semester, a leading scholar or a personage of other fields is invited to give more than two excellent lectures to UHM faculty and students and communities, videos of the lectures have all been uploaded to our website; and each semester, eight to ten academic seminars with a range of subjects are hosted or co-organized in UH or various communities. Second, immerse into communities. Set up weekend courses together with UH tackling questions about qualifications and laws; support and positively participate in the “Magnificent China” exhibition every November (a cultural and business exhibition sponsored by Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii which attracted around 10,000 people); organize lectures and performances for elderly communities; and provide the local government, schools and private organizations with free translation or interpreting services. Third, attach importance to faculty training. The US director Cythia Ning is invited to give lectures on special topics in various language teaching symposiums, other Confucius Institutes and universities for many times every year; US local teacher training and Chinese language camps for US senior school students are conducted every summer; invite renowned American experts in language teaching to participate in and give keynote speeches to the annual academic symposium of the Hawaii Association of Language Teachers (HALT); hold or subsidize one-day pedagogical training workshops and seminars for in-service and pre-service language teachers, with well-known US experts as speakers.

5. Others

Constantly increase the scale of teaching and the diversity of activities. Set up martial arts courses on campus and jointly construct a Confucius classroom of martial arts with Hawaii Martial Arts Center. Hold Chinese speech contests for high school and college students. In 2014, a UHM student, Michael Spencer, was selected by CI-UHM as the representative of students in the Southwest region to participate in the Chinese Bridge Competition—Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in China. Hold both hard-tipped pen and ink brush calligraphy competitions for Hawaiian college students and pupils. And hold the Chinese Characters Dictation Competition.

6. Future Goals

CI-UHM will keep up its existing developing route and direction while pursuing a more extensive and sustainable development

It will participate in the Hawaii Language Roadmap Initiative project and cooperate with local enterprises, government and educational institutions to promote language learning, bring immersion program of Chinese learning in Hawaii, popularize Chinese teaching to various Hawaii public schools, and cooperate with community colleges on other islands of Hawaii which will be a guarantee for carrying out Chinese language teaching. A user-friendly online resource repository will be built and developed, in which short films, videos, short tales about language learning, as well as faculty development videos and discussion topics about China studies will be integrated.

Contacts

Address: Moore Hall, Room 417, 1890 East-West Road, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822

Contacts: Cythia Ning (U.S. Director) & Qikeng Li (PRC Director)

E-mail Address: ciuhm@hawaii.edu

Tel: 001-808-956-2294; 806-956-8891

Fax: 001-808-956-2682

(As of December 31, 2014)