Symposium, festival to focus on China
The focus will be on all things Chinese when Arizona State University’s Confucius Institute and the Arizona Chinese United Association host their annual symposium and Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Celebration Sunday, Sept. 23, in the ASU Memorial Union, Tempe campus.
The day will begin with a forum from 3 to 5 p.m., in the MU Turquoise Room (220), titled “Working With China in the Global Market.”
Following the forum will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m., in the MU Arizona Ballroom. The Mid-Autumn and National Day celebration will take place from 7 to 9 p.m., and include a performance by students from the East Art Academy, and dancing.
Winners of the Confucius Institute Photo Contest and Poster Design Contest also will be announced, and the work of all entrants will be displayed in the Arizona Ballroom.
The Deputy Consul General SUN Weide of Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles will give the welcome keynote at the forum. Featured speakers and their topics will be Jun Li, chief governance and compliance officer for Phoenix-based Avnet Inc., “Avnet, The X Factor in the Global IT Supply Chain”; Hank Marshall, senior vice president, Arizona Commerce Authority, “Arizona the Next 100 Years”; and Jeremy Schoenfelder, vice president, AZ Sourcing, LLC, “EB-5 Investment: Benefits and Challenges.”
Li, who frequently travels to China for Avnet, will discuss Avnet’s strategies in the China market. He said, “Avnet believes China will continue to be a tremendous growth market as part of the global IT supply chain. We continue to invest in profitable growth strategies that will allow us to make the most of the opportunities China has to offer.”
Schoenfelder said, “The EB-5 (employment-based visa) program is an ideal tool in Arizona’s quest for both foreign direct investment and job creation. By answering the need for job creation and investment while providing a path to citizenship, it (the EB-5 program) is truly a win-win benefitting both the local area and the investor.”
“Today's parents and educators are eager to equip students throughout Arizona with the language skills and cultural insights about China needed for success in the 21st century. This is just like the ways that students in China are engaged in learning English in order to gain a better understanding of American society and culture," said Madeline K. Spring, director of the ASU Confucius Institute.
“Forty-six schools in Arizona now offer Chinese-language classes. The photo and poster contests tap into students’ growing interest in China,” said Fannie Tam, assistant director of the Confucius Institute. The photo contest, “The China in Your Eyes,” is open to middle-school through college students.
“Here at the Confucius Institute, we truly believe that images tell a story – your story and interpretation of China or the Chinese culture,” said Tam. “We invite you to share your personal visual depiction of China as it appears in your eyes.”
The poster design contest is open to children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Students may design posters using the themes of people, landscapes or holiday celebrations.
Entry deadline for both contests is Sept. 3. For more information, contact Tam at fannie.tam@asu.edu.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Moon Festival and is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated in China and Vietnam.
The National Day Celebration marks the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
For more information, go to http://confuciusinstitute.asu.edu/portal/.