Viewing China from your sofa: Chinese Corners go virtual
23 July 2020
At the start of July, Cardiff Confucius Institute transferred the physical to the virtual and held their first online Chinese Corner.
The pilot event allowed both regular and new participants of these successful events to keep learning about China, its language and cultures, all through the convenience of their laptops and phones.
‘See China from your sofa’ was presented by Mandarin tutor Tian Sun, who introduced famous sites such as the Gardens of Suzhou, the Temple of Heaven and Wudang Mountain.
Tian also talked about tourist activities such as mountain-climbing, river cruises, visiting historic cities and tasting local specialities. After several weeks of lockdown, this virtual sightseeing was welcome by everyone!
When asked what the best part of the event was, one attendee said they found it very informative, giving them lots of ideas of places they would like to visit. Another particularly enjoyed the personalized element and liked hearing about the presenter's home city and its attractions.
Cardiff Confucius Institute have been holding Chinese Corners at the School of Modern Languages for the last two years. The events have attracted a range of people interested in learning more about the country, cultures and language of mainland China. Previous topics have included Chinese history, etymology, festivals & special events, and an introduction to Mandarin.
The ‘See China from your sofa’ event on 1 July was held via Zoom, and attended by Mandarin learners largely from Cardiff University’s BA Chinese, Languages for All and part time courses for adults programmes. Following the success of this pilot event, the Cardiff Confucius Institute will be holding regular online Chinese Corners from mid-October 2020.