Ni hao! In preparation for our imminent trip to Shanghai, we took up the offer for some free Mandarin classes that were offered to us by the Meridian Society, a charitable organisation committed to the promotion of Chinese culture in the UK. Their goal is the fostering of Sino-British understanding and that’s right up our street as we will be working on the legacy of the Expo and the lasting cross-cultural collaborations that this event will bring about. After our eight week crash course that involved reading, speaking and writing Mandarin characters as well as learning about Chinese culture, we are now ready to set off and test our newly acquired vocabulary! Have a look at the Meridan Society’s website for more info on their Mandarin classes as well as the latest events.
Tags: Mandarin, Meridian Society
April 27, 2010 at 7:12 am |
There are a number of organisations and societies in the UK organising links to China and they do amazing projects. They demonstrate the long historical links we have in terms of trade and cultural exchange we have with China. Near to Kingston University is the famous Kew Gardens working with Thomas Heatherwick on the design of his UK Expo Pavilion. Many of the seeds used in the structure have come from Kew and in the middle of the park there is a Chinese pavilion built by the first British architect to visit China in the 18th century.
April 29, 2010 at 10:09 am |
Ten MA Curating Contemporary Design students are laving this afternoon for a month in China. They are working with staff and students at China Academy of Art and we wish them a safe journey.
On Tuesday afternoon we welcome staff from the British Council and Thomas Heatherwick’s Studio to launch the brief from the London side of the project. Technicians from Kingston University will film and upload the talks onto Studyspace so they can be shared in Hangzhou.
Further updates shortly!