Premier’s Kingold Chinese Bridge Language Teacher
Scholarship
A report on the study tour at
Xiamen University including cultural
visits to Hangzhou, Suzhou and
Shanghai
Soo Kheng Lim
Homebush West Public School
Sponsored by
Introduction
This study tour includes a study course of three weeks duration and a week’s cultural
tours. It started on the 27th November 2006 and ended on the 23rd December. The study
was conducted at Xiamen University and the tour included well-known and popular
cities as Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai.
Summary of topics studied during the three week
course in Xiamen University
The Chinese HANBAN authorized the Xiamen University to organize and design a four
week course for twenty three teachers from Australia of which three were from New
South Wales, fourteen from the Victoria, one from South Australia, four from
Queensland and one from the Northern Territory. Teachers from all other states were all
under HANBAN scholarship. The Overseas Education
College of Xiamen University was responsible for
organizing classes for us. We were briefed about the
location and history of the university in the morning of the
first day and in the afternoon of the same day, a tour guide
took us around the campus.
The course consisted of several topics, mainly Chinese
history, Chinese grammar, pronunciation, culture and
others. Each topic had two sessions and each session had
two hours of lectures.
The Australian Teachers Group
(i) We started with the history of China. The lecturer – Mr Genghu introduced the
Chinese history starting from the beginning before writing was invented. The Chinese
totem ‘long’ – dragon was, in fact, developed from various parts of different animals.
The body was similar to the body of a snake. The body scales are the same as fish scales
and the craws are the same as that of an eagle, etc. Before Qin Dynasty, there were many
small countries fighting with one another for power. Finally Emperor Qin Shi Huang
conquered all the countries and united them to become a big united kingdom. The
absolute power of a central government actually started from Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Mr Genghu divided Chinese history into six parts: the primitive society, the slavery
society, the feudal society, the half colonized and half feudal society and finally the
socialist society.
(2) To be able to speak Chinese correctly, a student needs to master Hanyu pinyin as it is
a help to pronounce a Chinese word or phrase correctly. Students have to be able to
place the position of tongue, lips correctly in order to get the correct sound. . Besides, it
is important to learn intonation. Chinese has four tones. Students generally find it
difficult to master the intonation especially the third tone. Therefore it is suggested that
the first and fourth tones are to be taught first before the second and third tone.
(3) In the teaching method lesson, different methods were briefly explored. However,
the teaching of listening was very thoroughly dealt with. We were brought to attention
about the various listening skills such as the ability to differentiate sound, tone, ability to
remember, to associate, to respond quickly and to be able to summarize the main points,
etc.
(4) In a four hour session of Chinese culture, we learned that
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The origin of Chinese culture was developed from the upstream and middle
portion of Yellow River. As the Chinese civilization is an agricultural civilization,
people do not move from their lands. Many generations lived in the same land
and only after five generations that people of the same place could inter marry.
Family link is very strong. There is a close relationship between nature and
people. Confucianism is the main influence of Chinese philosophy. In China,
political power is always greater than religious power. As astronomy is related to
agriculture, the Chinese are quite advanced in this field.
The Chinese believe in fengshui, and fengshui is a combination of motion and
stillness. Chinese medicine and Chinese tea and food are getting the attention of
the world.
Tea was originally used as a medicine to clear poison and for cooling effect.
Later, people started to drink tea. In the seventh century the Japanese started to
drink tea and in the sixteenth century, tea was sold to Europe. There are various
types of tea such as green tea, half fermented wulong tea, fully fermented red tea,
flower teas, etc. We may drink green tea with glass or purple clay pot and wulong
tea with white porcelain cups. The way people drink tea is also related to
weather. The southern Chinese drink tea throughout the day with very small cup
as the weather in the south is hot and humid while people in the north drink with
big glasses as the weather is dry.
(5) Mr Wei Lu gave us a very thorough introduction of multimedia aided and internetbased Chinese language teaching and application of resources. His internet address is
luwig@xmu.edu.cn. Education technology can be used in classroom teaching, distance
learning and e-learning in the enterprise. Information technology can be used in
education in the following ways  digital audio and video technology
 satellite broadcast television
 multimedia computing technology and artificial technology
 Interactive technology e.g. hand phone
 Virtual reality
Multimedia is used in 1. Internet – virtual learning
2. Hypermedia (HTML)
3. Blog – online database, online dictionary, web library, resource bank such as
course ware
4. The online dictionary has language processing technologies, corpora, KWIC,
paring, tagging, grammar/spelling checkers and text and speech analysis
The advantages of multimedia aided and internet-based Chinese language teaching are 
Enhanced effectiveness of teaching and learning because there is no limitation of
location and time;
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Can be done simultaneously;
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Can make use of interaction between human and machine;
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Resource based discovery and is authentic;
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Enhance opportunity to do self performance;
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It is learner-centred, learning is individual, diversified, active and self-access and
resource-based.
However, there are limitations 
No face to face interaction;
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Teacher cannot make changes of the teaching resources anytime;
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Class management cannot be done freely;
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Difficulty to ensure the reliability of evaluation.
Some online websites for the learning of Chinese:
http://www.mymandarin.com/home.htm
http://Chinese.bendigo.latrobe.edu.au
http://Zhongwen.com/
http://www.Chinesestudying.com
http://www.hanyu.com.cn/
http://www.eblcu.net
http://www.xmuoec.com/gb/hanyu/
http://oec.xmu.edu.cn/gb/hanyu/
http://www.xmuoec.com/gh/teach/hsk/
http://www.chineetide.com/
http://www.myechinese.org/
http://www.chinesehsk.com/
http://www.hellow-han.com/
http://www.chineseon.net.com
http://202.116.29.86.6600/
http://chinee.chnedu
(6) In Dr Zhang Tao’s presentation, the meaning of a word can be objective, subjective,
general and concrete. The meanings of some words have been changed from the original
source. Some words meanings have been extended, but some have become specific.
Some words consist of different meanings. For example, 走‘zhou’ which means ‘walk’,
has nine meanings, such as ‘leave’, ‘run’, ‘move’, ‘die’, ‘communicate’, ‘leak’, etc. When
we refer to the dictionary, it normally explains the basic meaning which is the most
frequently used meaning and the extended meaning.
(7) Chinese grammar and its teaching strategy
This topic includes language structure and its rules. When a teacher teaches a language
grammar he/she needs to remember that the aim is to enable the learner to be able to
use the rules correctly to express himself/herself. The focus is on application. It is
important for foreign learners to identify the characteristics of Chinese language.
Morphemes, words, phrases and sentences are the grammatical units of which
morpheme is the smallest. A Chinese character normally signifies form, sound and
meaning. The order of placement of Chinese characters will affect the meaning of a
sentence. Difficulties faced by foreign students learning Chinese grammar include
negative transfer of the learner’s mother language, learning social strategies and learning
environment.
(8) There were four hours on modern and contemporary Chinese literature. The modern
Chinese literature ranged from 1917 to 1949 while the contemporary literature is from
1950 onwards.
(9) A few hours were allocated for Chinese arts such as paper-cutting and Chinese folk
dance. Paper-cutting is a picture cut out on a paper using scissors. The picture patterns
are often pasted on the lintels, windows, or lanterns to express the feelings of joy and the
perceptions in life. The art of paper-cutting may be traced back more than a thousand
years ago and is widely popular across China.
Visit to historical and cultural sites in Xiamen
Besides attending classes, we had the opportunity to visit various places. On 29th
November, we went to visit Hulishan Cannon Muzeum, Overseas Chinese Museum
and a big temple Nanputoushi, famous in southern China. On the 2nd of December,
we went to Gulangyu which is famous for its piano museum and also is a place of
music. On the island at the beach facing Xiamen stand a big rock statue of a general
of Ming Dynasty Zheng Chenggong who successfully
drove away the Dutch invaders from Taiwan. On the 8
December we went to visit Wuyi Mountain, the world culture
and natural heritage. Embarking on a bamboo pleasure raft
along the bending stream, one feels that it is a blessing to be
at a full sight of the spectacle and elegance of Wuyi thirty six
peaks and also to touch the soft lustre of bluish green stream
water. Every moment the natural phenomena along the
stream offer a Chinese traditional mountain and water.
Because of its natural environment, Wuyi is famous for its tea
plantations. Tea produced from Wuyi is of very good quality. Practically every shop
selling tea has tea reception for the customers.
The final visit was conducted on the 16th December. We went to the Tan Kah Kee
Commemorate Scenic Spot. It is a national 4A tourist site and is situated at Jimei which
is the hometown of a highly successful and also patriotic overseas Chinese business man,
Tan Kah Kee. He donated practically all his wealth for education in the Fujian Province
by establishing Jimei primary school, Jimei high school and Xiamen University. People in
Xiamen have great respect for him. Later we were taken to visit Quanzhou. Quanzhou
in ancient time was an important harbour to start a silk road by sea. There we visited
Laojun Yan where a stone carved sitting statue of the great philosopher Laozi was
situated. This statue was carved in Sung Dynasty. Daoism followers regard Laozi as their
founder.
Observation of an English language class in a primary
school
The university arranged a half day visit for us to a
primary school near the university called Yanwu
Primary School. The students are mostly the children
of the staff of the university. In China some
kindergarten children start learning English but
generally students start learning English in year one
and the emphasis is on conversation. From year one
to year four each week there are three periods of English and each period is of 40
minutes duration. Year five and six students have 4 periods a week and they start learning
to write at this stage by imitating. The school let us observe two English lessons, one
year three class and one year five class. The year three class was held in a computer lab
which was very well equipped.
The school has decided on a set of English text books and activity books for students to
use for the whole year. Each year two books are used. The year three students used book
5 and book 6 in one year. Besides a text book they have activity books too. The focus of
study is on conversation and reading. The topic of the lesson we observed was ‘family’.
Initially students listen to the reading of a text on the screen and then they read aloud all
together. Based on the text the teacher would ask questions such as “How many people
are there in the family? What are they doing? Are there many animals in the zoo?” Later
the teacher let them do their own reading with an earphone and then they were divided
into group of two to talk about their families. Finally these students were asked to talk
about their families in front of the class. During the lesson grammar was explained in
Mandarin. Students learned the sentences, ‘There is a man.’ ’There are two men’.
The year five class lesson was held in a normal class. The lesson commenced with an
English song. Then a text was explained and questions were asked. The discussion was
on, ‘You should…” and “You shouldn’t….” Then students were divided into groups of
four and talked about should and shouldn’t do. One student was asked to come out in
front of the class and read out what they wrote. English was used in class teaching but
important instructions were given in Chinese. There are topics related to culture such as
“Do they use chopsticks?”, “Easter” and “Halloween”.
A Cultural Tour of Hangzhou and Suzhou
Starting from 18th December we were on a cultural tour of Hangzhou, Suzhou and
Shanghai. Hangzhou and Suzhou have been the cultural cities throughout the long
Chinese history. There is a saying ; “There is heaven above and there are Hangzhou and
Suzhou beneath”. This saying shows that these places have excellent conditions for
pleasure and very comfortable living. In fact, there are plenty of historical and cultural
sites.
Yuewang Temple near the West Lake in Hangzhou was our first visit. Hangzhou was the
capital of Nan Sung Dynasty. This temple is a memorial of Yuefei who is very much
respected by Chinese people for his loyalty and his patriotic effort to protect the nation
from being invaded by the northern enemy Jin. Besides historical sites in Hangzhou,
there are many love stories happening around the West Lake. A love story is related to
the Leifeng Pavilion. It was said that a white snake transformed into a beautiful lady and
she met a young man at the West Lake. They fell in love and married. However, their
happy days were spoilt by the discovery of her secret by the husband. He finally hid
himself in a temple. She was captured by a powerful monk in that temple and was kept a
prisoner in the Leifeng Pavilion. Years later her son destroyed the pavilion in order to set
her free.
Lingyin located in the northwest of the Westlake, is known as the “Buddhist Kingdom in
the Southeast of China”. It has pretty hills, clear springs and streams as well as beautiful
green trees, many historic relics and caves. We visited Lingyin Temple, the oldest temple
in Hangzhou is located in this natural scenic area. The temple was first built in 326(AD)
by the eminent Indian monk Hui Li. With its imposing and magnificent architectural
structures, the temple has remained one of the ten largest Zen Buddhist temples in
China. We visited also the nearby hill known as Lingyin Feilaifeng on which there are
many statues of Buddha of
carved on stones or rocks.
On the 19th of December we went to Huanglung Tung - the Yellow Dragon Cave
garden. This garden features the harmonious layout of streams, caves, pavilions and
rockeries with trees and bamboos growing around. It also has a special section for more
than ten species of bamboo such as square bamboos and purple bamboos. Besides being
a natural attraction, the garden is characterized by the cultural theme 缘(yuan) embodying
congeniality, marriage fates, marital felicity, and auspiciousness. Every day traditional
local operas are staged in the open-air theatre. Typical folk music, locally known as the
string and bamboo music is performed in the Folk Music Pavilion. There we observe
various activities related to religion and cultures. At night we went to a street called
清河坊Qinghefang. Along the street, the shops are all modelled after the shops built
during Ming and Qing dynasties. There are many Chinese arts and crafts shops among
them.
On the way to Suzhou we went to Wuzheng first in order to observe the life of a small
town that does not change much with the passage of time. In that small town we visited
the old house of a very famous scholar Mao Dun, Mao Dun is a modern Chinese culture
trailblazer and the great revolutionary writer in China. We also visited various small
museums such as a museum displaying wooden sculptures, and a museum displaying
beds used by Chinese in the past. We passed a disused liquor shop and a small dye
factory.
Suzhou is a city well known for its classical Chinese gardens. Suzhou gardens, with the
openness of water and trees, give the picturesque expression of traditional Chinese
painting and poetry because they epitomize the spirit and beauty of mountains and
waters and absorb the south of the Yangtse River scenery with poetic appeal. We visited
two such gardens. The first one is called the Lion Forest Garden. It is the only garden to
have survived from the end of the Yuan Dynasty to the present day. It is noted for its
labyrinthine man-made limestone hills with winding pathways and caverns as well as
pavilions, terraces and pagodas. In the year 2000 it was inscribed on the World Heritage
List by UNESCO. Adjacent to the Lion Forest Garden is the biggest classical garden of
Suzhou called the Humble Administrator’s Garden. It was built during the Ming Dynasty
(1509 AD) with a history of nearly 500 years and is noted for its classical elegance and
extensive perspectives.
Significant learning
I have had the opportunity to attend courses that refresh my knowledge of Chinese
language and also strategies of teaching relevant to my classroom practice. Most of the
courses presented during the three weeks helped to upgrade my knowledge of
contemporary Chinese language. There was a two hour of paper cutting course which
explained the history and role of this craft in China. We were given hand on experience.
The sites arranged for visit are mostly historical and cultural. They are superb for our
objectives. Through these trips, I have the opportunity to visit those sites
commemorating historical great people and to visit sites relevant to Chinese traditions
and cultures. I had the opportunity to observe Chinese culture through daily life and also
to admire and appreciate some Chinese arts and crafts in more depth. During this period
I took snapshots which have some bearings on history and culture as well as snapshots
which show the beauty and uniqueness of the scenery.
We had a half day at a primary school to observe two English lessons. I have noticed
there is an element of culture in the text books used. For example, there is a section of
ask and answer activity which feature sentences like ‘Do you use chopsticks in England ?’
‘We use a knife and fork.’ In a text book for year 5 students, there are sections on
Halloween and Easter. The visit may have fulfilled one focus of my study tour, that is, to
observe the teaching and learning of English in classes in China, yet I did not have the
chance to observe how students learn language and culture in their Chinese language
classes. If we had been given more time to visit schools, then I might have been able to
understand more fully how students learn languages in China.
Conclusion
On the whole the study tour was satisfactory. As a result of this tour, I have prepared a
resource of snapshots of glimpses of Chinese culture. I fervently hope that it will be of
some use to the learning and teaching of Chinese in schools.