Alice Zhao is teaching Xiaohu how to paint rat.
Xiaohu, which in Chinese means little tiger, is an American boy, whose original name is Durante Huq. Dressed in a traditional Chinese costume, and wearing a traditional Chinese hat with a thin, long pig tail behind, the boy finished his art work quickly. Ms. Zhao was astonished by his work and showed it to the other children.
"These children are smart and zealous; they want to learn about Chinese culture. Sometimes I am amazed by them, inspired by them and even moved by them," Ms. Zhao said. "I find that kids are often more interested in brush paintings than others and they draw according to their own imagination without restrictions and limitations."
This dual language program has enrolled more than 60 students and offers 6 classes of basic study revolving around Chinese calligraphy and brush painting. Ms. Zhao has designed different classes for the different grade levels. For example, during the Chinese Spring Festival, she taught the senior grades how to write Chinese couplets and the junior classes how to draw rats.
"I designed five calligraphy lessons and one painting lesson for the seniors and three calligraphy lessons and three painting lessons for the juniors," Zhao said.
"Children not only learn calligraphy and Chinese traditional brush techniques from these lectures, but also they gain knowledge about Chinese culture. I have a section in my class on culture that aims at giving these children background information about Chinese culture. This class is designed to highlight some of the best aspects from the thousands of years of Chinese culture. On the other hand this class also inspires the children’s interest in studying Chinese. Children also learn how to write Chinese poems with a Chinese brush, which is a good way to reinforce what they’ve learned in my Chinese literature class," Deborah Liu explained.
Alice Zhao said that the Asian-Pacific Studies Institute of Duke University introduced her to several elementary schools. To date, she has trained thousands of children in North Carolina. She said that calligraphy and brush painting is one of China’s national treasures that are attracting more and more Americans.
Ms. Zhao said that she doesn't expect children become calligraphers or painters after such a short period of training, but she really sees the passion for Chinese culture in these children’s hearts. She teaches them basic calligraphy and brush painting – for example, the eight basic strokes of Chinese calligraphy, so at least they know what’s calligraphy is. "If they are interested in calligraphy and painting, they can further their studies in the future," she added.
Deborah Liu has taught Chinese for more than 6 years in the US. She said more and more Americans want to learn Chinese. The Mandarin-English Dual Language Program at Glenwood Elementary, supported by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, is one of the first in the state of North Carolina. The program began in the fall of 2002, with a class of 22 kindergartners, 11 native English speakers and 11 native Mandarin speakers. Those initial kindergartners are now in the fifth grade. After they graduate from elementary school, the program will expand to middle schools.
