Situated Language Learning: 2021 Summer Staff Chinese Shenzhen Museum Trip

The 2021 Summer Shenzhen Museum Trip organized by the Center for Language Education (CLE) was successfully completed on July 13th. The trip acts as an important conclusion for our Staff Chinese Summer Program after three weeks of intensive Chinese language learning. Our students in the course, a group of SUSTech international staff, visited the Shenzhen Museum of History and Folk Culture and Shenzhen Museum of Ancient Art. The visit offered an opportunity to explore Chinese history and culture and to practice new language structures, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions in an immersive experience that touched on multiple aspects of Shenzhen’s local history. The group was organized and led by CLE Chinese program coordinator, Wenhui Zhu.

Inside the Shenzhen Museum of History and Folk Culture, the group visited four exhibitions: Ancient Shenzhen, Modern Shenzhen, “Shenzhen’s Reform and Opening Up History,” and Shenzhen Folk Culture. The collections displayed in these exhibitions touched on various aspects of Shenzhen city history and folk culture. In the Shenzhen Museum of Ancient Art, three collections impressed the international staff, including, “Collection of Painting and Calligraphy”, “Ancient Bronze Exhibition”, and “Ancient Ceramic Exhibition”. From 4,500-year-old pottery to Buddhist relics, this rich cultural heritage reflects the multiple connections, exchanges and encounters that have enriched the history of Shenzhen ad Guangdong throughout the centuries. During the visit, the international staff were attracted by the multiple facets of Shenzhen history and development, displayed in the rich collection of artworks, archaeological reports, paintings, and daily life objects.

The visit to the museums provides a direct sense of the long history of China, the great achievements and the continuous connections through trade and exchange of ideas between the east and west. This full day venture gives the class a great opportunity not only to practice Chinese language in context, but also to explore the history of the city and communities that extend their knowledge of Chinese culture. Situated learning extends their book-learning of Chinese language, broadens their understanding on China, and serves as a bridge for them to communicate and enjoy their lives in China.

Congratulations to our international staff for their successful complete of the Chinese program this semester! The Center for Language Education is committed to serving language learning needs of the SUSTech community and will continue to facilitate the cultural exploration of the international staff.

News provided by Dr. Wenhui Zhu, Center for Language Education