The New York Times reported in January on the rise of Chinese-language instruction in American public schools and universities – something Mei Hua Tong Xue Hui has known for quite awhile.
While trends in American interest in learning new languages ebb and flow (Vietnamese in the ’60s, Russian during the Cold War and Arabic post-9/11), Chinese might be the one to last.
Mei Hua Tong Xue Hui, or the American-Chinese Student Association in English, is a student organization determined to help Eastern Michigan University students learn Chinese.
“China is on the rise and becoming the largest economy in the world,” ACSA President James Edwards said in a recent interview.
“I think we will see more and more students getting involved and learning Mandarin … I believe it is crucial for us to be able to communicate in Chinese so we can prosper and learn from each other.”
The ACSA is another way for students to immerse themselves into Chinese language and activities so they can practice and learn.
Though it is designed to be supplemental to Chinese language courses, ACSA does not require students to become a member.
This is for students to learn more about China and what Chinese culture has to offer and everyone is welcome, Edwards said.
“Most people are pretty shocked when they learn you can read, write and speak in Chinese,” Edwards said.
“We have all been communicating with each other all of our lives; this is simply another way to do so.”
Learning about China is vital in America, even when politics and national finances are set aside.
According the CIA’s World Population Count, China corners approximately 20 percent of the global population.
To put that in perspective, approximately one in five people is Chinese, and that number is rising.
The ACSA began with Zhou Lao Shi (literal translation is “teacher Zhou”) when she started teaching the course in the fall of 2007.
She is the adviser to Mei Hua Tong Xue Hui and is deeply involved in the local Chinese community, Edwards said.
Since the beginning of the ACSA there have been multiple Chinese films nights, several study groups organized, trips to authentic Chinese grocers and restaurants and full participation in the 2010 Chinese week.
The group’s pinnacle was hosting the first Chinese Festival Gala at EMU this month.
The ACSA is still busy with a new event coming in March entitled “The Colors of Harmony.”
The ACSA also plans to go to another Chinese restaurant together soon and hold a community event in April.
Students who are interested in joining the ACSA or who have questions may visit the group’s informational page. It can be found at www.emustudentorgs.com (search “the American-Chinese Student Association”).
They can also visit The Ann Arbor Chinese Language and Culture Meet-up Group at http://chinese.meetup.com/415.
