1. 清华大学 | Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies ( 清华 IUP 中文中心)
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IUPeople
Volume 2, Issue 4 February 2009
The American Institute in Taiwan’s training
Letter from the Director
program for diplomats has already uploaded core
vocabulary lessons (2700 Chinese characters, I think)
that you can work with before you/we start uploading
Welcome again to our
our material.
new spring students! I
hope all of us can make
Kro’s Nest! I recently ate at Kro’s Nest (乌巢) and
you feel at home as
discovered that their original store on Yiheyuan lu
quickly as possible! I
north of Beijing University’s West gate has added a
have a mixed bag of
huge second floor, greatly expanding their space. It’s
things to report to you
still probably the best pizza in Beijing, so it’s big
all.
enough for us to have large IUP events there.
iKnow online language
Drama: Another thing I would like to emphasize
learning platform:
more is theater in Beijing, one of the liveliest aspects
We had a talk by Ken
of the city’s cultural life. I recently visited the box
Young of iKnow.com
(soon to be office at the Capital Theater (首都剧场), and got
SmartFM.com), which in flyers for their following upcoming plays: 《幸福像
Charles Laughlin, Director his words is a
草儿一样》，《操场》，《开心喜宴》，and
“Wikipedia-like” online
《办公室有鬼第二季：谈谈情，跳跳槽》. They
platform of user generated and mutually-enhanced
are also showing soon《鹿鼎记》and 《明朝那些
language learning resources for as many languages as
users. This could be useful to IUP students and 事》. I’ll post the flyers on the white board in
alumni in a number of ways. First of all, they have a Wenbei lou.
sophisticated online application that allows users to
build their foreign-language vocabulary from curricula Books: Students remaining from the fall were
that are already online, or that users upload oriented to how to use the Tsinghua library and we’ll
themselves. We can provide the company with soon be doing a refresher for the new students. In
vocabulary lists from IUP textbook lessons, thereby addition, we have a rudimentary and at present
collectively creating an IUP vocabulary database that disorganized collection of material in our own reading
would be available to everyone for free. room. Most of the good books (the ones locked in the
The application also works like flashcard glass cabinets) were catalogued some time ago and can
software, but it’s based on learning science theory that be borrowed with Jia laoshi’s help. I have also
maximizes the efficiency of vocabulary acquisition and purchased a number of additional books about Chinese
tracks how well you know each word over time. I culture and society that are sitting in my office
think it will help you retain vocabulary better, waiting to be catalogued; interested students may
because you can keep using it long after you leave IUP, come have a look and borrow volumes on an informal
and you can determine the words you need to know basis. We have also subscribed to The China Quarterly
most over time. I invite you to go to iKnow.co.jp and and Foreign Affairs, two of the most influential
set up an account. In the meantime we will think of publications that cover U.S.-China relations.
guidelines and ways to standardize our contributions, The Beijing Center (TBC) in the International
as well as to maintain an IUP community at iKnow. University of Business and Economics has at about

2. the Museum of Modern Chinese Literature north of the
17,000 volumes the second-largest collection of
university campus across Wenxueguan lu. In addition to
English-language books on China, second only to the
museum displays about modern Chinese writers, they have
Hopkins-Nanjing Center. You can get a borrowing
a research library and a photo archive. They also run lecture
card there for a reasonable fee and borrow several
programs in their auditorium.
books at a time for up to a month. It’s about a 10-15
minute walk east and slightly north of the Huixin IUP Google Map: Our Google Map is now open to
xijie nankou exit of the No. 10 subway line, not far everyone to edit. Students and alums are welcome to
from the university’s east gate. If you’re coming from contribute; go to Google Maps and search for IUP
the south, the No. 13 line’s Shaoyaoju exit is a little Tsinghua: Essential Venues. I have added placemarks for
closer. While you’re in the neighborhood, check out Kro’s Nest, The Beijing Center, and Capital Theater.
一个很酷的中年男人，当余理胜大声招呼“小妹，
加水”时，他拿着水壶出现了，说：“小妹？没
有！”然后他看着我：“她一看就是志愿者。”我
不知道这算不算误会，不过高兴地默认了。
当天住在汶川，通化乡没有旅馆。
第二天一早余理胜开着他的小面包车，拉着我
和东西去通化。而下午我必须赶回汶川坐回成都的
汽车，否则就要等两天之后的另外一个双号。学校
已经放假，我不能按原先的预想把衣服集中地给某
汶川
个学校的孩子们。结果就是我只有半天的时间，去
李耘, IUP 老师
一些余理胜了解情况的人家。
印象最深的是我们拜访的第一户。他们住在相
圣诞节以后，我仍然没有找到理想的渠道，把
当偏僻的地方，附近一共只有三户人家，我相信春
老师同学的捐款以最有效的方式送到灾区。一些老
天来临以后，那个山谷一定是一个美丽幽静的世外
师建议我直接跟地震当地联系，而不必通过中间环
桃源。不过要在那里养活一家四口可不容易，更糟
节，以减少损耗。好在我跟黎静联系上了，她曾经
糕的是地震毁掉
在 IUP 工作，而且她的老家就在地震发生的地区。
了他们的房子，
通过她，我认识了余理胜，她的高中同学，现在在
他们住在一个塑
理县的通化乡政府工作。通化乡行政上属于理县管
料布搭成的棚子
辖，实际上离汶川更近。
中，我进去的时
于是我决定趁寒假去汶川和通化。
候，两个孩子正
成都到汶川的长途汽车单号发车，双号则从汶
在烤火。四口人
川发车往成都。21 号，我坐上了成都开往汶川的
是爸爸妈妈和两
车。三个小时的车程，汽车经过都江堰、紫坪铺、
个女儿，妈妈的
映秀、漩口、绵篪，最后到达汶川。这些地名在去
腿有残疾，姐姐
Photo: Li Yun
年五月以前大都默默无闻，连我这个四川人也知之
从小身体就不
甚少，那以后却在很长时间内成为新闻的焦点。
好，全家人都喜
虽然到处都是有裂缝的楼房——有的仍在使用
欢微笑。我们留
中——和中国其他地方一样，汶川县城处在春节来
下一些衣服和药，给他们，也请他们给附近的邻
临的快乐气氛中，腊肉、灯笼、年画、鞭炮礼
居。还给了小姑娘一点压岁钱。
花……人们在储备年货。我也开始买东西，小摊上
离开汶川的时候还剩下一些东西，只好请余理
的衣服比商店的更便宜，小孩的冬衣只要四十元一
胜代为转送。我们把钱变成东西送到了当地，没有
件。药店的老板娘很实在，告诉我哪些药更常用和
中间环节的损耗。但是我怀疑自己是否找到了帮助
实用，“老百姓都买这个”。然后我拖着一个半人
他们的最好方式。怎么让大家的善心有最有好的效
高的装满衣服的口袋，拎着两塑料袋药品，到茶馆
果？我仍然在寻找答案。也常常想起那一家四口
喝茶，等余理胜下班以后来和我见面。茶馆老板是
人，他们的平静和美丽。我们还可以做什么？

3. Beijing on New Year’s Eve
by Jillian Schultz
Ditan Temple Festival: One of the busiest and long standing IUPers Justin Knapp, Sarah Burnham, Alex Wald, Jillian
temple festivals in Beijing during the Lunar New Years Schultz, Dan Alderman, and Jared Glanzberger and friends
preparing to set off a cornucopia of fireworks after a jiaozi
feast on New Years Eve
Fans and lanterns everywhere at the colorful & crowded Ditan The streets of Wudaokou were ablaze on New Years Eve
Temple fair
Mark Your Calendars
Lecture Series 1: “Doing Business in China” Jim Lecture Series 2: Zhai Xiaobo is a lecturer on
McGregor, previously CEO of Dow Jones & Company constitutional law at the Beijing University Law
in China and bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal School. Dr. Zhai’s main interests are in the areas of
in China and Taiwan will talk on February 26, 2:30, legal theory and democracy. Come listen to him share
Wenbeilou, Rm. 707 his insights on March 12, 2:20, Wenbeilou, Rm. 707
The IUPeople Newsletter is published monthly by the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies. Wen Bei Lou, 502, Tsinghua
University, Beijing, China 100084. Visit us at http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup. Editor-in-chief: Charles Laughlin, Managing Editor: Vivian Li

4. Taiwan Familiarization Program Taipei is a wonderful city to visit and a nice
change of pace from Beijing. It is warm, open, and
by Michael Jacobson
much smaller – anyone who has lived in Beijing for a
Previous to my experience at Taiwan’s period of time will find Taipei very easy to navigate.
National Chengchi University, I had never been to Prices in Taiwan are not significantly higher than in
Beijing – this surprised me. Excellent food can be had
Taiwan. If not for the Taiwan Familiarization
at a relatively low price, especially around the
Program,* I would never have had a chance to visit
university areas.
this beautiful and diverse part of Asia. I am extremely
grateful to all those who made it possible, particularly While our trip to the coastal city of Hualian
Alison Ho from NCCU who organized all our and Toroko Gorge easily eclipses all other sightseeing
I did while in Taiwan, I personally felt going to the
activities and some of our meetings. It is an excellent
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was one of the best
opportunity for anyone studying Chinese, but
things I did. I was lucky enough to have a Taiwanese
particularly for those who might not have another way
of visiting Taiwan. friend accompany me, and we discussed how the
Memorial Hall has been, in recent years, a focal point
Photo: Carol Liu
for political conflicts on what, precisely, the ‘official’
legacy of Chiang Kai-Shek should be. With the KMT
decisively sweeping the last round of elections, the
Hall had been stripped of democracy and freedom
themed displays erected by the Chen Shui-Bian
government that many people found offensive.
However, it served to illustrate that many Taiwanese
remain resentful or outright hostile towards the KMT,
which ruled with an iron fist for many decades
following the flight from the mainland.
Photo: Carol Liu
IUPers Eleanor Hyun, Joe Narus, Lila Buckley, Carol Liu,
and Michael Jacobson on one of their excursions in Taiwan
I found the arranged seminars on Taiwanese
history and culture to be helpful, particularly those
focusing on uniquely Taiwanese topics such as
minority culture and the divide between ‘blue’ and
‘green’ parties in Taiwanese politics. These seminars
were presented on the first day of the program to all
five of us together and included a lunch where we
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Square at night
could meet with some NCCU students.
While I only met with one professor for
In summary, Taiwan is a wonderful
individual research, it was a very productive meeting.
destination for both study and travel. It truly is a
We discussed a number of topics regarding security
beautiful and pleasant island, and I was struck by the
studies and future possibilities for research. I found
hospitality and kindness shown me by all the people I
our discussion stimulating and remarkably open.
met with. NCCU has some good academic resources of
There is a marked contrast between Taiwan and
its own, but I would urge students to go and seek
Mainland China in the willingness of individuals to
their own outside the university walls to make the
discuss controversial issues.
most of their experience.
I admit to being somewhat disappointed in
not being able to secure more relevant contacts during
my visit. I believe my difficulties in meeting with
*For the past few years IUP has participated in the Taiwan
more than a single specialist stem mainly from my
Familiarization Program, where a group of five IUP
academic focus on security studies and military topics.
students visit Taiwan for a week and make professional and
I strong recommend a healthy dose of individual
academic contacts. Recently a group went in mid-January.
initiative when making contacts and arranging
This article has been excerpted for the newsletter.
meetings.

5. Travelogue For all of its turmoiled history, it is the continuity of
time that is the focus of the Taiwanese Spring Festival.
Chunjie in Taiwan: “Chunjie is about remembering where you come
a New Year, Old Traditions from,” explained my host, Professor Wang of the
National Chengchi University, as we made the six-
by Lila Buckley
hour drive from her apartment in Taipei to her family
home in the mountains of central Taiwan. She had
January 30, 2009. I woke before dawn this morning, met me only days earlier, but generously invited me to
spend the holiday with her and her family. “During
my final day in Taiwan and the third day of the Lunar
the New Year, you return to your roots, spend time
New Year. I find myself in rural central Taiwan,
with your family, and honor your ancestors,” she
adopted by a family that was completely unknown to
continued.
me just two weeks ago. Through the darkness I can
make out only the outline of the rice fields that
While I had read
surround the Wang family home.
Photo: Lila Buckley
about “ancestor
worship” ever since
Photo: Lila Buckley
I started studying
Chinese nearly a
decade ago, the
concept has truly
come alive—so to
speak—for me this
year. Every
household in this
village has an altar
naming each of the
family members
who have passed
away. In addition,
Lila having lunch with the Wang family
there is a village
altar with the
Four generations sleep below me as a rooster’s call
names of the
pierces through the night. My mind is filled with
village ancestors.
moments of the last several days with the Wang Ping-yi, Professor Wang’s niece,
Each of these
learning to communicate with her
family: The joy of family reuniting, the anticipation
ancestors is
ancestors
of a new year ahead, the rituals of red envelopes and
honored with
ancestor worship, and the foods—so many, delicious,
incense and elaborate meals (according to their
home-made foods whose recipes have been passed from
individual preferences) and joss paper offering
stove to stove through generations. In Taiwan, I am
multiple times per day throughout the two weeks of
coming to understand, the New Year is a time of new
the New Year. It is also possible to talk with the
beginnings that holds strong ties with the past.
ancestors. One of the first questions posed upon my
arrival to the house, for example, was “Are you happy
Photo: Lila Buckley
that we have an American guest this year?”
Thankfully, the answer was yes.
As I board the plane tomorrow and the incense fades
from my clothing into memory, it is this exuberant
celebration and sense of deep cultural roots that will
form my lasting impression of Taiwan.
View more photos of Lila's week with the Wang family at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/buckleylila/WangFamilyNewYe
ar2009?feat=directlink
Professor Wang offering liqueur to the ancestors