2014 National Chinese Language Conference

Building Capacity, Coast to Coast

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd dispelled myths about China.

Students of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts performed in Chinese.

David Coleman, President, the College Board; Josette Sheeran, President and CEO, Asia Society; Xu Lin, Chief Executive, Confucius Institute Headquarters and Director-General of Hanban; Clayton Dube, Executive Director, USC U.S.–China Institute.

The singing, songwriting, Mandarin-speaking, claw-hammer-banjo playing Abigail Washburn regaled the audience with her music and storytelling.

Kwok-Yin (K.Y.) Cheng, Executive Vice President and Director for International Trade Banking, East West Bank; Del Christensen, Chief of Global Business Development, Bay Area Council; Qingyun Ma, Dean of USC School of Architecture; Peter Shiao, media entrepreneur and film producer.

Tony Jackson, Vice President for Education and Leadership, Asia Society.

Jonathan Landreth, ChinaFile Managing Editor, Asia Society; Janet Yang, entertainment and media consultant and film producer; Kenneth Lin, screenwriter and playwright.

Middle school students danced and sang songs in Chinese.

Jonathan Stalling, University of Oklahoma; Sylvia Li-chun Lin, writer and translator; Howard Goldblatt, writer and translator.

Carola McGiffert, President, 100,000 Strong.

John R. Thornton, Harvard University; Jessica Beinecke, Crazy Fresh Chinese; Philmon Haile, University of Washington; Zachary Marin, Arizona State University.

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Asia Society and the College Board were very proud to present the seventh annual National Chinese Language Conference May 8–10, 2014. NCLC14 welcomed more than 1,200 educators and policymakers in Los Angeles; featured 200+ speakers in 70+ breakout sessions; extended workshops on critical areas like immersion and partnerships; and targeted visits to innovative language programs at five schools in the L.A. area, thanks to participating schools and the Confucius Institute at UCLA.

This year’s plenary sessions kicked off with a keynote from Australia's former prime minister Kevin Rudd, a mesmerizing performance by Abigail Washburn, and throughout the three days featured students from elementary school to recent university graduates, with a focus on Chinese in the performing arts and a variety of immersive experiences in China. (Photos by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging – see full set here.)

Video Highlights

Education

The History of the Banjo (Excerpt)

Abigail Washburn puts the history of the banjo in America to song at Asia Society's seventh annual National Chinese Language Conference.

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Education

/ New York

The People-to-People Exchange Experience

Dynamic American youth speak about their variety of immersive educational experiences in China.

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Education

China on Screen: (Mis)Perceptions, Large and Small

Jonathan Landreth, Kenneth Lin, and Janet Yang discuss how filmed entertainment can be a tool for cross-cultural understanding.

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Education

/ New York

The Art of Bringing Chinese Literature to the World

Panelists at Asia Society's 2014 National Chinese Language Conference discuss the challenges of recreating an unfamiliar culture in English.

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Education

/ New York

Building U.S.-China Relations with a Banjo

Abigail Washburn sings and strums her way through a multimedia presentation of her musical collaborations with China and her love for American and Chinese folk music traditions.

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Education

China and California: A Blueprint for Sino-American Partnership

Panelists representing California business, academia, art, and policy have a lively conversation about their roles in strengthening the fabric of U.S.–China relations.

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