Highlights 1999

Chinese Art Exhibition

The China Institute sponsored an art exhibition  featuring 35 watercolor/ink paintings of a prominent Chinese artist , Mr. Hu Nan-Kai, from Guangzhou Academy of Painting in People's Republic of China.

The exhibition was held September 1-15, 1999  at CSUN's North Gallery. It was a well attended and favorably received success.  Many art classes from CSUN as well as quests from nearby communities visited the exhibition.  The China Institute used part of its Asian American Art Fund and sponsored a simple yet elegant  opening reception serving Chinese dim-sum refreshments and Long-jing green tea.  The audience enjoyed the touch of Chinese culinary art as well as the unique styles and exquisite detail in the visual art of Mr. Hu Nan-Kai.  The many architectural drawings as well as the studies of individual figures appealed to our broad audiences.

As always, there were hard work done and great efforts made behind every event.  The success of this exhibition could not have been made without the support of  Louise Lewis, the director of CSUN Art Galleries as well as an active  member of the China Institute  Executive Board; the long and arduous planning/preparation by the guest curator of the exhibition, Angela Lew; the generous selfless on-site assistance of  Kwang-nan Chow, one of CI's former director; and last but not least, the CI Director Justine Su's special effort on escorting the guest of honor, Deputy General Consul Xu Shiguo of the Consolate General of The People's Republic of China in Los Angeles.

     Requested by many members of CSUN Art Council, Louise Lewis and Angela Lew will lead an art tour to China May 24th through June 10th this year.  Several well established Chinese artists have approached Angela for possible art exhibitions at CSUN, so we can look forward to a few more exciting shows in the years to come.(Angela Lew)

Friends from Afar

     Since February 1999, our group of Chinese visiting scholars has been on the CSUN campus.  We came to this beautiful and culturally diverse university under the “Trans-Century Leadership Training program” sponsored by the Guangzhou Municipal Government, China. This program is organized jointly by the China Institute and the Center for Partnerships for educational Reform in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

The objective of this program is to train future leaders for Guangzhou government through the acquisition of English language proficiency and skills, and hands-on knowledge of the management practices in the United States, both in the public and private sectors.  The scholars, most of whom already had acquired the masters or doctorate degree in the universities of China, are selected from various government departments or other organizations in the public sector based on the excellent quality of their work performance in their respective fields, and the great potential for career development they represent. To maximize our one-year stay here, half of the visiting scholars have taken the Master of Public Administration classes offered by the College of Extended Learning, which has been a pioneer in providing first class administration programs for employees in the public sector in Los Angeles.  Others scholars have concentrated on doing research with great support from their university faculty mentors.

 Until now, thanks to the generous support and assistance from university authorities, particularly the China Institute which has served as a bridge in closing the gap between both sides of the Pacific, our study and research here have proceeded steadily and successfully. We have been provided with an ideal living and studying conditions. The MPA office, which has worked extremely hard to make our study a rewarding one, the housing authority, the international program, and other departments concerned, have all contributed to our successes here.  We would like to take this opportunity to express our heart-felt gratitude to all the administrators, faculty and staff, and departments that have

rendered gracious help to us. We hope the new millennium will usher further cooperation between CSUN and City of Guangzhou and promote friendship between our two peoples. (Visiting scholars from Guangzhou, China)

CSUN Graduate Student at the Beijing Film Academy

During these several months in Beijing, I have witnessed events on a grand scale, made fascinating discoveries, and faced significant challenges. At the end of my first month here, the People's Republic of China commemorated its 50th Anniversary, at Tiananmen Square.  And just this week, China celebrated Portugal's handover of Macao.  As Beijing prepares to ring in the year 2000 (and for its coldest winter in thirteen years!), the central portion of the city has a completely new face - new buildings, newly refurbished streets and public spaces, and a sparkling shopping district, Wangfujing, which could just as easily be a section of New York City or Tokyo.  At the Beijing Film Academy, I have come across native film makers who are trying to make independent works which reflect their particular take on the world, as their counterparts in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and elsewhere have done.  At the same time, I have struggled with the language, Mandarin. Because of my fluency in Japanese, however, there is some cross over between languages benefiting my work. In my life from day to day, as I come to know the language better, I find also that my status as a foreigner is remarked upon regularly by people here most places I go. 

     It has been a uniquely wonderful opportunity during my time here as senior visiting scholar at the Beijing Film Academy to work with Xie Fei, director of the award-winning films WOMEN FROM THE LAKE OF SCENTED SOULS  and A MONGOLIAN TALE. He is best known for A GIRL FROM HUNAN. Xie's work is renowned in Asia but still to be properly valued in the West.  In my own efforts to prepare a script for a dramatic film, the political status of China presents a new challenge, as the inclusion of certain subject matter, particularly recent Chinese history, can cause a project to be substantially revised or not given approval.  Currently I am working on comedies set in Beijing to tell stories of how human-kind has changed and the universal effects of change on the Chinese as well. Also, my long experience in film production and story and script development in New York City and Los Angeles has enabled me to pass along many ways of implementing a project, from an American view, to film makers here from many places - Canada, Italy, Taiwan, and Australia among these.  I look forward to further such collaborations in the coming months, particularly with film makers from China.

     For their continued support of my adventure in China, many thanks to Professor Justine Su, Director of the China Institute, Mr. Husheng Han, Visiting China Scholar at CSUN, Department Chair Dr. Judith Marlane and Professor Lili Berko of the Department of Radio, Television, and Film at CSUN, and John Charles of the CSUN Office of International Programs.(Angus E. McNelis, CSUN scholarship student in Beijing)

Research Collaborations in China

     Professor Mingfang Li of Department of Management visited several universities in China during Fall 1999. The main purpose of this trip was 

to develop research collaborations with colleagues in China.During this trip Professor Li visited a number of companies and high tech centers in Guangdong, offered seminars at School of Management at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Institute of Public Administration, Economic Management Institute at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, International Business School at Hohai University, and Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, and actively discussed collaborative opportunities with colleagues at Zhejiang University. Professor Li's seminars covered topics ranging from strategic management, diversification strategy, global management, and future research directions in strategic management.

Special Projects

·         “TransCentury Leadership Training Program,” for Guangzhou Government, 1999.

·         “Education Executive Training Program,” for the World Bank Loan Office, Chinese State Education Commission, 1999.

·         Initial development of joint MBA program between CSUN’s College of Business Administration and Nanjing University of Science and Technology

·         Initial development of joint Master of Arts Program between CSUN’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Shanghai Teachers University and Guangzhou Teachers University. 

Study on Drug Abuse and Control in China:

     With support from the Faculty Development Grant from the China Institute and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Victor N. Shaw conducted his fieldwork on drug abuse and control in China in August, 1999. He interviewed some drug users, drug dealers, and their family members in Yunnan Province. He also met with scholars, professionals, and officials in drug abuse research, treatment, and control in Beijing, Wuhan, Kunming, and Shanghai.  (Victor Shaw)