By Andy Chio
The students from Chinese 4 created a set of artwork to welcome President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to America on January 19th. Their teacher, Ms. Chang, mailed the artwork to the Asia Society, where it will be displayed along with art from fellow schools within the Confucius Classrooms Network.
Christian Flores wrote an essay to accompany the art:
Dear Hu Jintao,
Welcome to the United States of America! As a very well respected political figure of China, we want to recognize the significance of your presence in this country. For the past few years, tensions between China and the U.S. have grown, but it is never too late to loosen up and compromise on opposing policies and views. We hope that you enjoy your stay in the U.S. and leave with settlements over issues concerning both of the countries. Respectively, I would love for the U.S. to learn from China and vice-versa. Learning Chinese in the East-West School of International Studies has exposed many of our current students to new ideas, culture, and further exploration of what China and other Mandarin Chinese language speaking countries have to offer. We are glad to have an opportunity to be exposed to Mandarin as a second or third language, which brings cultural attachment to different ways of life, more than anything.
In addition to learning Chinese culture and language, our students are also made aware of the real world situations. We do not live in a perfect world, especially at a time like this, but we can work together to preserve peace and promote a healthier Earth for all our fellow humans. John F. Kennedy, one of America's most loved presidents, said: "But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings." For taking the first few steps towards better relations between the U.S. and China, we thank you, President Hu Jintao.
Sincerely,
Christian Flores & Andy Chio
Class of Chinese 4 at East-West School of International Studies
More images under the cut.
Dear Hu Jintao,
Welcome to the United States of America! As a very well respected political figure of China, we want to recognize the significance of your presence in this country. For the past few years, tensions between China and the U.S. have grown, but it is never too late to loosen up and compromise on opposing policies and views. We hope that you enjoy your stay in the U.S. and leave with settlements over issues concerning both of the countries. Respectively, I would love for the U.S. to learn from China and vice-versa. Learning Chinese in the East-West School of International Studies has exposed many of our current students to new ideas, culture, and further exploration of what China and other Mandarin Chinese language speaking countries have to offer. We are glad to have an opportunity to be exposed to Mandarin as a second or third language, which brings cultural attachment to different ways of life, more than anything.
In addition to learning Chinese culture and language, our students are also made aware of the real world situations. We do not live in a perfect world, especially at a time like this, but we can work together to preserve peace and promote a healthier Earth for all our fellow humans. John F. Kennedy, one of America's most loved presidents, said: "But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings." For taking the first few steps towards better relations between the U.S. and China, we thank you, President Hu Jintao.
Sincerely,
Christian Flores & Andy Chio
Class of Chinese 4 at East-West School of International Studies