The Zhejiang Butterfly Performing Troupe
The troupe is made up of 11 musicians, 7 dancers, 2 acrobats and 1 *Kun Opera actress, who are the principle performers of Zhejiang Provincial Singing and Dancing Theater. In Valpo they will present programs featuring traditional Chinese instrumental and vocal music, folk dance, acrobatics and excerpts from one of the most famous Chinese classic opera, The Peony Pavilion. All the artists have toured extensively in and outside China and performed at many world class venues such as the Golden Hall of Vienne Opera House.
Zhejiang is a province located to the south of Shanghai and is one of the most prosperous provinces of China. It became Indiana’s sister province in 1989 and is now an important trading partner of Indiana. As artistic ambassadors from Zhejiang to Indiana, the Butterfly Performing Troupe will not only bring beautiful Chinese music and dance, but also further strengthen the flourishing cultural and economical ties between the sister province and state.
*Kun Opera is a local opera from Zhejiang Province, which is the predecessor of Beijing Opera and acknowledged by UN as Human Cultural Heritage). |
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Confucius Institutes in the United States
Confucius Institutes are non-profit public institutes with the goal of promoting a friendly relationship with other countries and enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture among world Chinese learners as well as providing good learning conditions for them. The Institutes are modeled after Confucius, a famous thinker, educator and philosopher from Chinese history, whose influential ideas that have permeated Chinese society. To name the institutes after him demonstrates the longevity and depth of Chinese language and culture, and the institutes embody the development trend of integrating Chinese language and culture into global society in the 21 st century.
China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International is the governing organization for the Confucius Institutes. Preference is given to institutes located in business districts where there is a large flow of people and a convenient transportation system. Institutes are provided with teaching patterns and curriculum products as the main teaching resources to assist them in their mission.
All Confucius Institutes have a Chinese university partner to assist with Institute organization and oversight. Valparaiso University’s partner is Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT), a public institution with approximately 35,000 students. ZJUT, the top university in the Zhejiang province, was founded in 1910 as a technological school, became a college in 1953 and eventually a comprehensive technical university in 1993. Located in the urban city of Hangzhou, ZJUT hosts a variety of engineering programs and colleges including medical science, humanities, foreign language, art and law. With the newly-established Confucius Institute, Valparaiso University continues its two decade-strong exchange relationship with ZJUT, with a Hangzhou study center and the opportunity for students and faculty to visit partner institutions |
