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Wellington Events for New Zealand Chinese Language Week 12-18 September 2016

new-zealand-chinese-language-week-september-2016PUBLIC EVENTS IN WELLINGTON 

 

DISCOVERING A PAPER SON FROM DIGITAL FINGERPRINTS 
Tuesday 13 september, 12.10-1pm, National Library 

To mark New Zealand Chinese Language Week, the National Library has invited Richard Foy to speak at the month’s event. In this talk Richard will tell the unexpected and occasionally improbable tale of encountering his grandparents in the collections and holdings of the National Library and National Archives. It’s a tale of deeply personal, and sometimes emotional, connections with his Chinese past that brings him face-to-face with his cultural heritage, the sacrifices of his forebears, and what it means to be Chinese in New Zealand today. Richard is the Director of Digital Strategy for the Information & Knowledge Services Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs. Attendance is free.

CHINESE CHARACTERS: FROM BONE TO BYTE 
Wednesday 14 September, 12.10-1pm, National Library 

Chinese is now the predominant language of the Internet; this set of some 60,000 ideographs, first used in the 2nd millennium BCE, enters a fifth millennium of continuous development with its global stretch enhanced by both the return of China to a position of world economic strength and the spread of the diasporic Chinese-speaking population.

On the occasion of the Chinese Language Week of 2016, this illustrated talk will discuss the diversity of the spoken languages of China and the historical development of a single written script, focusing on the origins of the script as understood from both a mythological and historical perspective

A CHINESE LANGUAGE WEEK EVENT WITH MASTER STAN CHAN: CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING DEMONSTRATION 
Friday 16 September, 12.10-1.00pm, National Library 

events-stanchan-pandaStan Chan practises and teaches traditional Chinese brush painting and calligraphy, and western oil and watercolour techniques. As well as teaching adults and children in his studio/gallery, Stan holds workshops for art groups, art classes for schools, and demonstrations of paintings.

In the brush painting demonstration Stan Chan will talk a bit about the Chinese brushes, Xuan paper (rice paper), ink stick, ink stone and Chinese colours. He will demonstrate Chinese calligraphy and do brush painting of pandas, bamboo and some flowers in Chinese ink and colour. If time is permitting people may like to have a hands on experience with the artworks. Free attendance.

FREE MANDARIN TE PAPA HIGHLIGHTS TOUR 
Monday 12 – Sunday 18 September 2016, 4pm – 5pm daily 

Discover New Zealand’s history and the stories behind Te Papa’s collections. Experience this world-class interactive museum with a guided tour in Mandarin Chinese to celebrate Chinese Language Week. Bookings are essential. Please visit the following site for more information: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/whats-on/events/mandarin-tours

For a list of other NZCLW events, please see the New Zealand Chinese Language Week website.