CET Alumni Photo Contest: Top 3 Winners of the Culture & Customs Category
Congratulations to the following Top 3 Winners of the Academics Category for the CET 30th Anniversary Alumni Photo Contest. Photos eligible to win the the Culture & Customs category could show local celebrations, festivals, rituals or events.
1st Place: Gang Chen (Yale University, Summer 2010 CET Intensive Chinese Language in Beijing )
"Bleacher Seats" - (Xiahe, China) Village residents gather on "bleacher seats" at a local Tibetan monastery to watch religious dance rituals.
2nd Place: Suchada Sutasirisap (University of Texas – Austin, Fall 2010 CET Chinese Studies & Internship in Shanghai)
"Zao An Beijing (Good Morning Beijing)" - Breakfast stand workers sell breakfast at the stand near the Tian An Men square (Gate of Heavenly Peace), Beijing. My CET classmate and one of the Chinese roommates stopped by to grab some freshly made soy milk while we were on our way to the Tian An Men.
3rd Place: Lizzie Chen (University of Texas – Austin, 2011 CET/UT-Austin Maymester in China)
"Untitled: Wang Lei" - Wang Lei, 28, has been in the tattoo industry for 10 years. He says as a younger generation comes of age, the social acceptance of tattoos will grow.
To view all Photo Contest entries click here
When I grow up, I want to be a wedding photographer…
A little bit because I’m snap happy with my new camera, but mostly because taking wedding pictures seems like a popular and necessary job in China. What I mean is I might actually be able to find employment when I graduate if I consider wedding photography. I’m a film major and, considering that’s the second most useless major behind English, employment in anything would be welcome. Plus, it seems like there are perks to being a wedding photographer—you wear a cool leather jacket, shout at happy people, and permanently have cool hair. Well, it at least seems that way in China.
Let me back up—my mom came to visit this week (I know!! Soooo exciting) and we decided to go to Shanghai for the weekend. Shanghai is as international as they say it is. There are tons of foreigners and most people speak English—it’s a lot like New York, actually—people just hold hands more and walk wa-a-ay slower.
Anyway, we decided to do the Lonely Planet’s walking tour of the Bund. We were barely to number 4 on the list—the 1907 Garden Bridge—and we had already passed four couples getting wedding photos taken. It is possible they were just models, not marriage newbies but…let’s pretend they were real. As my father always says, never let the truth get in the way of a good story!
Seeing all those newly married/possibly fake couples made me think—not just about a potential job market, but about Chinese weddings and Chinese society in general. The couples on Garden Bridge seem to reflect the interesting paradox in modern China—the simultaneous existence of both old and new, of both history and modernity. Changes—too many or too few—are all anyone seems to talk about. Sometimes people like the change—an old man at a nearby park told me how much better China is these days than it used to be. He said he thought it would be even better in ten years, so I should come back then. Other people long for the past, and strongly believe that China is changing too quickly. Visitors at Huxueyan’s former residence, for example, told me that they loved the residence for its traditional Chinese architecture and wasn’t it such a pity that there weren’t more places like this.
It was as I was trying to surreptitiously take photos that all this came to mind. The couples posing for their wedding pictures against the historical Garden Bridge seem to perfectly manifest Chinese society today. There was the traditional architecture, the modern clothes, and—if the couples were models—capitalism as well. I couldn’t help but smile. When I grow up, I definitely want to be a wedding photographer.
Hangzhou: Home of West Lake and Tandem Bikes
Written by Jinny Han (Colorado College)
CET Chinese Studies and Internship in Shanghai, Spring ’12
Last weekend, we spent our 3 day break in Hangzhou (杭州), which many consider to be one of the most beautiful towns in China. The CET students, along with our Chinese roommates and teachers, were able to experience both the city and the countryside of this dynamic city. Jeremy, The director of the CET Shanghai program, took us to one of his favorite restaurants nestled in the outskirts of West Lake, near the tea fields. The food was tasty, but I will say that it takes a while to get used to seeing a full chicken as a dish. After lunch we hiked the nearby tea fields and by hiked I mean went up A TON of stairs. It felt like a never-ending Stairmaster. But, our reward was the beautiful 360 degree view of West Lake. After being in Shanghai for a month, it was much needed break from the usual concrete and skyscraper landscape.
Obviously, every occasion calls for a sorority girl pose.
And the boy’s version of a sorority pose….
After, we traveled to the nearby Lingyin Temple and Fei Lai Feng, both of which has over 1400 years of history. The mountain sides were adorned with intricate grotto carving art and upon entering the temple, the hall was decorated with statues and carvings of Buddha.
After a grueling day of walking on our feet all day, we decided to get a traditional Chinese foot massage. Let me tell you, if you ever go to China YOU MUST GET A FOOT MASSAGE. They are heavenly. There is no other way to describe it. They even do the traditional suction cup on the foot thing. It looks absolutely terrifying before they put it on your foot, solely because it looks like they are going to set you on fire. But, believe me, it feels amazing.
The next day I finally have the opportunity to ride my first tandem bike!!! It’s always been on my list of things to do. My though process was: I’m only going to be in Hangzhou once, NO SHAME JINNY. NO SHAME. So Christine and I got the worst possible tandem bike. The most important part of the bike was broken, THE BRAKES. Our method of braking was yelling out “STOP” and then jamming our feet on the ground. Also, the front wheel was crooked which made it hard to steer. You can see how weaving through traffic and thousands of Chinese people would be both difficult and extremely dangerous. But, we came out in one piece and with many great stories.
The last day and a half was spent at Xiejiaqiao (谢家桥) village, around 2.5 hours away from Hangzhou. This village is unique because the farmers harvest Pecans, a highly profitable crop. Therefore, the village was recently renovated with new multi-level houses. When we got in, we got to eat a great country-style meal and after we were led to a giant bonfire with a surprise celebration for the American students! Everyone was warm and welcoming and we got to see some traditional Chinese dances. When it was our turn to show everyone American culture, we had the opportunity to grace everyone with the beautiful American traditional dance of holding hands and skipping around a fire. FAIL. Before we left to go back to Shanghai, we had the opportunity to hike up to a grassy mountaintop with a reservoir full of clean blue water. Overall, this trip exposed us to the rural side of China and the natural beauty that China has to offer. Plus, I got to ride a tandem bike through the busy streets of China, what else could I have asked for??
韩菁菁
Full scholarships for post-graduate study at Donghua University, Shanghai
You’ve studied Chinese. Character by character. You’ve fought for a broad vocabulary, native slang and a perfect 2nd tone. Now what?
Apply for a full scholarship to pursue a post-graduate degree at Donghua University in Shanghai. Unlike your undergraduate study abroad experience, you will not be studying in a program geared towards foreigners. Instead, you will be a fully matriculated, fully funded graduate student completing a degree in Chinese alongside Chinese peers. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Donghua University in Shanghai, a CET partner, is offering ten full postgraduate scholarships to foreign students to commence studies in fall 2012. Donghua is home to a wide variety of Master’s and Doctoral programs, all of which are open to scholarship recipients. (Note that Donghua does not offer a graduate degree in Chinese Language, Linguistics or Literature.) The scholarship application deadline is March 31, 2012.
Scholarships include:
- Tuition
- Housing
- Monthly stipend
- Up to one full year of Chinese language instruction at Donghua before the start of postgraduate studies (as necessary, according to scholarship recipient language level)
CET is not involved in the scholarship selection process. Scholarship details are below. For inquiries, please contact:
Ms. Liu Wensheng, Admissions Officer
Donghua University
International Cultural Exchange School
International Students Admissions Department
Email: ices [at] dhu [dot] edu [dot] cn (include DHU 3.31 postgraduate scholarships in the subject line)
Phone: 86-21-6237-8595, ext.11
Donghua University Graduate Scholarship Information
The Donghua University scholarships come from two government sources: the China Scholarship Council (CSC) or the Shanghai city government.
Scholarship duration:
- Doctoral study: 3 to 4 years (4 to 5 years if recipient takes DHU Chinese language courses)
- Master’s study: 2.5 to 3 years (3.5 to 4 years if recipient takes DHU Chinese language courses)
Course of study selection:
- Scholarship recipients must pursue a Chinese language-instructed DHU Master’s/doctoral degree program (full list included below).
- Scholarship recipients are rarely permitted to change their academic program or duration of study once specified.
- Note that DHU does not offer a degree in the study of the Chinese language.
Scholarships cover:
- Tuition
- On-campus accommodation in DHU’s international student housing
- Monthly allowance of 1,700RMB for Master’s students, 2,000RMB for doctoral students, including Chinese language instruction period
- Textbooks
- Enrollment in the medical insurance and benefit plan for international students in China
- Partial coverage of outpatient medical fees
Scholarships do not cover:
- Plane tickets, transportation costs, visa expenses, and any other fees not listed above
How to Apply
Step One: Confirm your eligibility
- Applicant must be a non-Chinese citizen.
- Applicant must be in good health.
- Applicant must not be studying in China at the time of application.
- Applicant must have completed at least three semesters of college-level Chinese at the time of application.
- Applicants for doctoral degree studies must be under the age of 40 and have in hand a Master’s degree by fall 2012.
- Applicants for Master’s degree studies must be under the age of 35 and have in hand a Bachelor’s degree by fall of 2012.
Step Two: Apply
All items below must be received by 5am EST March 31, 2012.
Items to submit online:
- China Scholarship Council application. Instructions:
- Open CSC website: http://laihua.csc.edu.cn (use Internet Explorer for best results)
- Register
- Log in and choose ‘CHINESE GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIP’ > click ‘Next’ > enter ’10255′ in the ’Agency No.’ field
- Complete and submit the application. Please note that you will also need to download, print and sign two copies of this application when completed.
Note: The Chinese government’s CSC website is notoriously unreliable/inaccessible so start working on this early. Scholarship application deadlines will not be extended because of difficulties encountered with the CSC website.
Items to mail via post:
- Two completed and signed copies of completed CSC application.
- Official transcripts from all schools and study abroad programs attended as an undergraduate. Doctoral degree program applicants must submit official transcripts from all schools and study abroad programs attended as a Master’s degree student. Doctoral degree program applicants are not required to send undergraduate transcripts but may do so if they wish.
Mailing address: International Student Admissions Dept. of ICES-DHU; Attn: Liu Wensheng; Donghua University; ICES; 1882 Yan’an Rd. West; Shanghai 200051, China. All the items above must be mailed together in one envelope and received by 5am EST March 31, 2012 as noted above.
Items to submit electronically:
- Color scan of applicant’s valid passport.
- Color scan of applicant’s bachelor’s degree/ Master’s degree diploma. Applicants in the last semester of their bachelor’s degree/ Master’s degree studies must submit proof that they are on track to graduate at the end of the Spring 2012 term and must submit a color scan of their diploma by 6/15 at the latest. Scholarship recipients who fail to graduate in good standing at the end of the Spring 2012 term and submit a color scan of their degree by 6/15 will forfeit their scholarship.
- Scan of personal statement in English or Chinese with applicant’s signature.
- Scan of research proposal in English or Chinese with applicant’s signature.
- Doctoral degree program applicants are additionally encouraged to contact DHU faculty in their intended field of study before they submit their application. All relevant correspondence to this effect should be emailed along with the items listed above.
The items listed above must be emailed to ices [at] dhu [dot] edu [dot] cn. Applicants may break this up into multiple emails, but all items must be received in the same one-hour time window and prior to 5am EST March 31, 2012. Applicants should include the subject line ‘DHU 3.31 postgraduate scholarship applicant [your name]‘ on all emails.
Letters of Recommendation:
- Two letters of recommendation are required. A third letter of recommendation is permissible.
- For Master’s degree program applicants, one recommender must be a professor or associate professor that has taught the applicant.
- For doctoral degree program applicants, one recommender must be a professor or associate professor that has taught the applicant in their Master’s degree program.
- Recommenders must email their recommendations to ices [at] dhu [dot] edu [dot] cn directly.
- When submitting, recommenders should use the subject line: ’DHU 3.31 postgraduate scholarship applicant [your name]‘
- Recommenders must be informed that they may submit their recommendation in the body of the email or as an attached document.
- Recommenders must be informed that they are not to cc the applicant when submitting.
- Recommenders must be informed that their recommendation will kept strictly confidential.
- Recommenders must be informed that they may be contacted by ICES for verification and/or further applicant information.
Review and Selection
Completed applications will be reviewed by relevant DHU schools and colleges and then scholarship recipients and alternates will be selected by the Donghua University Review Committee on Scholarships for International Students. Applicants may be asked to do a phone interview at any point during this process.
DHU will notify scholarship recipients and alternates of next steps on April 10, 2012. Alternates will be notified of their rank (first alternate, second alternate, etc.) and will receive alerts via email as they move up in rank. Once 3.31 scholarships are finalized, some alternates will likely be offered less-comprehensive DHU scholarships according to their rank.
Once all formalities are completed and scholarship recipients finalized, scholarship recipients will be announced in an email to all applicants who submitted completed applications.
DHU Postgraduate Programs Instructed in Chinese
Master’s program only – one asterisk*
Both Master’s and Doctoral programs offered – two asterisks**
Doctoral program only – three asterisks***
Downtown Yan’an Road Campus
[Fashion & Art Design Institute] Fashion Design & Engineering** | Art Theory* |Study of Fine Arts* |Design Studies* [College: School of Business & Management] International Trade* |World Economy* |Industrial Economics* |Finance* |Accounting* |Technology* |Economy & Management* |Business Administration** |Management Science & Engineering** |Industrial Managerial Innovation & Management Control*** |Electronic Commerce*** |Information Management & Information System*** |Intelligent Decision-making & Knowledge Management*** |Economic Management on Decision-making & Analysis***
Songjiang Campus
[College of Textile Science] Textile Engineering** |Textile Materials & Textiles Design** | Textile Composites Materials** |Non-woven Materials & Engineering** |Digital Textile Engineering** | Chinese Ancient Textile Process** | Textile Biomaterials & Technology** [College of Material Science & Engineering] Chemistry** |Material Science** |Material Procession Engineering(Composite Materials) ** |Material Physics & Chemistry** | Bionic Materials** | Nano Fibers & Hybrid Materials** |System of Smart Substances** [College of Mechanical Engineering] Mechanical Engineering & Automatization** |Mechanical Design & Theory** |Mechanical & Electronic Engineering* | Material Processing Engineering (Metal Materials)** [College of Information Science & Technology] Control Theory & Control Engineering** |Power Electronics & Power Transmission* |Communications & Information System* [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology] Chemistry** |Textile Chemistry & Dyeing & Finishing Engineering** |Applied Chemistry* |Biochemistry & Molecular Biology* | Biological Chemical Industry* | Biomedical Engineering* [School of Environmental Science & Engineering] Heat, Gas, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Engineering** | Thermopower Engineering* |Environmental Engineering* | Environmental Science* | Environmental Biotechnology* | Environmental Science & Engineering*** [School of Computer Science & Technology] Computer Science & Technology* |Software Engineering* [College of Science] Mathematics* |Physics* |Optical Engineering* | Solid Mechanics* [College of Humanities] Administrative Management* |Philosophy of Science & Technology* | History of Science & Technology* | Marxist Philosophy* | Marxism Theory* | Modern and Contemporary Chinese History*
CET Academic Programs