The Chinese Culture Book Club

The Chinese Culture Book Club organized by CIM was launched on Mar. 3rd, 2008.

Traditional Chinese philosophy is becoming more and more popular in China nowadays. The Hundred Schools of Thoughts Discussion Forum program on CCTV has attracted tens of thousands of people. Scholars such as Prof. Yu Dan and Prof. Yi Zhongtian have become stars because of their lectures on traditional Chinese culture. What can we do for the understanding of Chinese culture in the United States? To meet the needs of American and oversea students and scholars, Confucius Institute at Maryland (CIM) decided to launch the Chinese Culture Book Club. Dr. Yanyu Zhou, whose major fields are both Ethics and Education, leads the program. Since the beginning of March, a series of seminars have been held every Monday from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. In the Spring semester, the focus of the Book Club is on Confucianism. The Book Club comprises a diverse group of participants, including current students and alumni of University of Maryland, visiting scholars from China, local residents in Maryland, Chinese American scholars, etc. Prof. Chuansheng Liu, director of CIM, attended the reading club regularly and shares his many thoughtful insights about Chinese culture with the participants. Members enjoyed reading and discussing excerpts from The Analects, connecting what they have learned to the needs of modern society and their daily life. Traditional Chinese Dim-sum was shared among the reading club members while the discussion was going on. The atmosphere has been one of learning and much fun.