2 The World
' PLU Welcomes Two Grad Students From Peoples' Republic Of China
eeing 50 By Jim Peterson
Smiling broadly, their eyes shi n Ing and their gestures reflecting their enthusiasm, PLU's first two exchange students from the Peo-
China Experts Head Spring Tour Of PRC Pacific Lutheran University Chi na experts Dr. Greg Guldin and his wife, Mu n-Jong Fung, will lead a study tour of the People's Republ ic of China May 24-J une 1 2 . The three-week tou r , spon sored by the Washington Com mission for the Humanities, will focus on daily life in China. "It will Incl u de visits to reti r e m e n t homes, street markets, neighbor hood and day-care centers and schools," Guldin explained. "It will also stress the enduring cultural heritage in China, the great sites of both antiquity and the 20th cen tury. " The itinerary begins in the sub tropic southwest province of Yun nan, continues to the site of the underground terra cotta army in Xi'an in North China, crosses the Gobi Desert to get to Inner Mon golia, and then moves on to the more familiar u rban centers of Peking, Canton and Hong Kong. Guldin and Fung offer an un common combination of exper tise. Guldin, the chair of the PLU Global Studies Program and an a nt h r o po l ogy professo r, has studied and toured i n China many times. He is an expert on China's social and political history, past and present. Fung specializes in Chinese arts, religion and family life, as well as pre-modern history. Her family conti hues to reside in Hong Kong and the PRC. Cost of the tour is $3,240. Further information is available from WCH in Olympia, Wash., (206) 866-651 0, or Guldin at PLU, 5357661 .
elcom ! pies' Republic of China describe their first weeks in the Un ited states. "Everyone has been so kind to us; we feel so welcome'" ex claimed Yongtao Zheng, a 24year-old graduate student in busi ness administration who teaches statistics in the management de partment at Zhongshan U n iversity in Guang Zhou (Cantonl. "PLU is a very good environ ment," agreed Yuedong Wang, 28, a g raduate student in compu ter science . "It's much better than we had expected. " He is a compu ter science p rofe s s o r a t Zhongshan. Zheng and Wang are the first two Chinese to come to PLU under terms of an exchange agreement with Zhongshan signed in Feb ruary '83 . For six months prior to their trip, the two teachers studied American language and culture with America n teachers from C a l ifornia. "They told us that Americans don't pay much atten tion to each other, that they are concerned about themselves, " Wang continued . "But that hasn't been our experience here." A 1 977 g raduate of Zhongshan, Wang has been married for two years a n d has a one-year-old daug hter. Much of his schooling came during the years of the Cultural Revolution . "I missed some knowledge, " he said with a wry gri n . Wang explained that changes have been vast in the past five or six years. Academic abilities are emphasized. There is more and tougher testing. Beyond the in crease in university students which has nearly doubled - more ed u c a t i o n i s r e a c h i n g t h e populace through branch colleges and television extension courses. Wang and Zheng represent the two academic fields that are get ting by far the most emphasis. Zheng explained, "Our economy must be developed quickly. To do that, we need good economic policy. Even though our economic structures are different, we know we can learn to improve our socialist system by studying and
Yuedong
selectively employing some of the mothods used in capitalist coun tries. " "At the same time, we must . understand and use technology," Wang added . Both are enthusiastic about the American classroom envi r o n ment, where questions are wel comed . Teaching is more formal in China, and to ask questions during class is often interpreted as disre spect for the teacher. They are also impressed by the industriousness and efficiency of American workers generally. The improved relationship bet ween the PRC and USA is genuine
Yongtao lheng
and a benefit to the people of both cou ntries, they believe . "There was great misunderstand ing," Zheng observed, which in their personal experiences con tinued until they had actually experienced American life. "The most exchanges we can have, the better we will under stand each other," he added . Not only do they show little reservation about dialog ue with Americans, they are anxious to share, and have already spoken before student groups on cam pus. They expect to continue their studies at PLU through Aug ust 1 985 .
Chinese Prof's April Visit Offi cially Inaugurates PLu-zhongshan Exchange Prof. L i Yuesheng, a mathemat ics professor from Zhongshan Un iversity in the Peoples' Republic of China, will visit Pacific Lutheran Uhiversity in April to officially inau gurate the Zhongshan-PLU stu dent-faculty exchange agreement formalized a year ago. Li will be the guest of honor at a reception on campus Tuesday, April 3, hosted by PLU President William O. Rieke. The reception will be held in the PLU University Center at 4 p.m. On Wednesday, April 4, Li will speak at a forum for Puget Sound area mathematicians. The 4 p.m. session in the Math Building is hosted by the PLU mathematics department. The e<change program bet ween PLU and the Guang Zhou (Canton) university is the topic of a forum with Li Thursday, AprilS, at 3 p.m. in the University Center. Dr. Greg Guldin, a ChIna expert and director of the PLU Global
Studies Program, opened the way for an exchange relationship dur ing several visits to the PRC in recent years. Last year Dr. Thad Barnowe, a PLU professor in busi ness administration, spent a year at Zhongshan on a Fulbright ex change fellowship. This past fall Keith Workman, a junior from Auburn, Wash . , began a year of study at Zhongshan. And late last fall, two Zhongshan junior faculty members came to PLU to begin graduate studies. Yuedong Want plans to pursue a master's degree in computer science, and Yongtao Zheng is working on an MBA. (See related story) PLU has nominated three of its faculty members for a teaching exchange beginning next fall. Prof. Li has been in the U .S. for the past year, visiting Texas A&M, Stonybrook and UCLA. After his PLU stay, he will visit Boston U niversity .