Looking back on the past four months I’ve spent studying abroad in Beijing, I realize that I’ve come a long way from the fish out of water I was back in February. Toward the end of my time abroad, I was carrying out conversations in Mandarin with locals every day, talking about everything from the weather to the IMF chief’s scandal (a taxi driver brought that one up). I memorized all 14 stops on line 10 of the subway from my apartment to the …

Lisa See’s critically acclaimed novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan comes to life in award-winning director Wayne Wang’s latest film about the power of strong female friendships over time. Wang, who directed the famous ’90s Asian American film The Joy Luck Club, tells a similar tale of female empowerment and resilience to overcome adversity, meet society’s standards, and cope with rigid cultural norms. The story takes place in 19th century China, where girls had their feet bound and spent the rest of their lives in seclusion. To communicate with …

President Obama recently named Gary Locke, the current Secretary of Commerce, as the new ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Locke, who will replace Jon Huntsman (rumored to have left his post to pursue a presidential run in 2012), is rewriting the history books as the first Chinese American to take on this highly visible and influential role in foreign affairs.

As a Chinese and Korean American visiting China for the first time to study abroad the past few weeks have been a whirlwind of frustration, discovery and reflection.
Finding my way around Beijing is an adventure, to say the least. Since I only have a conversational command of Mandarin, the language barrier has put me in a number of uncomfortable—and at times even painful—situations during my first few weeks in the city. I felt clumsy and frustrated trying to understand and get my point across …

A Chinese language class at Cedarlane Middle School in Hacienda Heights, Calif. has attracted controversy for its funding, which reportedly comes from the Chinese government’s Chinese Language Council International, popularly known as Hanban.
Teachers, former superintendents and parents have insisted that the program called Confucius Classroom is nothing more than a propaganda machine from the People’s Republic of China, though officials and supporters say the lessons taught are nothing of the kind.