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事勿忙，忙多错错，勿畏，勿畏难难，勿，勿轻轻略。略。 ——谨 Avoid doing things in a hurry, as doing things in a haste will lead to more mistakes. Do not be afraid of difficult tasks; be meticulous even when a job is too easy.

Several researches have proven the intrinsic link between music and language acquisition. Music as a teaching tool has long been advocated in classrooms.

Early exposure to music will not only prepare a child’s ear and mind for language and speech, it also helps a child to be more focused and enhances the listening skills of a child. Most importantly, children derive a lot from enjoyment from music.

Don’t miss out on our 18th Young Confucius Cultural Camp coming your way this June holiday with classroom and outdoor activities themed around “Music”（乐）. In this camp, our students will be introduced to the Chinese performing arts with excursions to either a Chinese Orchestra group or a Chinese Opera troupe depending on their age group. They will be acquainted with the essentials of the respective performing arts and have a hands- on experience with the Chinese instruments, props and costumes. The arts & crafts session (our all-time camp favourite) gives our students an opportunity to craft a musical instrument or an opera mask. We promise a delightful and exciting cultural learning

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journey for your child this June holiday.

Stay tune for more information on our June holiday programmes!

Management Team Top Chinese Enrichment Programme (TCEP) Confucius Institute, NTU

Customised Programme - “Exploring the Origin of ” at Sembawang Secondary School

On 13 April 2014, our TCEP team organised a Chinese cultural programme for the Secondary 2 & 3 students at Sembawang Secondary school. The students were introduced to the origin of the Chinese characters, its relation to the and traditions through a series of interactive and fun activities.

Students were enthralled by the hand-crafted “oracle-bones” which were specially made with clay to recreate the oracle bones used by people thousands of years ago. Students were guided to write Chinese characters of different scripts (e.g. Oracle Bone Script, Greater Seal, Lesser Seal, and Standard Script) on the oracle clay, allowing students to have an overview of the different stages of Chinese writing. During the arts & crafts session, the students were taught the basics of paper-cutting and its cultural significance. We were amazed by our students’ creativity and paper cutting skills as they produced an excellent paper cutting artwork of their own.

For more information on customised programmes and learning solutions, contact us at 6592 1687 or email [email protected] .

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Chinese Creative Reading and Writing (Pri 2) 创创意意意阅读阅读写写作班（小二）作班（小二）

Term 2: 22 Mar – 24 May 2013 Duration: 1hr 45mins per lesson

Comprehension Passages and Composition Writing (Pri 3 – 6) 阅读写写作作作强强强化班化班 （小三至小六）

Level: Pri 3 & 4 , Pri 5 & 6 , Pri 5 & 6 (Higher Chinese) Term 2: 16 Mar – 24 May 2013 Duration: P3 - 1hr 45mins per lesson P4 – P6 - 2hrs per lesson

Check out full listing of TCEP Programmes >>

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Practical Business Chinese Translation 实实用商用商务务翻翻翻译译

The course is designed for working professionals who wish to communicate effectively and accurately in Chinese so as to maximize business potential. It aims to help learners translate English texts into meaningful and customer-centric Chinese and avoid pitfalls of literal translation. Learners can also expect to enlarge their business vocabulary and enhance cultural sensitivity through translation exercises of various types of business documents and marketing materials. Learn more...

Course commencement 15 Apr 2014 (every Tue & Thur) date: Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm Fee: S$588.50

*10% discount for Speak Mandarin club/CIFP club member/NTU affiliate/NTU alumni club member *20% discount for group registration of 3 pax and above

Confucius Chinese 孔子汉语

The Confucius Chinese specially caters for the needs of expatriates and non-Chinese adult learners from all parts of the world to learn the Chinese language and at the same time to understand the Chinese culture. The course is offered at all the Confucius Institutes across the world, thus providing a uniform platform for continual learning. Learn more...

Course Schedule

Morning class Date: 12 Apr – 14 Jun 2014 (every Sat) Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm Evening class Date: 16 Apr – 18 Jun 2014 (every Wed) Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm Fee: S$588.50*

*10% discount for Speak Mandarin club/CIFP club member/NTU affiliate/NTU alumni club member

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*20% discount for group registration of 3 pax and above

Business Chinese 商商务华语务华语

Business Chinese Programme aims to provide the working professionals with the necessary Chinese proficiency skills to handle business situations. Participants will be able to progress to different levels based on their assessed Mandarin competency. The course is available in Foundation, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Learn more...

May and Jun 2014 intakes are open for registration

Programme Schedule

Course Module Level Date Time

7pm – 10pm 19 May2014– 24 - (Mon & Jul 2014 Thur) Foundation

10 May 2014 – 9am – 12pm - 27 Sep 2014 (Sat)

7pm – 10pm 19 May 2014 – Intermediate (Mon & 14 Jan 2015 Wed)

Comprehensive 7pm – 10pm 12 Jun 2014 – 16 Advanced (Tue & Sep 2014 Thur)

20 May 2014 – 7pm – 10pm Beginner 03 Oct 2014 (Tue & Fri) Conversational 06 May 2014 – 7pm – 10pm Intermediate 06 Jan 2015 (Tue)

Check out full listing of Adult Programmes >>

"In Class with the Masters" Cultural

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Programmes: Taiji Quan & Bagua Zhang - conducted in Mandarin “名名师师师学学学堂堂”文化课课程：太程：太极极拳拳拳与与与八卦掌八卦掌

Don’t miss the next intakes of Taiji Quan and Bagua Zhang returning this April. Taiji Quan and Bagua Zhang are forms of Chinese Martial Arts which are widely acknowledged as a great way of self-cultivation (meditation) through its gradual movements, therefore, concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body, mind and correcting one’s posture.

Course Programme Title: Time: Fee: Duration:

Taiji Quan - 16 -Styles 10 Apr – 13 Routines (Basic Level May 2014 7:30pm – 2nd Intake) (every Tue 10:00pm 太极拳—— 16 式套路 （初级班第二期） & Thur) S$401.25 Bagua Zhang Eight for 10 Turning Palms 11 Apr – 14 sessions (Advanced/Basic level May 2014 7:30pm – 4th intake) (every Wed 10:00pm 八卦掌转掌八式 & Thur) （第四期提高/初级班）

* 10% discount for CIFP club member/NTU affiliate/NTU alumni club member * 20% discount for group registration of 3 pax and above

Learning Chinese through Appreciating Visual Arts 谐谐音音“画”汉汉字字

Are you an enthusiastic Chinese learner who has studied Great Wall Chinese with the background of basic level one or two in Confucius Institute, NTU and is interested to learn the contexts of Chinese language and culture?

Our lecturer, Zhao Hua who has been richly equipped with language-teaching experiences to specially design this ten - hour course firstly targeting on the characters of Book One & Two. Learn more...

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Course Date: 19 Apr 2014 – 17 May 2014 (every Sat) Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm Language Medium: English Fee: S$250* for 5 sessions

* 10% discount for Speak Mandarin club member, CIFP club member/NTU affiliate/NTU alumni club member

The 13th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students Singapore 2014 第十三届“汉语桥”世界大学学生比生比赛赛新加坡新加坡赛赛区区2014

The "Chinese Bridge" is a large-scale international annual event sponsored by the Office of the Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), Beijing. The event is targeted to the enthusiasts who have the passion for Chinese language and culture. This is your chance to display your talents and have fun!

It is an excellent platform for the college students to realise your dream, network and mingle with the students from various countries, learn and understand Chinese language and culture. What's more, the top 3 winners will stand a chance to win prize money of S$5,000, S$3,000 and S$2,000 respectively. The first prize winner will also represent Singapore to compete with the college students from various countries in the Grand Final between July and August 2014 in . Learn more...

Who should participate?

 Students between the age of 18 to 30 years old

 Currently enrolled in a local Polytechnic and University

 Born outside the People’s Republic of China or non- native Chinese.

Competition Requirements

 Contestants are required to prepare a performance not exceeding 5 mins.

 Performance include but not limited to: Chinese songs, dance, acrobatics, musical instruments, , Chinese ink painting, Wu-Shu, diabolo etc…

 Ability to speak Mandarin

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 Basic knowledge of written Chinese

Preliminary Round Polytechnic: 17 Apr 2014 (Thur) University: 12 May 2014 (Mon)

Grand Final （（（Singapore Leg ）））

30 May 2014 (Fri)

Registration Deadline Polytechnic: 10 Apr 2014 (Thur) University: 5 May 2014 (Mon)

Check out full listing of Cultural Programmes >>

Ancient Chinese Coins 中中国国国古古古钱币钱币

In the late Neolithic China, currencies came in different forms - cowry shells, jade, , silver and paper were used as a medium of exchange. You would probably only see these ancient coins in the movies, TV serials, the Museum or it could be coins passed down from your ancestors.

Read on to learn about the different types of currencies used in China:

1) Cowry Shells Shell was the oldest form of currency in ancient China. Shell was durable and small, therefore making it easy to carry around. By the period of the Shang dynasty, cowry shells were widely circulated. However, with the development of the commodities exchange, the shells eventually ran out of supply and were replaced with other shell-shaped materials like bones, bronze, jade, stone and pottery. 2) Knife-shaped money The knife-shaped coin with a ring at the end of the handle was used during the Warring States Period ( 春秋战国). It was derived from the shape of a cutting knife, which was used

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as a writing tool. 3) Round coins After unifying the six states, Emperor Qin Shihuang, introduced a standardized national copper coin which was round in shape with a square hole in the middle. These coins were usually strung together with a string for convenience. In the subsequent dynasties, round coins like the （半两）coin, Wu Zhu （五銖Wǔ zhū）, Kai Tong Bao coin （开元通宝Kāiyuán tōngbǎo）, Kangxi Tong Bao （康熙通宝Kāngxī tōngbǎo）were minted and circulated.

4) Ingots In the Tang and Song dynasties, silver was used as money and cast in various forms, with ingots being the most common one.

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