Auckland school receives books to establish Chinese Library

Auckland school receives books to establish Chinese Library

Mount Roskill Grammar School will be presented with 400 Chinese books to establish a dedicated Chinese Library at the school at the NZ Chinese Cultural and Book Festival on Saturday October 31.

The donation, by China International Publishing Group, is facilitated by the New Zealand Chinese Language Week Trust for the ongoing commitment to promote the teaching of Chinese in New Zealand.

The inaugural New Zealand Chinese Language Week was held September 7-13, 2015. It has emerged in the context of a rapidly strengthening relationship between New Zealand and China and aims to increase Chinese language learning in New Zealand.

Mount Roskill Grammar School is the second New Zealand school to receive the large donation of books. During the first New Zealand Chinese Language Week Wellington East Girls’ College was presented with a NZCLW Chinese library and in November Fairfield College and Hillcrest High School in Hamilton will be presented with books too.

The books will be presented on Saturday by Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Minister for Ethnic Communities, who is also officially opening the New Zealand Chinese Cultural and Book Festival. Mount Roskill Grammar School Principal Greg Watson, HoD Languages Alistair McAlpine and TIC Chinese Grace Rissetto will be in attendance to accept the books.

The New Zealand Chinese Cultural & Book Festival is held on an annual basis to help New Zealand Chinese maintain their heritage and to help Kiwis who are studying Chinese learn more about Chinese culture.

The festival is a major cultural event in the Auckland Chinese community and attracts around 3,000 visitors over two days.

Its inaugural festival seven years ago attracted Professor Yi Zhongtian as its ambassador. Its second festival had Professor Yu Dan – another household name in China – as its ambassador. They are the modern version of Katherine Mansfield – to draw an analogy.

The festival ambassador this year is Dave Upfold, a world-renowned state hypnotist. He and his team will give a magic and hypnotist show to Chinese community on the evening of October 31.

In addition, former Labour MP and NZCLW co-chair Raymond Huo launched in China last week a new book ‘Blue Sky, White Cloud - 100% Pure NZ’ dedicated to New Zealand Chinese Language Week – the book will be on display at the festival.

This is Raymond’s sixth book and is described in the foreword as an important contribution to literature. It features classical Chinese poems that are an integral part of Chinese culture widely quoted everywhere from daily life to official speeches. This new book collects some of Raymond’s most well-known Shi and Ci, which capture the cadence and the spirit of classical Chinese poetry.

ENDS

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