Durham Chinese School and Wuhan University Tea Culture Centre Champion Chinese Cultural Education in the UK

By Mr Jiarui Yu

On June 29, 2024, a delegation from Durham Chinese School, including Head Teacher, Mr Haoyang Liu, Head of Academic Affairs Ms Jingyun Wang, and Year 5 Teacher Ms. Jiarui Yu, along with Dr Xinyi Chi from the Wuhan University Tea Culture Centre, visited the UK Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education (UKAPCE) in Newcastle. They met with UKAPCE President Mr. Shanxiong Wu, Vice President Ms. Yi Shao, and other colleagues to discuss the future direction of Chinese language education in the UK.

Established over thirty years ago, the UK Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education (UKAPCE) has been dedicated to promoting Chinese language and traditional Chinese studies in schools overseas, enabling young people around the world to receive education and cultural enrichment in Chinese culture. UKAPCE’s mission is to effectively integrate traditional Chinese studies into curriculum standards, teaching materials, classroom practice, and assessment, fostering students’ comprehensive engagement and understanding. This year, guided by the principles of “standardised schooling” and “standardised teaching,” UKAPCE has focused its efforts on developing a comprehensive Chinese language teaching curriculum framework.

This February saw the successful organisation of the 7th All-UK Chinese School Principals Forum, where various organisations commenced the compilation of a UK Chinese education curriculum framework. This collaborative effort includes Chinese school teachers, university sinology professors, and education experts. Guided by the principle of practical learning and application, excellent traditional Chinese culture and classic studies have been fully integrated into the curriculum framework. In late spring/early summer, UKAPCE also completed the selection of pilot Chinese schools across the UK to progressively integrate traditional culture and classics into local classrooms, phase by phase and year by year. This initiative aims to achieve standardised teaching and schooling practices across different regions. On June 1, 2024, the first joint examination for UK Chinese schools was officially held. UKAPCE established a guidance group of seven experts to oversee the process. Collaboration has led to the creation of a sample question bank for UK Chinese language examinations, formally incorporating content related to traditional Chinese studies into the exam questions.

Durham Chinese School had previously visited President Wu during the Lunar New Year last year to discuss the standardisation and regulation of Chinese language education and assessment. This year, UKAPCE and Durham Chinese School have achieved significant results in standardising teaching and examinations. President Wu showcased a sample Year 1 joint exam paper. The questions were cleverly designed with appropriate difficulty, featuring illustrations of Chinese cultural elements like the Spring Festival, making them both engaging and practical, helping to motivate student interest and reduce test anxiety. Durham Chinese School actively participated in this curriculum and examination standardisation reform. Mr Liu and other teachers from Durham Chinese School expressed sincere admiration for the selfless dedication of President Wu, Vice President Shao, and their colleagues. They also shared their own experiences in educational evaluation, noting plans to trial computer and AI technology at Durham Chinese School to assist in Chinese language education by providing student feedback and assessment, aiming to improve future teaching and further enhance learning outcomes. President Wu further highlighted the rapid advancements in UK Chinese education over the past thirty years, positioning it among the top in Europe and worldwide, expressing hope for more Chinese schools to join the unified UK Chinese assessment, adopt consistent teaching curricula, and participate in the comprehensive evaluation system.

Mr Liu specifically presented President Wu with a calligraphic work in seal script by his father, Mr Yaohua Liu, a calligrapher from Henan. The six characters, “天时地利人和” (Favorable timing, geographical advantage, harmonious human relations), were described as a perfect interpretation of the flourishing development and promising future of UK Chinese education in recent years under President Wu’s leadership. Dr Xinyi Chi, representing the Wuhan University Tea Culture Centre, also presented tea, including Hubei Zhao Li Qiao Dark Tea and Yunnan Pu’er tea, to UKAPCE. She explained the history of tea, the differences in tea culture across various countries, and discussed the integration and promotion of tea culture in overseas Chinese education in the future.

As the Zuo Zhuan classic says, “They endured hardships to start a great undertaking.” UK Chinese education began with significant effort and has now flourished, thanks to the close cooperation between UKAPCE and regional Chinese schools, and even more so, to the joint efforts of overseas Chinese communities both within the UK and globally. The UK Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education will continue to uphold and promote Chinese culture, aspiring for the next generation of young people overseas to fully engage with and appreciate Chinese heritage, enriching their lives and contributing positively to the diverse societies they live in.

杜伦中文学校及武汉大学茶文化中心拜访英国中文教育促进会

作者：于嘉睿

泰恩威尔河畔暖风汇聚，2024年6月29日，杜伦中文学校刘浩洋校长、教务主任王静芸老师、五年级班主任于嘉睿老师以及武汉大学茶文化中心的池心怡博士一行，前往位于纽卡斯尔的英国中文教育促进会，拜访伍善雄会长、邵怡副会长及各位同仁，共同探讨英国中文教育的未来发展方向。

英国中文教育促进会成立三十余年来，致力于推动中文及中华文化在海外各校的深入普及，旨在让全球青少年有机会接触和学习中华语言与文化。促进会一直秉持“办学规范化”与“教学标准化”的发展理念，围绕中文教学大纲展开实践。

今年2月，第七届全英华校校长论坛成功举办，各方组织共同开启了英国华文教育大纲的编撰工作，其中包括中文学校教师、高校汉学系教授及教育学专家等专业人士。在多方努力下，以实学实用为宗旨，中华优秀传统文化被充分融入教学大纲之中。今夏，中文教育促进会完成了对全英华校的遴选试点，将传统文化与中文经典分阶段、分年级、分步骤、循序渐进地融入各地区课堂，以实现各地教学标准化、办学规范化的目标。2024年6月1日，全英华校正式举办了联合考试。促进会组织专家成立指导组进行督导，已合作建立了英国华文考试的示例试题库，并将相关经典内容纳入试题。

去年新春，杜伦中文学校曾拜访伍会长，就中文教育与考试的统一化与规范化进行探讨。今年，杜伦中文学校已在规范化教学与考试方面取得了显著成果。伍会长展示了目前联考的一年级试卷，试题设计精巧，难度适宜，并融入了春节等中文文化插图，兼具趣味性与实用性，有效激发了学生的学习兴趣。杜伦中文学校也积极参与了此次课程教学与考试的标准化改革。刘校长与各位老师对伍会长、邵副会长及同仁们的无私奉献表示由衷钦佩，并分享了各自在教育测评方面的经验。杜伦中文学校计划在本校试行计算机及人工智能技术辅助中文教育，通过学生成绩反馈与评估，帮助改进未来教学，进一步提升学习效果。伍会长进一步指出，英国中文教育三十年间取得了突飞猛进的发展，在欧洲乃至世界各国中名列前茅，期望未来能有更多中文学校加入全英统一中文考核体系，采用一致化的教学大纲，并参与到综合测评之中。

访问期间，刘校长特意向伍会长赠送了父亲——河南书法家刘耀华老先生的篆书作品“天时地利人和”，寓意着在英中文教育近年来在各方协作下所取得的成就与美好前景。池心怡博士也代表武汉大学茶文化中心，向促进会献上来自故乡的茶叶，包括湖北省赵李桥老字号青砖茶及云南生熟普洱各一饼，并为众人讲解了茶叶的历史、各国茶文化的异同，探讨了茶文化与未来海外中文教育的融合推广。

正如古语有云，开拓者筚路蓝缕，而今事业蓬勃发展。在英中文教育的辉煌成就，离不开促进会与各地区中文学校的紧密合作，更得益于海内外华人华侨及各界人士的共同努力。英国中文教育促进会将继续弘扬中华文化，传承语言精髓，让下一代青少年身在海外亦能浸润在华夏文化的芬芳之中。