On December 7th, the Ai Feiyang Chinese School and National Taiwan Normal University co-organized a cultural teaching event titled “Home Comfort, Double the Happiness” at the Fremont campus. The event, which featured a combination of lucky draws, dance performances, and on-site dumpling making, attracted around 70 enthusiastic students and parents both online and offline.
This event was the highlight of the “Hello, Chinese! Explore the World with Us!” cultural promotion series, supported by the Overseas Community Affairs Council and the Chinese Teaching Center of Jinshan Bay Area, presented in six sessions every two weeks.
The course introduced the concept of home feng shui, guiding participants to understand principles related to lighting, ventilation, cleanliness, and safety that are closely linked to quality of life. Through a cultural perspective, the course analyzed the reasons behind traditional home arrangements to help everyone create a peaceful and comfortable living environment.
Principal Shan Shengling of Ai Feiyang Chinese School emphasized to the media that many people associate “feng shui” with superstition. Therefore, the course specifically highlights the cultural and logical aspects of life. For example, it is recommended not to have a mirror directly facing the bed in the bedroom to avoid night disturbances, and keeping the entrance clutter-free facilitates air circulation and safety of movement.
She also introduced cultural elements symbolizing happiness, such as the golden toad, but stressed to students that “true happiness comes from within oneself. If the heart is at peace, harmony will naturally prevail in the surroundings.”
Li Naya, the Executive Vice President of the Chinese School Association of America, told the media that this series of courses is a collaborative effort between Ai Feiyang and National Taiwan Normal University, giving prospective teachers from NTNU the opportunity to interact with adult Chinese learners overseas through online teaching and experience cross-border Mandarin teaching. She emphasized that culture is an important foundation for language learning. This series attracts teachers from around the world and students of different age groups, demonstrating a successful collaboration that is both profound and practical, providing a rare opportunity for NTNU teacher trainees to practice overseas Chinese teaching.
Michael Leinhos, Student Affairs Manager and Chair of the Teacher Association at San Francisco Bay University, was also invited to attend. He mentioned that in the past six months, the school has had a close collaboration with Ai Feiyang, and the Chinese club established by Ai Feiyang is highly popular among students, promoting good communication. He also announced that the school will host a Lunar New Year celebration event in February next year, welcoming Ai Feiyang and the local community to join in the festivities.
Lin Tai from TCML, while learning to make dumplings, shared her experience. She has been learning from the summer classes at the Fremont Library until now and just completed the course this Thursday. She found the activities very interesting, and the Chinese lessons have benefited her greatly. “The teachers are very professional. As long as you are willing to learn, you can learn it.”
Aldo Sol, a Mexican network engineer who has been in the United States for seven years, expressed his interest in learning Chinese. He has been studying Chinese for about a year and a half, with two months spent at Ai Feiyang. He is passionate about languages, speaks multiple languages, and finds Chinese particularly attractive due to its deep culture and unique language.
Talking about the on-site dumpling making, Aldo was excited, saying, “I really love it! I initially planned to bring my family, and they were looking forward to it, but they couldn’t make it at the last minute. Making dumplings to us is like a family activity. I have always wanted to learn how to make them myself. Working together, enjoying together, and finally eating together – it’s a lot of fun.”