Hao Mama 好妈妈

From around the Internet:

- “Foreign Languages Fade in Class — Except Chinese” from the New York Times, on the growing popularity of Chinese in American schools amid declining availability of foreign language courses in general. Some notable stats: “Rough calculations based on the government’s survey suggest that perhaps 1,600 American public and private schools are teaching Chinese, up from 300 or so a decade ago” and Chinese is about to surpass German to become the third most popular language for AP courses.

- Benefits of Studying Chinese from the World of Reading Ltd Blog – a handy list for anyone contemplating studying the language.

- Education as a Path to Conformity in the New York Times. Looks at the pressures placed on Chinese students and the lack of creative thinking in Chinese education, by Didi Kirsten Tatlow, whose six-year-old is in a local school in China.

L has begun to enjoy reading chapter books, and, along with Stuart Little and the Beverly Cleary classics, especially likes the popular Magic Tree House series, about a brother and sister in Pennsylvania who discover a tree house in the woods behind their house which transports them to any number of exotic or historical scenes, from the Age of the Dinosaurs to the ninjas of ancient Japan and even up to the moon. While searching for Christmas gift books for him, I was excited to find the whole series in English/Chinese bilingual editions at ChinaSprout. We were especially happy about this discovery because we’ve had a hard time finding quality books in Chinese for his age, available here, which are more sophisticated than the average picture book but engaging enough to keep his interest. His dad and I now take turns reading the same Magic Tree House (神奇树屋) book in English and Chinese, and he loves it. With over thirty books in the series, this should keep us busy for a while. The whole series in Chinese is available on Amazon as well.

A while ago, I wrote about the phenomenon known as “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf,” China’s first successful domestically produced animated movie. Now CNN is reporting that Disney may be positioning to buy the franchise,much to the consternation of Chinese viewers:

An article posted on Tianya.cn about the rumor proposed two possible reasons behind Disney’s alleged interest in the program: either Disney is threatened by the Chinese cartoon so they want to buy it and hide it, or Disney is trying to Americanize the Chinese kids.

The article outlines how much the cartoon and its franchise have grossed over the past few years, adding, “As Chinese, we are so proud of the cultural value of The Pleasant Goat. How can Disney possibly understand the Chinese culture behind the show?”

Although Disney has become more culturally sensitive in recent times, netizens still refer to the company’s 1998 version of the classic Chinese tale of Mulan as an example of how the company sells out Chinese culture. “[Mulan] even speaks like an American,” says Wo Shi Yu Men Ge, the poster and author of the Tianya.cn article. “Although buying “The Pleasant Goat” isn’t a form of economic blockade, it is a form of cultural blockade. If the souls of our kids are invaded by America, what will China have left?”

Read more: Disney to buy The Pleasant Goat and the Big Big Wolf?

East Bay Express, our local free weekly, has published a very nice article about my son’s Mandarin immersion school here in the Bay Area. It gives a good picture of how an immersion classroom works and why full immersion is really the best way for children to learn a second language. I recommend the article, whether or not you are local, as it’s an interesting read for anyone thinking about teaching or learning languages.

As I’ve mentioned before, the legend of the Monkey King is a favorite in our house. Before a recent long flight, I searched iTunes (which, if you search hard enough, has quite a bit of material in Chinese for kids) for something to keep L entertained, and found a recording of the complete Monkey King (Journey to the West or 西游记) by famed storyteller Sun Jingxiu (孙敬修). Generations of Chinese children have listened to “Grandpa Sun” tell the story of Sun Wukong in his heavy Beijing accent without any special effects, cutesy voices, or annoying music; his recording keeps my five-year-old enthralled for hours at a time and often makes him laugh out loud. Highly recommended for quiet rest times, long car trips, or rainy indoor days.

To find it, search the iTunes store for “Sun Jingxiu.” Currently they only have Volumes 1 & 3, but the whole set can also be purchased on Amazon. Segments of the story can also be heard for free via Chinese video-sharing site Tudou. The first section is here.