Chinese Zodiac Presentation CHIN1110 (Heritage Chinese)
This video is a fun and creative effort from my students, Kevin Chang, and Miria Chung, combining their practice with handcrafted paper designs of the zodiac. They added sound effects and music to enrich the experience. Though there may be a couple of little typos, what shines through is their enthusiasm and hard work. I’m proud to showcase their progress!
CHIN 1110 FINAL PROJECT.mp42. Dragon Boat Festival Presentation from CHIN1110 (Heritage Chinese)
In this presentation, my students explored the origins of the Dragon Boat Festival by examining different historical narratives, including those of Qu Yuan, Wu Zixu, and Cao E. Rather than simply retelling the stories, they compared different perspectives and concluded that the festival's origins are likely rooted in broader folk traditions rather than a single historical figure.
They also connected the tradition of dragon boat racing with their own experiences in Ithaca, making meaningful cross-cultural connections. While their presentation included some grammatical inaccuracies and they relied on their scripts, I was particularly impressed by their ability to develop their own perspectives and engage thoughtfully with Chinese culture.
Mandarin Final Video(2) - Made with Clipchamp_1777861724208.mp43. Student Reflection from CHIN1109 (Heritage Chinese)
The following essay was written by a heritage Chinese learner in my CHIN 1109 course at Cornell University, a course designed specifically for heritage learners to develop reading and writing skills in Chinese. The assignment invited students to reflect on the relationship between language, identity, and family history.
In the essay below, black underlined words indicate vocabulary items and grammar structures learned in class, while red-highlighted words show new phrases the student independently incorporated while writing the essay.
This reflection highlights how heritage language learning is closely connected to questions of belonging, intergenerational communication, and cultural identity. In the essay, the student reflects on growing up in a Fuzhou-speaking family while not being able to fully participate in that linguistic world, describing both the emotional distance it created and the later realization of what was lost. The piece illustrates how language shapes family relationships, memory, and the ability to connect across generations.
It also reflects the kind of emotionally supportive classroom environment where students feel comfortable exploring personal experiences and complex aspects of their identity through writing.
The essay is shared here with the student’s permission. The student’s voice and reflections are preserved in their original form.
《福州话》
在我的家庭，家人讲两种语言：普通话和福州话。虽然福州话和普通话写出来是一样的汉字，可是听起来却完全不同。我只会说普通话。在家里，只有大人才会讲福州话，孩子们都讲普通话或者英语。从小到大我每一天都会听到福州话。以前我父母在中国餐馆工作，常常用福州话跟同事1一起讲话。我觉得父母喜欢和别人讲福州话，是因为这种方言有他们在福州的记忆。可是我没有那些记忆2，所以每次听到福州话，我就记得我的成长经历是多么的不同。然后我就会想：如果我是在中国长大的，我会不会变成不一样的人？因为我不会讲福州话, 我感觉自己越来越像外国人。我听不懂中国的笑话、我不知道中国的音乐,我也不知道中国的电视节目。虽然我看起来像中国人，但是我的想法和个性是在美国培养3的。我长大的时候常常平衡4我的两个身份5。
我家里几代人都是从福州来的 ，所以我们家族的故事都和福州有关。我家里的长辈6都说福州话，比方说，老奶奶不会讲普通话，只会说福州话。所以如果我想跟老奶奶讲话，我需要先跟妈妈或者外婆讲国语，后来他们可以把我的话翻译成福州话。我小时候觉得这个太麻烦了，所以我就不跟她讲话了。现在，她几年前去世了，然后我有些时候会想老奶奶。因为我都没有机会跟她讲福州话，我希望还能有最后一个机会可以了解她。她是我家庭最年长和最有智慧7的人，所以我希望她去世之前我可以最后跟她聊一聊。我想问她：我们家里有什么困难？你在家里喜欢吃什么？现在我只能跟家人好好聊天，所以这样我就不会再犯同样的错误了。
我觉得福州话对我来说有点陌生,因为虽然我会听，可是我不会讲。每次我想说福州话的时候，我本来听得懂的字都会忘了。所以，我福州话只能讲几句。在家里的时候，如果我家人跟亲戚出去吃晚餐，大人都是讲福州话的。因为小孩子们不爱说话，我们只能安静地听大人讲话。我们都不会说福州话，所以，我们都不知道大人在笑什么。因为我们不能跟大人聊天，不管我们年龄多大，大人都觉得我们是小孩子。
我是在美国出生的，所以我有一些想法很像美国人。可是每次回家的时候，我要换成中国人的想法。我在美国经常切换我的个性8。因为我是在佛罗里达州出生的，那里的中国人很少，我经常感觉自己像美国人。所以，如果我想交朋友我得像美国人。可是我在家里的时候，如果我不吃海鲜或者不尊重父母，人们就会说我太像美国人了。我会不会算美国人？如果我和朋友聊天，我会想,如果我的朋友跟我讲中文的话，我会不会算中国人？虽然我会普通话，可是用英语讲话最舒服。我经常不敢跟我父母说话。这不是因为不想跟我父母讲,而是因为我不知道怎么跟父母讲。我觉得我真正的情感9藏在英语背后。现在，朋友比父母更了解我。我希望如果有一天我会讲福州话，父母终于会了解我。
现在，我对我的中国身份比以前自在多了。我在学校里交了很多中国朋友。和他们说话时，我学到了很多以前外国人觉得奇怪、但对中国人来说很正常的东西。 在家外面，我已经能说一些中文了，而且，在大学里我也在慢慢学习怎么读汉字。在家里，我也会讲一点福州话。我觉得福州话很重要，因为我小时候的昵称都是福州话的，我小时候最快乐的记忆都有福州话在里面。每次我亲戚过来吃饭，我们的聊天都会出现一种完美的多种方言混合的对话。大人一整个晚上都会大声打麻将，而且小孩子都在一起玩游戏。我怕有一天我家里的快乐的声音会变成只有一个方言了。可是，我知道我现在没有时间学福州话。我希望有一天我可以坐下来好好学习。如果我以后有孩子，我希望他能够和父母说话；我不想让他像我和老奶奶那样无法说话。我希望家里的传统不会在他这一代失传。 我觉得我们家最重要的品质10是家人之间的爱，我不希望下一代把我们最重要的品质弄丢。
同事 - tóngshì (Colleague)
记忆 - jìyì (Memory)
培养 - péiyǎng (Cultivate)
平衡 - pínghéng (Balance)
身份 - shēnfèn (Identity)
长辈 - zhǎngbèi (Elder)
智慧 - zhìhuì (Wisdom)
个性 - gèxìng (Personality)
情感 - qínggǎn (Emotion)
品质 - pǐnzhì (Quality)