This class, taught in English by a non-native speaker of Mandarin Chinese, introduces learners with no previous knowledge of  Chinese to some basic vocabulary and phrases. Careful pronunciation is reinforced, and learners will be able to practice after class from the hand-out provided.  This class is rich in cultural lore and is designed to inspire learners to learn more about China and the Chinese language.

 On a long-ago day in ancient China, the heavens opened and welcome rain fell heavily on the wheat fields. The thunder roared and the farmers knew that the heavenly dragon was busy watching over them and their crops.

In some Western countries, dragons are scary and they are to be feared. Not so in China! The Chinese dragon symbolizes good luck, wisdom, strength, and power.  Court artists depicted dragons on the walls of  the Imperial Palace and gifted embroidery artists depicted dragons on the Emperor’s lavish robes. Ceramic artists depicted gorgeous dragons on bowls and pots. If a prince or princess was born in a Dragon Year, the happy people knew that he or she would be a great leader.

Like many Chinese characters, the word for dragon looks like what is says. Chinese characters are amazing word pictures…that’s right, there are no A B Cs in Chinese!

In this interactive class, we will color a traditional Chinese dragon and learn about the traditional Chinese brush artist and look at her tools. We will learn the correct stroke order for the character dragon. We will compare and contrast the Western and the Chinese dragon. 

We will look at images of Chinese dragons on robes and ceramics and we will look at the dragon artwork of traditional brush artists.

I will introduce the students to a few words and phrases in Chinese and they can repeat and practice what they learn. I will help them commit what they learn to memory...perhaps some learners will be inspired to learn more about China and the Mandarin language!