ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan launches a year-long exploration this fall of the culture and society of contemporary China and its place in this era of intensified globalization.

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts 2007-08 Theme Year, “ChinaNow: A Contemporary Exploration,” combines the resources of the internationally-recognized U-M Center for Chinese Studies, the University Musical Society and other scholarly communities to explore China through courses, lectures, a film festival and a concert series, which includes a performance by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

A dragon boat race and festival on the Huron River in Ann Arbor’s Gallup Park on Sept. 30 will kick off the theme year. The theme year will conclude just prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The multidimensional exploration of China will give students and the University community a deeper understanding of the complexities and richness of Chinese society at a time when expanding international cultural awareness is critical to a world-class education, said Terrence J. McDonald, dean of LSA.

“We must educate our students and our community about China to prepare them to function in a global economy,” McDonald said. “The rich array of offerings provided by the ChinaNow theme year will provide students with a comprehensive exploration of the economy, the culture and the influence of the country.”

The focus of the theme year is consistent with U-M President Mary Sue Coleman’s China Initiative to develop academic partnerships with the country’s universities and strengthen U-M’s existing collaborations.

The ChinaNow Theme Year includes:

• A dragon boat race and festival on the Huron River at Gallup Park, on Sept. 30.
• Collaboration with the University Musical Society’s “Asia Festival 2007-08,” featuring Yo-Yo Ma’s first Ann Arbor recital since 2000, the Shen Wei Dance Arts Company, and the debut of young pianist Yuja Wang.
• A summer reading program for 1,500 first-year undergraduate students who will read and discuss James Kynge’s “China Shakes the World.”
• A winter 2008 Chinese documentary film series.
• A new introductory course on modern China offered by Asian Languages and Cultures.
• An international conference on the theory and methods of China studies in the 21st century.
• A Sunrise to Moonrise day of global cultural activities in collaboration with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival in June, 2008 to mark the end of the theme year.

For more information, contact the U-M Center for Chinese Studies at (734) 764-6308 or [email protected].