2008 Press Releases
UCC Celebrates Chinese Year of the Rat
04.02.2008
The Year of the Rat begins on Thursday, February 7th 2008 with UCC marking the occasion by hosting a special performance and reception in the Aula Maxima tomorrow, Tuesday, February 5th.
04.02.2008
The Year of the Rat begins on Thursday, February 7th 2008 with UCC marking the occasion by hosting a special performance and reception in the Aula Maxima tomorrow, Tuesday, February 5th.
The event will be an auspicious occasion for UCC's 180 - strong Chinese student body who will be joined by a corresponding group of Irish students taking Chinese Studies at the University's Irish Institute of Chinese Studies. The guest list will also feature representatives from Cork education and business communities.
The celebration, hosted jointly by the International Education Office, the Irish Institute of Chinese Studies (IICS) and the UCC Confucius Institute, will kick off at 7pm with musical performances by Chinese and Irish students. These will be followed by a Shadow Puppet Show performed by professional puppeteers from Beijing.
The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 animal symbols and the rat is the very first sign of the 12. Though the rat generally gets bad press in the West, in China it is considered a symbol of good luck, cleverness and wealth. Chen Pei Yu, a First Law student from Shanghai, Cork's sister city explained: "For me and many of my Chinese friends, the Year of the Rat is very special because it marks a new beginning. In the same way, my life as a student in Ireland marks a whole new beginning for me. While I was a student in Shanghai I worked part-time in an Irish bar called The Blarney Stone. Now that I have come to live in the home of the Blarney Stone, I find Cork people very friendly and talkative! I am really pleased that I have chosen to study Law in UCC - I know that the Year of the Rat is going to be a year of hard work and reward for me."
UCC has become Ireland's leading university in terms of its engagement with China. Its student recruitment campaign, driven by the International Education Office, ensures that UCC draws a very large number of Chinese students to its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. This inward movement of Chinese students is complemented by the growing interest in Chinese Studies on the part of Irish students.
The Irish Institute of Chinese Studies was established in June 2006 at UCC. The original idea was developed by the Irish Government and Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern TD in acknowledgement of the growing integration of China with the wider world and of the role that Ireland can play in that process. A Bachelor of Arts programme in Chinese Studies started at UCC in September 2006. Four more programmes commenced in the academic year 2007/2008: a Bachelor in Commerce (International) with Chinese; a Higher Diploma in Contemporary Chinese Culture and Business; a Master of Arts in Contemporary Chinese Culture and Business, and PhD in Chinese Studies. These are major developments in UCC, establishing it as a leading centre for high profile teaching and research on contemporary China.
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The celebration, hosted jointly by the International Education Office, the Irish Institute of Chinese Studies (IICS) and the UCC Confucius Institute, will kick off at 7pm with musical performances by Chinese and Irish students. These will be followed by a Shadow Puppet Show performed by professional puppeteers from Beijing.
The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 animal symbols and the rat is the very first sign of the 12. Though the rat generally gets bad press in the West, in China it is considered a symbol of good luck, cleverness and wealth. Chen Pei Yu, a First Law student from Shanghai, Cork's sister city explained: "For me and many of my Chinese friends, the Year of the Rat is very special because it marks a new beginning. In the same way, my life as a student in Ireland marks a whole new beginning for me. While I was a student in Shanghai I worked part-time in an Irish bar called The Blarney Stone. Now that I have come to live in the home of the Blarney Stone, I find Cork people very friendly and talkative! I am really pleased that I have chosen to study Law in UCC - I know that the Year of the Rat is going to be a year of hard work and reward for me."
UCC has become Ireland's leading university in terms of its engagement with China. Its student recruitment campaign, driven by the International Education Office, ensures that UCC draws a very large number of Chinese students to its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. This inward movement of Chinese students is complemented by the growing interest in Chinese Studies on the part of Irish students.
The Irish Institute of Chinese Studies was established in June 2006 at UCC. The original idea was developed by the Irish Government and Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern TD in acknowledgement of the growing integration of China with the wider world and of the role that Ireland can play in that process. A Bachelor of Arts programme in Chinese Studies started at UCC in September 2006. Four more programmes commenced in the academic year 2007/2008: a Bachelor in Commerce (International) with Chinese; a Higher Diploma in Contemporary Chinese Culture and Business; a Master of Arts in Contemporary Chinese Culture and Business, and PhD in Chinese Studies. These are major developments in UCC, establishing it as a leading centre for high profile teaching and research on contemporary China.
622MMcS