The Confucius Institute at Prairie View A&M University has paired with Xi’an International Studies University to bring twenty students and two instructors to “The Hill” for a winter exchange program. While here, XISU students will be exposed to American culture from various perspectives. “The Confucius Institutes’ mission and purpose is to inform the world about Chinese people, it’s language and culture,” said James A. Wilson Jr., Ph.D., Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and the Director of the Honors Program at Prairie View A&M University, “In part, the program’s purpose is to expose Chinese students to the American academic culture and African American history and culture; to allow them to perfect their English skills as our students are there to perfect their Chinese skills.”
“They are truly exceptional students,” said Dr. Wilson, “Each of them is paired with an honor’s student who has either already been to XISU or will be going this summer.” During “Peer Day” last week, the exchange students had the opportunity to shadow their PVAMU peers by sitting in their classes and experiencing their daily routine. “This has turned out to be a very great idea because when the PVAMU students arrive at the XISU campus in May, they will already have established friends,” said Wilson.
Li Qiyang is a sophomore translation major from Fujian Province, China. Qiyang wanted to come to the United States because she had never been out of China before and cultural exchange is something that interested her. “As a translator, sometimes you have to be more open-minded and view other perspectives,” said Qiyang, “I think it’s very nice to be on this campus to communicate with my American peers.” While here, Qiyang said she is looking forward to finding out what American students are learning in class compared to what is shown in the media.
The XISU students will participate in four weeks of Dr. Wilson’s Honor Program colloquium The History of Images and Hollywood’s Construct of Black People. “It allows them to leave with a different perspective about the American historical narrative from the perspective of African Americans,” said Wilson, “The students are getting the larger American cultural experience and the subset of a group of people who are distinctively different.”
Wilson said that too often, the American story that is told is fragmented and does not necessarily include a realistic perspective of African American culture within the American narrative. “So, that’s what we do, and it allows them to meet Hispanic, white, biracial students; have a spectrum of the Texas experience explicitly,” said Wilson, “They see a broad cross-section of Texas.” XISU students will participate in several field trips during their stay on “The Hill”. They recently traveled to Galveston, TX, and Houston to visit the museum district. They also have plans to visit the capitol in Austin, TX; tour NASA and visit with alumna Amy Fritz ’16 who studied at XISU; travel to Texas A&M University’s Confucius Institute and tour the Bluebell Ice Cream factory, eat Texas BBQ and meet the mayors and judges of Brenham, TX to hear the perspective of local government.