The committee met on Friday, March 16, 2007.

The recipient of the Chinese Studies Scholarship is Patricia Ng. A junior majoring in Biology, minoring in China Studies, enrolled in Honors College with an overall G.P.A. of 3.96, Patricia has taken a broad range of China-related course work including Elementary Chinese, Introduction to Chinese History and Civilization, Family Marriage and Kinship in China, Social Sciences Special Topics in China, as well as Independent Research in China Studies. The committee was much impressed by the dedication as well as the excellent performance Patricia has exhibited in her studies.  The committee was equally impressed by how Patricia found stronger connection with her family and a deeper and broader sense of self through Chinese studies.  As she stated in the personal statement, an American-born Chinese, Patricia was not able to confidently embrace her ethnic identity or to make “rightful claims” to Chinese inheritance, until she took an anthropology course on the structure of Chinese kinship.  She has undertaken a research project to evaluate how her generation assimilates into the US culture through intermarriage while trying to maintain an Asian identity.  Furthermore, the committee appreciated how Patricia has found greater relevance of Chinese studies to other areas of study and other domains of life.  She cites for example how Chinese philosophies can benefit human interaction worldwide, how Chinese holistic treatments may benefit bio-medical practice, and how an understanding of contemporary China may contribute to enhanced international relations.

The recipient is Jian Fang, a senior majoring in Business Management.  Jian co-founded (with three other students) the Stony Brook Chinese Literature Club in December 2004, served as the Club’s Secretary for three consecutive semesters (Spring 2005 to Spring 2006) and since Fall 2006 has been its President.  Over the last few years, the Club’s membership has grown from a couple of dozens students who received most of their pre-college education in China to today’s two hundred students from various cultural and linguistic/dialectal backgrounds.  The Club’s activities have extended from reading Chinese language books to holding cultural events such as the Lantern Festival, inviting high-profile Chinese language writers to deliver lectures on campus, and publishing an annual journal “Enlightenment”.  The journal has been an important forum for students to practice and perfect their Chinese language skills through composing prose and poetry as well as to enhance comprehension and communication between different cultures as the student writers reflect upon their own bilingual, bi-literate, and bi-cultural experiences.  Particularly noteworthy under Jian’s leadership is this year’s (February 2007) Chinese New Year Celebration Show held in the Wang Center Theatre.  Jian and her Chinese Literature Club started planning the event during Fall 2006 and were later joined by another study organization China Blue.  The performances included Chinese folk dance, fashion show reflecting over 50 Chinese ethnic minorities, calligraphy, martial arts, as well as singing and the traditional lion dance.  The Wang Center Theatre was filled to its 250 capacity and about 50 more were asked to leave the theatre due to safety reasons.  The audience included people of all colors and cultures from both the campus and the community (including the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences and the Chair of AAAS Dept).  In addition to being a prime mover behind the event, Jian also was one of the emcees, delighting the audience with her Mandarin, Cantonese and English narrations.  The event received coverage in four Chinese language newspapers and one TV channel.  Jian exhibited extraordinary leadership in putting together this big event, inspiring members of Chinese Literature Club, collaborating with other student organizations, and ultimately reaching the goal of sharing and celebrating Chinese culture with everyone concerned.