Nihao/Neihou, Chinese Language Week is 17-23 September this year, celebrating Mandarin, Cantonese and other Chinese dialects! There are many ways to be involved in this exciting week – attend an event, read a book or an eBook, and learn a Chinese phrase! (网页中文简体版）（网页中文繁体版)
Resource: Chinese Corner books for learning Chinese
Read books from the Chinese Corner to help you learn Chinese. You are welcome to reserve and borrow both simplified and traditional text Chinese books.
Resource: Chinese books
You can find Chinese books in simplified and traditional scripts from any Wellington City Libraries branches or reserve a book for free to pick up from your nearest branches. Waitohi Johnsonville, Te Awe and Arapaki libraries also have Chinese books on display with beautiful Chinese themed decorations.
Event: Chinese Heritage Typeset, a talk with Wai-te-ata Press
From 1940-1970, a Chinese Wellingtonian, Dan Chen was the funding editor of The Growers Journal for the Dominion Federation of NZ Chinese Commercial Growers. Initially he hand-calligraphed the newsletter, but he had a vision of moving to a fully-fledged lead typeset and printed newspaper, and eventually did in the early 1950s. In 1953, when Dan was asked by an Evening Post reporter how he knew the location of each of the 7,500 characters for the type-setting work, he grinned cheerfully and said, “Memory.”
This typeset provides greater understanding to the history and culture of Chinese Aotearoa and is New Zealand’s only surviving typeset in the Chinese language. It was endowed to Wai-te-ata Press by Dan’s descendants and now, for the first time, this heritage typeset is presented to Wellingtonians by Dr Sydney Shep and Dr Duncan Campell. This is a talk not to be missed!
- Facebook Event: Chinese Heritage Typeset
- Time: 12:30 – 1:30pm, Saturday 23 September
- Location: Karori Library
- Language: Session will be delivered in English and subtitled in Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese
Event: Wellington’s Local Chinese History
Discover the history of Wellington’s local Chinese community! The long-standing chair and club historian of the Tung Jung Association, Gordon Wu QSM, will take us through the history of Wellington’s Chinese community, drawing from pictures and real-life stories from his own family history: the early Chinese settlers who worked on the goldfields, the SS Ventnor shipwreck in Hokianga, how family of the miners were finally allowed to arrive in New Zealand, and the vegetable growers.
Gordon has been involved in writing several books, include Zengcheng New Zealanders: a history for the 80th anniversary of the Tung Jung Association of NZ Inc, and is currently working on a book about his family history.
Come and hear this fascinating talk! As wonderful bonus, as a Cantonese teacher, Gordon can also teach you a few Cantonese phrases.
This event will be delivered in English and subtitled in both Mandarin and Cantonese subtitles.
- Facebook Event: Wellington’s Local Chinese History
- Time: 5:10pm-5:50pm on Thursday 21 September
- Location: Te Awe library
- Language: Session will be delivered in English and subtitled in Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese
Event: Live music and dance performance
Come and be amazed by Chinese music and dance, the traditional treasures of the tea ceremony, poems and much more! No reservation required. We have been very lucky to have the NZ Chinese Culture and Arts Association come and perform at many special events at Wellington City Libraries since 2016, and they have performed at Parliament, Te Papa and many other high-profile venues — this is a wonderful opportunity to see them again!
- Facebook Event: Live music and dance performance
- Time: 2:00 – 3:00pm, Saturday 23 September
- Location: Karori Library
Event: Wellington Chinese Language School performance
Explore the fascinating world of Chinese language and culture with Wellington Chinese Language School through poems, literature, music and dance performance.
- Time: 10:00-11:00 am, Sunday 17 September
- Location: Newlands Community Centre
Resource: Libby eBooks
Read Chinese eBooks on contemporary prose, classic poems, Macau, Hong Kong, and Singapore history and Chinese links to New Zealand literature. Available through your computer or the app, explore our Chinese eBook collection.
Resource: Mango Languages
Mango languages is an online language system with tutorials for 77 languages and dialects. It provides language learning in common contexts, such as greeting, food and transport. You can also learn Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Cantonese, and Chinese Shanghainese.
Resource: DragonSource Magazines
DragonSource has over 3000 Chinese magazines online that include many popular magazine titles, such as Reader’s Digest, Elle Chinese, Vogue Chinese, photography, Xinmin Weekly and much more. Updated monthly, read online for free.
Give one of these resources a go, or join us at one of the events above as we celebrate Chinese Language Week!
