Scottish photographer and travel writer, John Thomson (1837-1921), set off for Singapore in 1862 and in the next 10 years he undertook several major journeys photographing regions of Siam (Thailand), Cambodia and China. Nowadays we can take numerous photos in the space of one minute, however, in the nineteenth century it was a risk. A […]
Semester 2 Course Timetable
Mid-Autumn Festival and mooncakes!
Our SCIBC language teacher Zhuzhu has created a short video to provide some background on the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated this year on 21st September. She’s also highlighted the different types of mooncakes which are eaten at this time of year – plenty for the tastebuds to explore!
Summer Festivals in China
By Chuanming Zhu Hello, everybody! New term is coming! Welcome back to University! Did you enjoy your summer holiday? Summer is the ideal season for sunshine, visiting the beach and all kinds of festivals. In Scotland, the most famous festival is the Edinburgh International Festival, which brings top class performers of music, theatre, opera and […]
Soraidh Slàn
How long can one generally live? Say sixty or seventy? In this sense, two years seems short and unimportant. Yet for me, the last two years has almost been so far the best of my life, in Edinburgh. Edinburgh has a nickname in Chinese, “The Castle of Love”, a name that already suggests the wonderfulness […]
CI Storytelling—Robin Wilson, a Star Student of the Scottish Confucius Institute of Business and Communication (SCIBC) at Heriot-Watt University
By Ping Zhang (SCIBC Chinese Co-Director) and Wei Gu (SCIBC Mandarin Chinese Teacher ) 孔院故事会——赫瑞瓦特大学苏格兰商务与交流孔子学院明星学生罗斌 作者：赫瑞瓦特大学苏格兰商务与交流孔子学院中方院长 张平 赫瑞瓦特大学苏格兰商务与交流孔子学院中方教师 古炜 前言 Preface 罗斌（Robin Wilson）是英国苏格兰赫瑞瓦特大学语言系国际商务管理与中文专业的大二学生，也是赫瑞瓦特大学苏格兰商务与交流孔子学院的优秀学员。罗斌是地道的苏格兰人，他的家乡在英国苏格兰的欧文市。高中阶段，罗斌开始学习中文，2017至2018学年罗斌获得苏格兰中小学孔子学院奖学金资助，赴中国天津学习一年中文。 Robin Wilson is a second year student of the Department of Languages & Intercultural Studies (LINCS) at Heriot-Watt University, majoring in International Business Management and Chinese. He is also an excellent […]
May 20th / 520 – “I love you” day
520 is a short form of the day of May 20 and this date is another Valentine’s Day holiday in China. But why is this date Valentine’s Day? It may sound funny but “520” sounds phonetically very close to “I Love You”, or “Wo Ai Ni” in Chinese. We have produced a couple of videos […]
Baduanjin Qigong
This is one of the most common types of qigong that is used for exercise. The translation is that the exercises are eight pieces of brocade, eight-sections of brocade, eight silken movements. The name refers to how the eight movements in the session intertwine and have a ‘silken quality’. This is a lovely relaxing class […]
Wellbeing and U
Panel Discussion with Tamar Chang, Clinical Psychologist from Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) Lim Siow Yen, Counsellor at Heriot Watt University, Malaysia Campus and Ooi Kai Chien an Undergraduate at Heriot Watt University Malaysia The event starts with a panel discussion entitled ‘Wellbeing and U’ with Tamar Chang, clinical psychologist from the Malaysian Mental Health […]
Customs of清明节 (qīng míng jié) — the Tomb-sweeping Day
by Chuanming Zhu 清明节qīng míng jié, also known as the Tomb-sweeping Day, is one of the 24 solar terms and also a traditional Chinese festival for sweeping tombs and offering sacrifice to ancestors. It typically falls on 4th, 5th or 6th in April. Its Chinese name 清明qīng míng literally means “clear and bright,” hinting at […]
Popular Spring Activities in China
by Ping Zhang Spring is finally here, and the weather is getting warmer across China. Flowers are in bloom, including the famous cherry blossom in some parts of the country. There are a trio of Chinese holidays that happen in spring – Tomb Sweeping Festival/Qing Ming Festival (清明节 – qīng míng jié), Labor Day (劳动节 – láo dòng jié) and Dragon Boat […]