ASU’s Noble Science and Engineering Library to host Confucius Institute Exhibition

October 05, 2007

Artifacts to commemorate the opening of the Confucius Institute Confucius was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher whose teachings deeply influenced Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese thought and life. Now, his teachings will extend to Arizona and Arizona State University with the opening of the Confucius Institute, a joint effort between ASU and China’s Sichuan University. The Confucius Institute is ASU’s direct response to the need for creating a sustainable in-depth source of knowledge about China for Arizona citizens. In conjunction with the opening of the Confucius Institute, ASU’s Noble Science and Engineering Library will host a Confucius Institute Exhibition debuting Oct. 8 at the Tempe campus. The Confucius Institute Exhibition will contain artifacts from China, as well as display photos and information about Confucius and his influence on Chinese history and culture, and showcase the Sichuan province and its capital city, Chengdu. It will also convey the importance of the Confucius Institute collaboration between the two universities, feature Sichuan University and its libraries, and highlight ASU’s Center for Asian Research. "This is an important moment for ASU and the Phoenix metropolitan area," says Stephen H. West, director of the Center for Asian Research. "In the 21st century, all places in the world are linked in a tight net of global processes: media, economics, politics, and military intervention. In a world in which images are flashed around the globe in a second's time, it’s important to have a citizenry that can understand and interpret those images and their meaning with clarity and precision.” “The Confucius Institute – and the exhibit at Noble Library – will be at the forefront of bringing cultural and linguistic knowledge about China to Arizona's citizens. It is a unique opportunity for Arizona to become more deeply engaged in a world of rapid globalization," says West. The team putting together the Confucius Institute Exhibition includes members from the ASU Libraries, the President’s Office for Strategic Initiatives, the Center for Asian Research and the School of Life Sciences Visualization Lab. The ASU Libraries also will be posting podcasts about the Confucius Institute, the role of the Asian Research Center at ASU and the ASU Libraries initiatives in China. Podcasts can be accessed via the Library Channel at www.asu.edu/lib/librarychannel <http://www.asu.edu/lib/librarychannel> . “The Confucius Institute Exhibition will create an understanding of and an appreciation for the variety of contributions people from other societies can make to the globally dynamic knowledge community,” says Anthony (Bud) Rock, ASU’s vice president for global engagement. The exhibition will be open weekdays from 7 a.m. to midnight and weekends from 10 a.m. to midnight through December 15. # # #<separator></separator> The Noble Science and Engineering Library is one of eight Arizona State University Libraries. The ASU Libraries, led by University Librarian Sherrie Schmidt, has a physical collection of over 4.3 million volumes and provides the ASU community access to more than 32,000 electronic journals, 281,000 electronic books and 319 electronic databases through its Web site at www.asu.edu/lib <http://www.asu.edu/lib> . A high-resolution photo is available at http://ovpge.asu.edu/media/China_Puppet.jpg. Photo courtesy of Arizona State University. Suggested caption: Leather Shadow puppet by Zhan Huazhou, part of the Confucius Institute Exhibition at the Noble Science and Engineering Library, through December 15. SOURCE: Dr. Ralph Gabbard, Ralph.gabbard@asu.edu (602) 543-8511 MEDIA CONTACT: DD Kullman, ddkullman@asu.edu (480) 727-8269 direct line / (480) 294-8781 cell Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona USA www.asu.edu/global <http://www.asu.edu/global>