Using Chinese Language and Music to Bridge China and the World

"You and I have traveled far away from home for the same dream, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder; we have parted after a short time together and have shed tears in lonely moments. Every time we hear the greeting, we feel proud and relieved, different languages converge into Chinese…" I believe every international Chinese language teacher and volunteer with overseas teaching experience will be overwhelmed when they hear this song.

As the writer of the song Where the Flowers of Chinese Language Bloom, Yan Na is also one of many international Chinese language teachers. When she was teaching overseas, she used Chinese and music to tell the story of China and to build a bridge of communication and understanding. Today, let us learn more about her story!

Activate Teaching with Music

In September 2013, with the dream of becoming an international Chinese language teacher, Yan Na came to ROK to teach at Gwan-yang High School. "The first year was an exploratory stage for me. It was challenging for me to adapt to the 'partner teaching' model of Korean classrooms, master classroom management skills, and establish a good relationship with students."

After a period of adaptation, Yan Na gradually found a rhythm that suited her. She sums up her knack for quickly integrating into the local community with one word: imitation. "I would imitate the local teachers' teaching methods, understand the teachers' method for getting along with each other, follow the management mode between teachers and students, etc., which helped me shorten the time it took to figure it all out," said Yan Na.

ROK students love music. After class, they are singing and dancing in and out of the classroom. Yan Na decided to utilize her musical expertise and teach them to sing Chinese songs in the weekly Chinese class.

Teaching students to sing Chinese songs while teaching in ROK

From then on, the five-minute Chinese song time before each class became a routine between the students and Yan Na. Sweet Honey, Fairy Tale, The World Outside…after one semester, the students had mastered more than a dozen Chinese songs. The students sang better, their Chinese pronunciation had become more more native-like, and they had become more confident and active in speaking Chinese.

Teaching in the UK

With these precious experiences and immense love for international Chinese language education, in December 2014, Yan Na tried to compose lyrics and music by herself, and created Where the Flowers of Chinese language Bloom. Later, this song became the theme song of Volunteer Chinese Language Teacher Programe and widely spread. She is inpired and determined to tell more Chinese stories in the Chinese language and music she loves.

Communication with Music

In September 2018, recommended by Xiamen University, Yan Na came to the Philippines to teach as an international Chinese language teacher. "The students here love Chinese very much and study very hard, which is touching and also makes me feel a heavy responsibility."

During the teaching period, the Clark National Immigration Bureau of the Philippines invited Yan Na and her colleagues to give a lecture on Chinese communication and cultural differences between China and the Philippines for the immigration staff who were going to work in the area.

Teaching in the Philippines

Yan Na said, "After I received this teaching task, I spent a lot of time in preparation. Because it was a special lecture for government staff, besides content, I also had to pay attention to some matters in cross-cultural communication. During the four-hour lecture, I was engrossed every minute, not only in responding quickly to answer their questions, but also to use practical examples to help them understand the similarities and differences between Chinese and Philippine tourism culture."

The lecture was highly appreciated by the participants. Such a lecture not only allowed the staff of the Immigration Bureau to learn more about Chinese tourism culture, but also promoted their cross-cultural communication skills.

"It was these teaching experiences and insights that made me decide to try using music as a method of cultural exchange between China and the Philippines. I also hope to have more opportunities in the future to deliver the sound of Chinese culture in my own way."

In July 2020, Yan Na used her spare time to compose Hello, I am Clark, which was selected by the Tourism Promotions Division of the Clark Development Corporation at Clark Freeport Zone in the Philippines as the "Clark Freeport Zone Promotional Song (Chinese version)".

"I was touched by the enthusiasm of the staff for the Chinese language. They work every day with immigrants, tourists and Chinese businessmen who come to the Philippines to invest, so Chinese has become a language they must master in their work. After their busy workday, they come to the Chinese language class to learn. They say that learning Chinese is very interesting."

Yan Na said that through this song, on the one hand, she hopes that more Chinese people can understand Clark, and at the same time, she also hopes more Filipinos can fall in love with Chinese and understand China.

Passing on Strength with Music

After seven years of teaching in many countries, Yan Na fell in love with International Chinese Language Education, and gave her the idea for the song Mandarin Teacher.

Yan Na said, "In foreign countries, students call us 'Mandarin Teacher'. So, I named the song 'Mandarin Teacher', hoping to bring inspiration and strength to all international Chinese language teachers overseas."

From being a freshly graduated teacher, to being able to stand alone on the stage to teach Chinese in different languages; from being at a loss when going abroad for the first time, to being able to handle various cross-cultural communication situations from a diverse, inclusive and international perspective; Yan Na says all these experiences and exercises have given her more confidence, calm, optimism and resilience, and she also owes this growth to her career as an international Chinese language teacher.

"I have met my best self because of such rich life experiences, which allow me to try to build a bridge between China and the world with music. I also hope that I can use more and better musical works to give back to international Chinese language education, which I love. I also hope to continue to realize the value of my life as part of the team of international Chinese language teachers," said Yan Na.