Spring Break Study Abroad Program in Singapore and Malaysia Features Chinese Learning in Multicultural Societies

UNC Charlotte undergraduate students participated in a study abroad program in Singapore and Malaysia during Spring Break 2023 with the theme “Chinese Culture in Multicultural Societies: A Comparative Study of Singapore and Malaysia” (CHNS 3225). This program was the first Spring Break study abroad program in Singapore and Malaysia and was led by Yongling Gorke, assistant director in the Office of International Programs and adjunct professor in Chinese.

The program started in Singapore, where students learned about this Southeast Asian city state and the various cultures represented therein. In particular, students learned about the Peranakan (local born) community, a mixed group of Chinese and Malay population. Students visited the Chinese Heritage Centre at Nanyang Technological University and learned about the university’s history as the first Chinese university established in Singapore. While in Singapore, this group conducted a corporate visit to Lingo Ace, the world’s largest online Chinese language education company for ages 3-15.

Following the three-day visit in Singapore, the group transited to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Malaysian portion of the visit included a day visit to University of Kuala Lumpur, where UNC Charlotte students attended a lecture on “Historical, Social and Economic Development of Malaysia and its Relationship with China and Other Countries in ASEAN.” Students also toured one of the University of Kuala Lumpur campuses. Additional academic visits in Malaysia included the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to education, research and cultural exchange between the Chinese population in Malaysia as well as other Chinese speaking regions in the world.

In addition to the academic visits in both countries, the program also arranged a variety of cultural activities for students, including a Peranakan cooking class in Kuala Lumpur, visits to the Singaporean Chinese Culture Centre, Kuala Lumpur Petronas Twin Towers (the world’s highest building from 1998 to 2004), as well as Chinatown in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.