In response to numerous requests from students in the corridor, Chinese Corridor hosted a movie night featuring “Our Times” (我的少女時代 Wǒ De Shàonǚ Shídài), a 2015 Taiwanese teen romantic comedy-drama film directed by Frankie Chen.
The theme song “A Little Happiness” was undeniably one of the biggest hits of 2015. It’s so catchy that by the end of the movie, everyone couldn’t resist singing along!
Fall is known as the best time for reading, earning it the nickname “Fall of Reading.” This tradition traces back to the poetic musings of Han Yu, a distinguished poet from the Tang Dynasty in China. In his ancient five-character poem, “符讀書城南,” he beautifully captures the essence of autumn’s allure for bibliophiles: “時秋積雨霽，新涼入郊墟。燈火稍可親，簡編可卷舒. This literally means the autumn night is cool, and one doesn’t feel the heat of the lamp; it’s a good time for reading.
One reason fall is great for reading is because the hot summer weather goes away, making it easier to focus on books.
To celebrate this season, we held a Study Night on October 18 and extended an open invitation to students who wish to participate in group studying. It was a lovely gathering where everyone came together to chat and enjoy delicious snacks, all while surrounded by the enchanting atmosphere of autumn.
(pictures by Chinese Corridor, 10/18/2023; post by JuiYu Liao)
The Chinese Corridor hosted its first gathering for the new academic year on September 20th. During this gathering, we took turns introducing ourselves, engaged in conversations to foster better acquaintance, and discussed the upcoming events scheduled for the year. Additionally, students had the opportunity to propose the events they would like to do.
The celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, zhōng qiū jié) takes place on September 27. The most significant aspect of this festival is the opportunity to gather with the people you love.
One of the most iconic traditions associated with this celebration is having mooncakes (月饼, yuè bǐng). In Chinese culture, the round shape of mooncakes symbolizes completeness and reunion. Therefore, eating mooncakes signifies the unity and wholeness of families (团圆, tuán yuán).
During the celebration, two types of mooncakes are served. One is the sweet Rose Red Bean Paste Moon Cake (玫瑰红豆沙月饼, méiguīhóng dòushāyuè bǐng), and the other is a combination of sweet and savory, known as the Date Paste Egg Yolk Mooncake (枣泥蛋黄酥, zǎoní dànhuángsū).
Before enjoying the mooncakes, we prepare a small activity sheet for students to engage with. The sheet includes festival related vocabulary, and the students are tasked with matching each term to the appropriate picture and its English meaning. Once the mission is completed, we serve mooncakes, tea, and snacks for everyone to enjoy!
(pictures by Chinese Corridor, 9/27/2023; post by JuiYu Liao)
As the school year drew to a close, we gathered for one last evening of culinary delight in our corridor. This time, we chose to create a dish that had long been awaited — Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐, Mápó Dòufu), a Chinese delicacy hailing from the Sichuan province.
To begin, we took fresh spring onions and blended them with oil, allowing the oil to absorb the rich and flavorful essence of the onions. Next, we added the sauce — a great combination of tangy, fermented flavors from douban and douchi. We mixed everything until the ingredients were fully combined before adding in the delicate tofu cubes.
As we fried the tofu in the sauce, the aroma that filled the kitchen was simply magical. The tofu slowly absorbed the complex flavors of the spices, resulting in a taste that was both delectable and unforgettable. To further enhance the dish, we added some Sichuanese peppercorns, which added an extra kick to the already sensational flavor.
The combination of spicy, savory, and slightly sweet flavors made Mapo Tofu a unique and utterly delightful dish. Its fiery red appearance and bold, spicy flavors captured our imaginations and ignited our taste buds. Sitting down and enjoying our creation, we felt a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, knowing that we had come together to create something memorable.
(pictures by Chinese Corridor, 4/19/2023; post by Entzu Chang)
Our first cooking event this spring took place by the end of the Lunar New Year, spotlighting tangyuan.
Tangyuan (汤圆, tāngyuán), traditionally served during the Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāojié), the 15th day of the first month of a lunar year, is a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice. With ball-shaped as its signature look, it may have different sizes and flavors. Sesame and red bean are some of the most popular fillings, and tonight the red bean one was here.
Being a homophone for union (团圆, tuányuán), the name of tangyuan holds an essence of togetherness and wholeness, resonating with the first full moon of the year occurring on the 15th day of the month. Winter passes with spring arriving; may spring blossom joyfully.
(pictures by Chinese Corridor, 2/8/2023; post by Entzu Chang, 2/8/2023)
Another cooking event that would be lovely to share is Dumpling Night.
On a wintry, rainy Wednesday evening of November, we gathered in Freeman Hall for dumplings. Inspired by a vegetarian recipe, we made some simple ones filled with carrots, mushrooms, and cabbages.
The most exciting part, folding, came after lots of cutting and chopping. It was captivating seeing and sharing our diverse ways of folding dumplings. Typical shapes were done, and so were distinctive ones. Creativity was infused into our dish, diverting into surprising results.
We cooked, and we dined. The wind was soaring outside; the rain slapped the windows. By the table we sat, having our handmade dumplings, talking leisurely in the presence. With music playing in the background, our chatter and laughter reverberated in the kitchen. How wonderful and thankful it was for us to be here.
(pictures by Chinese Corridor, 11/2/2022; post by Entzu Chang, 12/7/2022)
Earlier this semester, the Chinese Corridor held a Boba-Tea-Making event. The Chinese Corridor residents and the Chinese language class students gathered together with the Language Assistant in the Language House, Freeman Hall, enjoying the cooking night.
Boba Tea (珍珠奶茶, zhēnzhū nǎichá), also known as Pearl Milk Tea, Tapioca Tea, or Bubble Tea, is a type of drink originated in Taiwan, which initially consists of tea and boba, small spheres made from cassava starch that are often simmered in brown sugar to gain sweetness.
Nowadays, more varieties of toppings come to be in accompany the drink. Besides typical tapioca pearls, we may also see colorful, fruity, popping boba, grass jelly, pudding, red bean, taro, and much more.
We made our boba tea in two chosen flavors — strawberry milk tea and chai milk tea. In the evening, the caffeine-free alternatives may bring us relaxation amid the hustle and bustle of a busy week. Looking at the boba begetting their shapes in the boiling water, we caught the excitement from awaiting the delicious drink.
Hosting this boba cooking event, Entzu, the Language Assistant from Taiwan gladly expressed happiness in seeing their beloved drink from home living all around and in partaking in the shared moments of foods, languages, and cultures with others in this convivial space.
(pictures by Chinese Corridor, 10/19/2022; post by Entzu Chang, 12/7/2022)
Earlier this month, our wonderful Chinese TA Jenny and Chinese Corridor students gathered to make 卤肉饭 (lǔ ròu fàn, meaning Taiwanese braised pork rice). Everyone also had fun cooking 绿豆汤 (sweet green bean soup). Thank you for hosting another great cooking event, Jenny!
A very impressive display of delicious ingredients.
Students assembling bao and rice bowls.
Chinese Corridor students looking very happy and satisfied after a tasty meal!
Chinese Corridor, the Chinese-language dorm space in Bates Hall, held several events last semester thanks to our wonderful Chinese TA, Yu-Chen (Jenny) Huang! Here’s a quick recap of some of the events that took place.
Chinese Kitchen (煮饭活动)
Students in Chinese Corridor gathered for the first time to cook together in preparation for the upcoming Moon Festival. The menu included dumplings, stir-fried vegetables and lamb, mushrooms and Chinese cabbage, braised pork, and–of course–moon cakes! As this was the first activity of the semester, all the students introduced themselves and had fun talking while eating a hearty meal.
The second Chinese Kitchen event featured Taiwanese spring rolls (春捲). So many fillings were available to make the rolls with! Later in the semester, the corridor also held another cooking event with fried rice, scallion pancakes, and more. Jenny also helped put on a cooking competition and movie night with yuanxiao (rice soup balls). Chinese Corridor later held an event with TCO (Taiwanese Cultural Organization) where everyone made rice balls together!
Chinese Corridor students happy and full after a day full of cooking and eating!
Students making Taiwanese spring rolls.
TCO members and Chinese Corridor students making rice balls together.
Breakfast at Bates
Jenny holds “Breakfast at Bates” every Thursday in Bates Dining Hall at 8:00am. She meets with students who want to practice Chinese (and offers to teach them some slang words, too). Students had a wonderful time eating breakfast with Jenny and practicing their language skills!
Jenny and students enjoying breakfast in Bates Dining Hall.
Chinese Majors Hotpot Night
Chinese majors gathered to cook hotpot together along with Jenny and one of our lovely Chinese professors, Professor Dai Chen! We hope that all the students had a good time eating together with Jenny and Professor Chen.
So many hotpot ingredients!
Professor Chen and Chinese majors having a hotpot party.
Thank you to Jenny for helping to put on all these amazing events last semester!
Stay tuned for more events happening this spring in the Chinese Department and Chinese Corridor! Be sure to also check out the Chinese Corridor’s website (made by Jenny herself!) for more photos and event descriptions.
Hello all,
Long time no see! It has been quite some time since our Chinese blog has been updated–and we want to change that.
From this point onwards, we hope to update this blog more frequently with a variety of posts, including news and event updates from the Wellesley Chinese Department, Chinese Corridor, and Chinese alumnae.
Thank you for sticking around with us! Please look forward to more posts coming very soon.
