Ancient China Comes to the Classroom, NTDTV’s Educational Outreach Program Teaches Kids About Traditional Chinese Culture
By Ben Youngquest
With China more and more in the public eye these days, people are curious to learn about this rising giant. Who are the Chinese people? What are their traditions and beliefs? What are the challenges they are facing? What is their culture like? Their dance? Their music?
These are the kinds of questions that New Tang Dynasty Television’s Educational Outreach program seeks to demystify for the tens of thousands of students in the New York metro area. With innovative lesson plans, language acquisition tools, and cultural performances, NTDTV’s Educational Outreach team helps teachers introduce children to the true culture of China.
The Educational Outreach program is part of NTDTV’s mission to foster a renaissance of traditional Chinese culture, and to bridge the culture gap between east and west. With this goal, for the last four years, NTDTV has put on a Chinese New Year Spectacular show that tours over 30 major cities around the globe, and for the recent two years the show played Radio City Music Hall for its New York performances. The Spectacular is a collection of large-scale dance, music, and song drawn from the deep well of China’s ancient traditions and cultural past. Field trips to the Spectacular have become an invaluable opportunity for students to experience the authentic, ancient culture of China in all of its festive grandeur. The Educational Outreach team works closely with teachers before hand, offering materials and lesson plans designed to familiarize students with China’s cultural motifs. It also arranges to bring the performers to the kids, with in-school music and dance performances available.
The Spectacular stuns world audiences with its sheer beauty…and its sincerity. As a non-profit entity, and the only Chinese station beaming uncensored into China, NTDTV sees the Spectacular and the Educational Outreach Program as part of its mission to rectify the negative effects that Communism has had on Chinese society and its 5000 year-old cultural traditions, and to allow the world to get to know the true China.
To learn more about NTDTV’s Educational Outreach Program and for more information about the Chinese New Year Spectacular, you can visit education.ntdtv.com or chinesenewyearshow.com, or call us at 888-NTD4EDU (683-4338).
Ben Youngquest is the Director of NTDTV Educational Outreach Program.
