By outdoor-nature-child.com In a recent interview, Chen Jian, the founder of New Ideas Chinese School, shared her inspiring journey of promoting Chinese language education in the U.S. during the globalization wave of the 1990s. As the first generation of immigrants settled in America, the demand for Chinese language learning surged, offering a fresh opportunity for those seeking a multicultural experience and future prospects. Chen’s personal concern for her children’s cultural roots led her to establish a simplified Chinese language school three decades ago, making her a pioneer in Chinese language education in Northern California. Today, she has transformed her approach by launching a free YouTube channel dedicated to Chinese learning, ensuring her school remains a vital resource for Mandarin learners in the Bay Area.
Reflecting on her motivation to start the school, Chen Jian recounted, “After marrying and moving to America with my daughter, I noticed that she started losing her fluency in Chinese once she began school. I was worried that as she grew, she might forget the language and along with it, the rich history and traditions of our culture. This was deeply painful for me as a Chinese person.”
Recognizing that other families were experiencing similar challenges, Chen’s resolve crystallized into a mission: to create a school that not only taught children to speak and write Chinese but also immersed them in the beauty of traditional cultural arts, such as Tang and Song poetry.
Drawing on her background as an educator and public servant in China, Chen quickly turned her vision into reality. What began as a small initiative in her home expanded into a rented office and eventually grew into a full-fledged school. There, students progressed from basic character recognition to conversational fluency and writing proficiency, a testament to her unwavering dedication.
As student enrollment increased and age groups diversified, Chen sought to expand her educational offerings. She began contemplating whether a structured curriculum could be developed for the American context that effectively addressed the needs of Chinese education.
Through her interactions with students and parents, she formulated the “Six Steps to Happy Literacy,” a systematic approach designed to help children achieve functional conversational skills in Chinese. “At that time, there were no schools teaching simplified Chinese, only traditional methods,” she noted. “I utilized resources from the Xinhua Dictionary and textbooks imported from China to create localized educational materials aimed at preserving our culture.”
Her textbook series, “New Ideas Chinese,” published by Beijing Language University Press, later earned the Excellent Export Book Award from the National Administration of Press and Publication of China.
Understanding the power of language as a communication tool, Chen organized over 100 events to encourage her students’ engagement in Chinese dialogue. She also initiated a summer camp called the “China Roots Journey,” where American teenagers participated in cultural exchanges throughout China.
Over the past 30 years, Chen Jian has encountered various challenges, with the COVID-19 pandemic being particularly significant. In March 2020, New Ideas Chinese School pivoted to online classes, a major shift for educators accustomed to face-to-face interactions. Maintaining student engagement and academic integrity in this new format proved difficult.
During this tumultuous time, Chen adopted a hybrid teaching model, seamlessly blending online and offline instruction. With in-person classes resuming in 2023, she has continued the online program, hiring professional voice actors to ensure clear Mandarin pronunciation, thus reducing barriers for students learning the language.
Recently, Chen tapped into the rise of new media by launching a free YouTube channel dedicated to Chinese learning, where she personally voices various fairy tales and poems. “This reflects how the internet has transformed learning habits,” she explained. “It’s about creating localized Chinese learning resources that include both free recorded and live classes, facilitating interaction among teachers, parents, and students.” Since its launch on January 9, 2022, the channel has released 280 videos across 12 themes, with plans for continuous updates.
At the same time, the in-person classes are thriving, expanding beyond just language instruction to encompass rich cultural experiences like Go, traditional music, and drama. Chen Jian hopes that her school will serve as a cultural bridge for many Chinese families, allowing their children to embrace the warmth of their native language and cultural heritage, even while living abroad.