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Singing My China Stories to the World

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This book tells about China through its American author's 15-year-long experience of teaching, traveling, participating in cultural activities and telling his China stories in song, writing and speaking. Mark Levine came to China in his late 50's and that is where this book begins. An active participant in cultural exchange on a personal as well as a group level, Mark has shown his love of life, embraced the new and the old and demonstrated a never-ending passion to both learn and teach. Through his stories, both prose and lyric, we can see China through his open mind, keen insight and constant yearning to learn about and join in China’s bright future. He and his friend, Fu Han, have built a Chinese-Western musical duo called “In Side Out” and set up a firm to contribute to cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the world.

About Author
Dr. Mark Levine is an American public sociologist who spent nearly three decades working as a full-time volunteer with organizations of low-income workers across the United States. Arriving in China in 2005, he first taught at Huaiyin Normal University for two years, and then began working at Minzu University of China where he is still teaching today. He is also a well-known speaker, a singer-songwriter who has written more than 70 American country/folk style songs about China. His writings have been published in a number of English-language Chinese magazines as well as an earlier book. His contributions of telling his China stories to the world have been recognized through his receipt of a number of awards, the most prominent of which are the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2014 and the Great Wall (Beijing) Friendship Award for 2011-2013. In 2015 he was named an honorary citizen of Huai’an for his contributions to promoting the city.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
FOREWORD/ 007
INTRODUCTION / 013
PART I
HUAI'AN – IT'S A PLACE
I'M PROUD TO CALL MY HOME
01. The Beginning / 038
02. Students Confront Their Challenges / 048
03. Going to the Mountain of the Monkey King / 053
04. Huai'an Office of International Relations / 064
05. Huai'an – Promise of the Future / 070
06. My Relationship with Huai'an Continues / 073
07. Return to Huaiyin Normal University / 079
PART II
MOVING TO BEIJING AND MEETING FU HAN
08. Teaching at Minzu University of China / 084
09. "Unity in Diversity, Theory in Practice" / 097
10. Building Bonds / 101
11. "The English Must Be Perfect" / 107
12. "Do You Speak English?" /112
13. "Number 5!" /124
14. Spring Festival at the Home of Family Fu /138
PART III
IN SIDE OUT
15. In Side Out – The Musical Duo and More / 156
16. One of the 17 Most-Influential Graduates / 166
17. Chinese Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble Theater / 169
18. "East Meets West" on University Campuses / 171
19. Performing for Foreign Diplomats / 178
20. A Place that's Called Lijiang /186
21. Chinese Holiday Musical Performances / 194
22. In Side Out Becomes A Company / 198
23. Fu Han Talks about Her Work with Foreigners / 200
PART IV
CHINA, FOREIGNERS AND THE WORLD
24. Israel Epstein and Huang Huanbi / 204
25. "They Helped to Build New China" / 212
26. Childhood Memories from Bailuding / 217
27. Friendship Award and the Chinese Green Card / 222
28. "The Chinese Dream" / 236
29. "African Brother" / 244
30. Some Thoughts on One Belt and Road Initiative / 259
31. Building Trains at Home and Abroad / 269
NON-CONCLUSION / 276
Sample Pages Preview
Sample pages of Singing My China Stories to the World (ISBN:9787508547060)
Sample pages of Singing My China Stories to the World (ISBN:9787508547060)
Sample pages of Singing My China Stories to the World (ISBN:9787508547060)
Sample pages of Singing My China Stories to the World (ISBN:9787508547060)
Sample pages of Singing My China Stories to the World (ISBN:9787508547060)

Preface
FOREWORD
"You have read about Singing My China Stories to the World
and now I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions."
This is how Dr. Mark H. Levine concludes the fascinating book you are about to read. And this is how I start the same book, by drawing my own conclusions about why you should read it.
Mark's book is multifaceted and I enjoyed the mix of genres contained in it (amongst others): stories, travel narratives, portraits of different people, but also educational commentaries and… songs! This beautiful and meaningful patchwork blends in interesting (new) knowledge about Chinese society beyond clichés and Mark's personal and diverse experiences of China.
As a specialist of intercultural communication and education, a field of research that looks into preparing people to meet across "cultures," I believe that Mark's very exciting book could replace many of the textbooks that we use to teach about intercultural matters. We have a lot to learn from his 15 years in China (and many more years to come)!
I read the book when the world was experiencing the dreadful COVID-19 crisis. I was still in Finland, unable to fly back to Beijing, where I usually spend my summers teaching and researching. Mark's book transported me back to China….
Singing My China Stories to the World
$27.81