The International Chinese Language Program was formerly known as the “Chinese Cultural Study Institute,” which Stanford University had established in Taipei in 1962. In 1963, the program adopted a new name: “The Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies” (IUP). After coming under NTU’s administration in 1997, the program’s name changed once again, becoming the “International Chinese Language Program” (ICLP). Despite undergoing several name changes, ICLP has upheld the pedagogy and spirit passed down from the Stanford Center and has continued to provide the most sophisticated and effective instruction in Chinese as a Foreign Language, and stands out in the academic world. To preserve the priceless documents collected over the past 55 years which chronicle the history of ICLP starting from its establishment, ICLP teachers and student volunteers began compiling and organizing this material in November of 2015. Upon finishing, they will donate the documents to the National Taiwan University Library to facilitate the research, publishing, and promotion of these materials.

2017 happens to be ICLP 55th founding anniversary as well as its 20th anniversary of coming under NTU’s administration. To celebrate this special occasion, the program will hold a historical exhibition. The exhibition will cover topics such as the early history of the founding of the program, the administration and pedagogy, classes and textbooks, and final presentations. By weaving together the who, what, when, where, and why, fragments of history are formed which reveal what Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language looked like in the early days of the program. It is our hope this exhibition will resonate with both old friends and new.

Establishing a new school is certainly never an easy task. Establishing a new school for Americans to study Mandarin in Taiwan’s closed-off 1960’s society, however, is another matter entirely. Fortunately, with the generous aid of a passionate, perseverant group of professors, IUP was established, and with it, the foundation for our modern-day International Chinese Language Program was created.

Even though the school has been renamed several times as a result of changing times and environments, the valuable assets entrusted to ICLP from the Stanford Center and IUP (such as substantial teaching materials and teaching methods) have guaranteed ICLP can continue to provide higher level education in Chinese as a Foreign Language. In addition to this, the passion of these directors for language education has become a captivating and treasured page in the school’s history.

ICLP’s earliest history begins in 1961, with Stanford University’s planning of a Mandarin training center on the campus of National Taiwan University in Taipei. The original program was designed to meet the stringent research and educational needs of Stanford University students. In 1963, the Inter-University Board was created and the official name became the “Inter-University Program,” commonly referred to as the “Stanford Center.” Owing to the quality of the teachers and materials, as well as the intensity of instruction, this program quickly became the world’s premier center for the intensive study of Mandarin Chinese, training many of the world’s current diplomats, academics, and business leaders.

In 1997, NTU assumed full administration of the program, and the official name was changed to the “International Chinese Language Program,” or ICLP, at National Taiwan University. The International Chinese Language Program maintains the traditions of small classes and intensive instruction that have made it the standard against which other Mandarin training programs are measured.

From IUP to ICLP, teachers have acted as important advocates in a student’s learning performance. They have also devoted themselves to the promotion and development of Taiwan’s excellent Chinese as a Second Language education.

ICLP continues to regularly hold workshops to improve the teacher’s professional competence. Most of the previous directors of the program are Chinese scholars or specialists in linguistics and, through various workshops or lectures, do all they can to promote the cultivation of both the humanities and the study of linguistics itself. In addition, through their sharing of individual knowledge and specialties in different fields of research, experience teaching various class levels, experience in overseas teaching, and new information obtained in culture and technology, we can see how an interaction within the team of teachers has helped broaden the teachers’ views and coalesced into the foundation for the program’s language-oriented culture classes.

Many local Taiwanese people are curious about how foreigners study Chinese. Do they start with Bo Po Mo Fo like Taiwanese do? Do they have textbooks? If they do, what is inside? We can find answers to these questions using old textbooks from the ICLP collection.

When Dr. Albert Dien, the first director of the Stanford center, came to Taiwan to study Chinese many years ago, he noticed traditional teaching methods produced poor results. He felt Taiwan needed the introduction of the latest method of language instruction (the audiolingual method) to train its teachers.

We have strict “Standard Operating Procedures” for the teachers’ teaching method. For example, we do not allow teachers to speak English, and paid great attention to the amount of class time teachers spent speaking in class. This teaching method reflected the foundational pedagogical principle of the school: to emphasize speaking and listening. The principle requires teachers to lead students in repeating progressively longer sentences starting from the end in order to allow students to naturally learn sentence order, and subscribes to the “heads up” teaching method to get students accustomed to face-to-face communication instead of burying their heads in their books.

Ever since the IUP era, the school has often scheduled off-campus field trips, which allow students to observe Taiwan’s natural scenery, culture, and the current state of its development.

Over the course of these trips and visits, students can use knowledge from their majors or interests as a means to participate in the language, culture, and social customs of various areas in Taiwan on a deeper level. The five Cs of second language education emphasize Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities, all of which can be found in these field-trips. In practice, language study is inserted into each of the five Cs, giving practical meaning to what a student learns.

In the early days of IUP, most students pursued fields related to Chinese research. In a time when martial law was still in effect in Taiwan, the relevant government authorities often banned research material or reference books that the students needed. Whether they wanted to send the material to Taiwan, or abroad, the government must first inspect and approve the material. After the government approved the material, IUP would place the material in a special area in the library called the “Room for Banned Books”.

Inside this “Room for Banned Books”, there were four classrooms. Often locked, teachers and students could get in and browse through the material only after submitting an application and signing in. Not just anyone could get in for a peek. In order to conform to inspection regulations, the program applied for a post box numbered 13-199, which they used for sending and receiving reference material of this kind.

Foreigners learning Chinese have likely at one point doubted themselves, thinking they could never learn Chinese. Others believe that only a few foreigners can truly learn it. But this isn’t so! Students at IUP/ICLP have achieved brilliant results in lectures, debates, academic activities, and in the workforce.

ICLP’s teaching method stresses oral practice to stimulate reading and listening. In addition, ICLP teachers professionally and effectively guide students in improving their ability to both evaluate and analyze using Chinese. The method helps students to not just enjoy studying, but also come out of it with great results.

策劃：ICLP史料整理工作小組
統籌：陳玉蓉
撰文：王怡權、徐志成、陳玉蓉、馮文韻、黃琡華、黃鈺婷
美編：蔡沛恩

To celebrate the 55th Anniversary of the school’s founding, we will be hosting a forum by inviting alumni, instructors, and administrators to share their experiences.

The forum will encompass four panels: “IUP in Taiwan”, “Research Funding: Chinese Language Teaching and Beyond”, “Global Trends in Mandarin Acquisition”, and “My Road to Learning Chinese”.

Panel 1：IUP in Taiwan

Former Program Directors and Executive Directors are invited to talk about their experiences during their days at IUP.

Panel 2：Research Funding: Chinese Language Teaching and Beyond

The representatives of the government departments concerned are invited to talk about the research funding and Chinese language education and teaching resources in Taiwan.

Panel 3：Global Trends in Mandarin Acquisition

The directors and teachers of Chinese Language Departments in the USA and Europe are invited to talk about the global trends in Mandarin Acquisition and provide advice on international cooperation between Chinese languages centers in Taiwan and universities abroad.

Panel 4：My Road to Learning Chinese

ICLP/IUP distinguished alumni are invited to share their personal experiences in learning Chinese and how the language is a niche for their careers.