Celebrating Chinese Language Week

Did you know that the library holds over two hundred books in Chinese? You will find these in the Community Languages section of the Hastings Library. Have a look at the library catalogue for details. This collection includes numerous texts published in Chinese including some children’s literature, and both fiction and non-fiction.

If you head over to 495.1 CHI in the library’s non-fiction section you will find all you need to know to help you learn Chinese, in either Mandarin or Cantonese. For children learning another language, you can pop along to the Online Resources section of the library website. Scroll down to LOTE 4 Kids, where there are stories and learning activities for Mandarin and Cantonese among the host of languages on offer.

And if you want to find out more about China - its history, it’s culture and art - we have that covered too. Just remember the Dewey number 951 in the non-fiction section. There’s everything here from Genghis Khan and the Silk Road through to the Communist Revolution and modern China. Don’t forget to look for 951 among the travel guides too. There are some gorgeous books about Chinese art (Dewey no. 751.4251) and Chinese calligraphy too. A key ingredient of a country's culture is of course its food; you'll find some inspiring recipe books on Chinese food (Dewey no. 641.5951).

We've got books about Chinese people living in New Zealand. Being Chinese by Helene Wong describes the author’s quest to search for her Chinese identity and is a fascinating and heartfelt read. All Who Live on Islands by Rose Lu draws on the experiences of the author’s family as immigrants in small-town New Zealand. As the Earth Turns Silver by Alison Wong is a historical novel based on the murder of a Chinese man in Wellington in early 1900s. It’s a beautifully crafted novel by Wong, who is also a poet and is well recommended.

If it’s a Chinese movie you’re after, have a look in the foreign language section of the DVD collection (they have fluro-orange stickers). Here you’ll find some gems such as The Monkey King, Young Detective Dee and The Blue Kite.

We’ve been talking about Beamafilm a lot lately – that’s the library streaming service for movies, TV series and documentaries. Not surprisingly there’s some great Chinese content here too.

A quick dip into the online catalogue, and I discovered a few I’m keen to see, including Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (a story set in C19th China about two girls who develop a secret code as a way to contend with the rigid social norms imposed on women); The Nightingale (a road trip across China where an elderly man helps his spoiled granddaughter discover the analogue world); or for a bit more action there’s the Hong Kong thriller, Blind Detective. Well, I know what I’ll be doing next weekend.

So, if you’ve an interest in discovering more about China, for Chinese Language Week or the whole year through, the library’s a great place to start.

Posted by JAM

7 September 2023

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