SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College will host a Ninth Anniversary and farewell honoring Yuehan Ma and the CCCC Confucius Classroom at 5 p.m. Monday, May 20, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic & Conference Center, 1801 Nash St., Sanford. The event is free and open to the public.

This event will honor Ma and offer a retrospective on the Confucius Classroom as it completes its ninth and final year of operation, with Chinese language training and cultural programs to continue as part of the comprehensive global education initiatives at CCCC.

Ma is the fourth Confucius Classroom instructor at CCCC (2016-2019). Others who have served are Guan Wang (2013-2016), Ling Huang (2011-2013), and Shuya Che (2009-2011).

CCCC President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman said of the program: "The Confucius Classroom has provided wonderful enrichment opportunities for our community and our students. We have enjoyed learning about Chinese culture and arts as the classroom hosted community performances by visiting Chinese artists, dancers and varied professional troupes, while our students were also engaged in learning the language. In addition, we are so appreciative of the friendships developed with our Confucius Classroom instructors over the years. Each brought a unique approach to our shared understanding of our cultures and established lasting relationships, both as colleagues and friends."

The Confucius Classroom is an educational partnership created with N.C. State University's Confucius Institute and Nanjing Normal University. The Confucius Classroom promotes an intercultural exchange grounded in Chinese language courses, but offering a wide range of cultural events and activities as well.

NCSU's Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the college in April 2009 for a partnership to establish a Confucius Classroom at the college. NCSU was the first university in the United States to develop this type of partnership and Central Carolina was the first community college in the U.S. to have a Classroom.

Since that time, CCCC has hosted the following Cultural Arts exhibitions:

Xiamen University Arts Troupe Performance, Sanford, NC, February 2011

Dragon Boat Festival Lecture, Sanford, NC, May 2011

Shanxi University Arts Delegation Chinese Music and Dance Performance, Sanford, NC, February 2012

"Traditions of China" exhibition of photographs by Yong Xiao, Sanford, NC, November 2012

Lantern Festival Music Performance, "Among the Lights," Sanford, NC, February 2013

Cantonese Cooking Exposition, Pittsboro, NC, April 2013

Chinese National Orchestra Music Exhibition, Sanford, NC, October 2013

Confucius Institute Anniversary-Martial Arts Exhibition, Sanford, NC, September 2014

Spring Festival--Shanxi University Performing Arts Delegation, Sanford, NC, March 2017

Summer Art Exhibition--Xiangyang Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Sanford, NC, August 2017

Exhibition of Chinese Cultural Arts, Sanford, NC, October 2018

The CCCC Confucius Classroom program, which has offered both Elementary Chinese and Intermediate Chinese courses, has been involved in various student activities, conference presentations, and outreach activities over the years.

Dr. Jon Matthews, CCCC Harnett Provost, said: "I'm honored to have worked with our partners at N.C. State and our visiting instructors based at our Lee Main Campus. From the moment it opened in 2009, the CCCC Confucius Classroom has exemplified the spirit of the College's mission to serve as a catalyst for lifelong learning. The Classroom's programs introduced Chinese language and culture to learners of all ages through credit-based courses, outreach visits, and arts exhibitions. The support that our Confucius Classroom has enjoyed from students, employees, government officials, industry partners, and local citizens is flattering and sincerely appreciated."

To learn more about Central Carolina Community College and its programs, visit www.cccc.edu.