“Every Step Counts” for Chinese Learning

Cover

On April 20, World Languages held an event in mixed mode to celebrate students’ Chinese work published in Every Step Counts III. Students attended the event in-person and online to celebrate their accomplishments in Chinese writing.

“Every Step Counts” is a series of excellent Chinese essays written by NYUSH students. The book includes 35 essays composed in 2019-2020 covering the following 5 categories: Life Amidst the Pandemic, Stories from Hometown and Abroad, Reflections on Social and Cultural Issues, Poem and Prose, and Proposals for a Better Living Environment. The newly added category “Life Amidst the Pandemic” included students’ articles discussing their 14-day quarantine when coming back to Shanghai, the changes and challenges they faced, and their thoughts and opinions about social issues during the pandemic.

Every Step Counts Sharing Session
Every Step Counts III Sharing Session
Every Step Counts Sharing Session 2
Every Step Counts III Sharing Session

The Chinese Language Program first initiated the essay collection in fall 2018. It then became very popular among Chinese language learners and faculty. The name “Every Step Counts” comes from the famous Chinese ancient Confucian philosopher Xunzi in his famous piece “Encouraging Learning”:“不积跬步，无以至千里；不积小流，无以成江海。Unless you accumulate little steps, you can never journey a thousand miles; unless you pile up little streams, you can never make a river or a sea.” We believe this describes the process of learning a foreign language and encourages language learners to never stop making progress. These essays are also being used as extended reading materials and sample essays by Chinese language faculty.  

Every Step Counts Sharing Session
Covers, Every Step Counts
Every Step Counts Sharing Session 2
Every Step Counts I Sharing Session

Maudie Carey ’20 contributed one article and two poems to Every Step Counts III. Although she has graduated and is now working in New York, she attended the event on Zoom. “Although I attended on Zoom, I was still able to sense the excitement from the students having their work recognized and the pride from all the Chinese instructors present. The Chinese course I took last year ‘Discovering Contemporary China through Documentary Films’ helped my writing skills tremendously, especially my poetry. Congratulations to all of this year’s published authors!”

 

- Read Every Step Counts online: