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Growing interest in China sparks new school

Non-profit organization opens at university

By LIANE SMITH (Contact)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

This Saturday starts the inaugural class of the Southwest Florida Chinese School at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Southwest Florida Chinese School is a non-profit organization devoted to making instruction in Chinese culture available to anyone, regardless of age or race.

Lisa Cooke, 39, president and founder of the organization, was born and raised in China. She came to the United States in 1992. First living in California, where Chinese study is widely available, Cooke came to Florida as a Realtor and mortgage broker, unsettled with the Chinese cultural and language education available in the area, especially for her 13-year-old daughter.

"We feel there's great, great potential here," Cooke said.

According to Cooke, more than 100 million people are learning to speak Chinese right now, and that number is continually rising. The reason? Business.

"The major reason is the booming economy of China and the Asian Pacific," Cooke said. "A lot of people think that's a very important language to learn, from an employment and business standpoint."

Last Saturday, the organization held an open house at FGCU sponsored by the school's Institute for Chinese Studies. So far, the first class will contain about 50 students, mostly adults, and more than half who are Americans with no Chinese heritage in their bloodline.

"We were surprised at the turnout," Cooke said.

Some students signed up for the $150, three-month long, Saturday mornings class because they are parents who have adopted a Chinese baby.

"They want to help (their children) know more about their culture," Cooke said.

Other students signed up to learn more about their own culture, because they were not born in China, like their ancestors. Others are taking the class for business reasons, hoping to gain an edge in doing business with Chinese businesses abroad.

Beth Skotzke, communications manager for the Economic Development Council of Collier County said: "Programs such as these are crucial in learning more about the countries customs and methods of doing business in which overall, will assist local businesses who want to expand into this market as effortless as possible."

According to Cooke, teaching Mandarin Chinese goes hand in hand with teaching culture. So, in addition to learning the language, the school has a plan to teach major Holidays and traditions of China, such as Spring Festival, similar to Christmas. The class will also teach Chinese Arts and Crafts, such as origami, and folk songs, dance and perhaps tai chi or Chinese painting.

"The Economic Development Council of Collier County has seen first hand, interest from the Chinese market to learn more about our area as well, from several government officials and business people visiting and sighting the area, signing of memorandums of agreements with the University with several Chinese cities, and from the growing Internet traffic the EDC's Web site receives from China," Skotzke said.

The first semester's class, which will meet each Saturday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. from now until April at FGCU, costs $150.

For more information, contact Lisa Cooke at (239) 980-6688, or e-mail yingcooke@yahoo.com.