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3 Week – Chinese Brush Painting Classes

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Key Information

These courses will take place on Thursday mornings on the following dates. You are welcome to enrol on one, two or all three.

Dates: Thursday 20th November, Thursday 27th November and Thursday 4th December

Time: 10.00am – 12.30pm

Student level:

Open to all skill levels. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have some experience, this class is tailored to meet your needs and help you progress at your own pace.

Location:

This class will be delivered in person at The Confucius Institute For Scotland, Abden House, 1 Marchhall Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 5HP.

Why should I take this course?

These Chinese brush painting classes cover a variety of subjects such as Bamboo, Panda and Tiger. Beyond honing your artistic skills, Chinese painting offers meditative benefits and introduces you to a unique art form, steeped in tradition.

What does it cover?

In this course, you’ll master fundamental techniques of Chinese brush painting, such as: using the brush, ink, and paper effectively, practicing essential strokes and styles.

By doing so, you will delve into the cultural and historical significance of Chinese painting and its influence on other artistic traditions.

About the teacher:

This course will be led by Chi Zhang – an experienced instructor and artist, featured in the BBC documentary The Art of Chinese Brush Painting, and guest artist on Sky TV’s Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir (Episode 5, 2024). For more information and to see Chi’s work please visit www.chizhangartist.com.

How much does it cost?

1 class @ £25.00

2 classes @ £40.00

3 classes @ £60.00

Materials such as specialist Chinese ink, use of traditional animal hair brushes and Chinese Xuan papers are all included. Chinese tea will also be available during the break.

BOOK NOW

To optimise the learning experience, a maximum capacity has been set per group – so space is very limited! To secure one of the limited spaces on this course, please use the University’s ePay system to register.

One to one tutorials and small group workshops can also be arranged. Please email info@confuciusinstitute.ac.uk for more info.

 

Mid Autumn Festival Celebration – This Friday, 3rd October, 2-4pm

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Join us this Friday to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with poetry and mooncakes!

We will explore the moon featured in selected Chinese and English language poetry and we will have poetry readings in both languages. Our special guest will be Jennifer Williams, a poet (www.jlwilliamspoetry.co.uk) and Creative Projects Manager at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (efi.ed.ac.uk/people/jennifer-williams/).

The event is free, all welcome! Find out more and book on Eventbrite HERE

 

Chinese Language Class – Elementary 4

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Course Summary

This course is the continuation of Elementary 3, which will see the completion of Contemporary Chinese for Beginners. New grammatical structures will include 把and 被sentences pattern, with which students can speak about the dispose of an object and compose a sentence with passive voice respectively. The last two or three weeks will be devoted to the revision of the whole book. Students will be guided through key vocabulary, expressions and grammatical structures. Teachers will give more guidance and assistance to help students recognise and write Chinese characters. If time permits, a Q & A section may be included in the last week for teachers to know more about students’ thoughts and comments.

Learning Contents

  • Vocabulary building and conversation/ short paragraph construction related to topics covered in the textbook;
  • 把 structure used to emphasise on the disposal of an object;
  • 被 for passive voice;
  • Expressions used for blaming or thanking other people;
  • Expressions used for showing sympathy, comfort and regret;
  • A review of Contemporary Chinese for Beginners;
  • How to use Chinese paper dictionaries

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Talk about objects that were lost or found;
  • Talk about certain bad experience;
  • Describe environmental changes;
  • Study more autonomously beyond class

Teaching Methods

The course is tutorial based with a combination of joint class activities and group work. Supplementary material is prepared by the teacher. In order to fully benefit from the course and to achieve the learning outcomes, students are strongly encouraged to spend at least 1-2 hours to revise each class.

Learning Materials

Textbook: Contemporary Chinese for Beginners (to complete Lessons 19-20 and review the whole book)

Buy Materials Online 

Learning Materials can be purchased online by using the University epay system HERE.

Course materials can be posted upon receipt of your order to addresses within the UK only. Please note postage is not included, please pay your postage HERE.

 

Guest Lecture on Nezha 2 – 27th June, 5-7.30pm

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Join us at the Confucius Institute for Scotland for a talk on the phenomenal success of Nezha 2, a recent Chinese animated film that took the global box office by storm upon its release on Chinese New Year Day, January 29, 2025. Quickly rising to become the highest-grossing animated film worldwide and securing the fifth place on the all-time global box office chart, Nezha 2 has captured widespread public attention. This presentation investigates the key factors behind the film’s commercial breakthrough, highlighting the ways it embodies the defining trends in contemporary world cinema. It also explores the film’s thematic complexity, particularly its dynamic interplay between youthful defiance and traditional familial obligations, an ideological contradiction central to the film’s broad appeal both within China and internationally.

*suitable for 16 year old and over

Event details: 

Time:  27/06/2025 5:00pm-7:30pm

Location: Abden House 1 Marchhall Crescent  EH16 5HP

Agenda:

5:00pm-5:15pm:  Welcome & refreshments

5:15pm-6:15pm:  Lecture by Dr Xuelin Zhou, University of Auckland

6:15pm-6:30pm:  Q&A chaired by Dr Xuelei Huang, University of Edinburgh

The talk will be followed by an opportunity to sample some cultural activities including: Chinese Calligraphy, Blow painting, Tie-dye crafting, and traditional Chinese games.

Dr. Xuelin Zhou is an Associate Professor in Media and Screen and Director of Confucius Institute at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Xuelin’s research is situated at the intersection of film studies and cross-cultural analysis, with a particular focus on Chinese-language film. His work concentrates on how film functions as a cultural and ideological medium, examining the ways in which filmic narratives engage with issues of identity, modernity and nationalism. Xuelin has published extensively on topics ranging from auteur film and genre movie to national and transnational cinema. He is the author of Young Rebels in Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Hong Kong University Press, 2007), Youth Culture in Chinese Language Film (Routledge, 2016), and Globalization and Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Palgrave, 2017).

The event is free, all are welcome, but booking is required.  Please reserve your place HERE