Bangor Chinese School Dragon Camp teaches language, culture to area kids

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - The Bangor Chinese School Dragon Camp is in it’s second week this year after being closed last year.

”We are so happy to reopen this program to the children,” said Jing Zhang, Bangor Chinese School founder and president.

Zhang says the Dragon Camp program is an effort to teach Chinese language and culture to kids in the area.

“We need to start as early as we can to teach. So from 4 years old to 17 years old, from beginning to AP level education, that’s really hard for our teachers who work in here! They’re doing a wonderful job,” Zhang said.

It is common practice in China to learn English at a young age, but the reverse isn’t usually true in the United States.

“We have been teaching Chinese for many years, still not many people fluent in this language,” Zhang said.

Zhang says just as she shares Chinese culture here, when she visits China she tries to share American culture.

“As a Chinese American, I believe we have an obligation. We need to think globally and acting locally,” Zhang said.

Through education and understanding, these students can better prepare for a more global future.

“Bangor Chinese School not only open for Chinese language education, also Arabic, Spanish, French, Korean, and Japanese,” Zhang said. “We should be good friends forever, love is our common language.”

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