March 16, 2025
字圆其说 x 方圆英语
Workshop
What age group or language background limits the effectiveness of the I Got One project? The answer: none.
This belief was brought to life when a group of 15 native Chinese children—from 1st to 6th grade who are currently studying English, visited the exhibition A Cosmos Within Chinese Characters. These young learners, who once thought they fully understood their mother tongue, found themselves delightfully surprised by the whimsical, unfamiliar perspectives presented in the show.
Exploring the characters through the lens of international students’ interpretations, the children discovered new shapes, hidden stories, and imaginative connections they had never considered. Parents shared afterward that the experience opened their children’s eyes, not just to the richness of the Chinese language, but to the power of viewing it through intercultural lenses. What made the exhibition especially engaging was its familiarity: the characters were known, but the interpretations were refreshingly new.
For many kids, the personal stories behind each reinterpretation that are rooted in the creators’ cultures, languages, and lived experiences transformed the act of learning. It made exploring English not just about vocabulary or grammar, but about unlocking a world of meanings, creativity, and connection. Language learning no longer felt like a chore; it became an adventure into a world where words hold wonder.