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On the 8th of October, Pūkas TV aired a broadcast “Kaunas of various cultures (Įvairiakultūris Kaunas)” which was dedicated to China. In the broadcast, research fellow in the Centre for Asian studies Agnė Budriūnaitė commented about philosophy and religion in China and how they interact in daily life. Student from study program East Asian Languages and Cultures Andrius Vilkas shared his experiences from studying in China for  one semester. Click here to watch the broadcast online.

“Kaunas of various cultures” is a Pūkas TV series dedicated for exotic and distant countries – their culture, language, peculiarities.

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10628636_683693998379969_5899993845283285706_oOn the 26th of September, prof Xu Ping, a vice rector of Liaoning University, visited Vytautas Magnus University. Director of Vilnius University Confucius Institute prof Zhang Donghui and the representatives from both visiting institutions accommpanied prof Ping during the meeting with VMU vice rector prof Kęstutis Šidlauskas. VMU was also represented by dr Aurelijus Zykas, head of Centre for Asian studies and dr Laimutė Anglickienė, head of department for Culture studies and Ethnology.
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VMU Asian Week

VMU Centre for Asian Studies together with clubs “Hashi”, “Hallyu” and “Wu Wei” invites all to spend the late October days in the surroundings of the colorful and exotic cultures. On October 20-24 in Kaunas the citizens and city guests will be welcomed to join VMU Asian Week. During this exciting week of events participants will have a chance to familiarize and get a closer look to the East and Southeast Asian countries.

On October 20th at VMU Small Hall (28 Daukanto st., 2nd floor) the opening of VMU Asian week will take place. Greetings from representative of VMU will be followed by Japan’s ambasador in Lithuania H. E. Kazuko Shiraishi, Peoples Republic of China ambasador H. E. Zengwen Liu, cultural attache in embassy of Indonesia in the kingdom of Denmark Mrs. Epiphania Riris Wusananingdyah, director of Confucius Institute at Vilnius University prof. Zhang Donghui, and mayor of Kaunas city Mr. Andrius Kupčinskas. The first to start our program will be the Languages Day. For the first time in Lithuania Korean and Chinese speech contests will be held. Those who are willing to participate must prepare a short speech in Korean or Chinese. The winners will be rewarded with valuable gifts. For the Japanese language lovers “Hashi” Club prepared a surprise – an interactive Japanese language game. Also, the Indonesian language workshop will be organized. (more…)

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Mr. Nobuki Sugihara visited Kaunas

Chiune Sigihara muziejus, Nobuki Sugihara vizitas, Sugihara muziejus, japonaiOn the 21st of September, Nobuki Sugihara, the only remaining son of Chiune Sugihara, visited Kaunas. Mr. Nobuki together with his family visited memorial museum dedicated to his father. Also, the delegation saw Centre for Asian Studies and Ch. Sugihara Reading room which are installed in the former living apartments of Sugihara family when they were living Kaunas in 1939-1940.

It was the first time for Nobuki Sugihara to see Kaunas because he was born in 1951 when Sugiharas have already had returned to Japan. All in all, visits by Sugihara family members are not frequent. Before him, his mother Yukiko Sugihara has visited Kaunas in 2001 and participated in various memorial activities related to Chiune Sugihara. Nevertheless, the personality of Chiune is one of the main factors allowing tight relations between Japan and Lithuania.

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santaka plakatas 2014 09 17a Centre for Asian Studies gladly invites everyone to a performance of Xiamen Songs and Dance Theatre from China. The event is organized by the company “Kauno santaka” and it will take place on September 29th, 19.00 at the VMU Great Hall (S. Daukanto st. 28).

Lets welcome our guests from a far-away city Xiamen which is also a partner city of Kaunas. During the event you will have a chance to learn about Chinese culture’s traditions, dances and also meet the artists of the famous theatre. What is more, “Kauno santaka” music performers “Ainiai” and the guests from China will show the collaborative program for everyones pleasure.

This concert is a part of “Kauno santaka” company’s project “Lithuania – a Crossroad for Cultures”. During it the tight connections between many artists from countries such as South Korea and People’s Republic of China were made.

Organizers: company “Kauno santaka”
Partners: Kaunas City Municipality, Xiamen City Municipality, Vytautas magnus University

The entrance is free of charge

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gm8r8118On 4 October, Daiva Repečkaitė, junior researcher at CAS, will present a paper titled “Battle for hearts and minds: Eastern Neighborhood Policy and East Asian interests” at the panel on power relations in Central and Eastern Europe of the 4th International Congress of Belarusian Studies (programme of the panel). European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries have come to the spotlight globally due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. As new markets and potential political allies, they are also of interest to East Asian countries.

Daiva has been following the developments of the European Neighbourhood Policy for about seven years. In 2008 she received a prize of the European Young Journalist Award for an article on ENP implementation in Ukraine, and she further deepened her knowledge about this topic at the NATO international School in Azerbaijan in February this year. This presentation at the International Congress of Belarusian Studies is a part of the CAS’s new research initiative to map East Asian interests in the region. (more…)

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Lecture by Dr Robert Parkin

The Department of Cultural Studies and Ethnology and the Centre for Asian Studies invite to a lecture “Arranged marriages: whose choice and why? Reflections on the principles underlying spouse selection worldwide”, which will be hold by Prof. Robert Parkin from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford.

Lecture will start at 11:15, 18 September, at 521 auditorium, Donelaičio 52, Kaunas. The lecture will be given in English.

Short abstract of the lecture: The practice of forced or arranged marriages among certain immigrant communities has become a controversial subject in Britain and other Western countries because such marriages fail to observe the principle of freedom of choice adhered to by the majority populations in these countries. (more…)

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picThe Centre for Asian studies together with the Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of Catholic Theology organized the international interdisciplinary academic conference “Christian World and East Asian Traditions: Symbols, Concepts, Practices“, which took place in Vytautas Magnus University, Aula Magna (Gimnazijos str. 7, Kaunas), on September 18-20, 2014.

The aim of the conference was to bring together researchers from a wide range of disciplines, interested in the interrelationship between the Christian world and East Asia in various areas such as philosophy, religious studies, social and political sciences, literature and arts. Scientists from Taiwan, China, Japan, Italy, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania presented their research, shared their insights and undoubtedly provided new attitudes towards the relations between Eastern and Western worlds.

Conference supported by: Taipei Mission (Riga) and Lithuania Council of Sciences

Click here for photos from the conference.

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