天美影视传媒

Dare to do

鈥淣o, not d菐 产谩颈. D菐 产脿颈. The second part sounds like 鈥渂ye,鈥� with a downward inflection. D菐 产脿颈 罢别虫补蝉.鈥�

It鈥檚 a Tuesday afternoon in late September, and sophomore Jane Yang is teaching a classroom full of UW basketball players how to say 鈥淏eat Texas鈥� in Mandarin. She makes sure that the class gets this phrase right. It will be useful, after all: The UW men open their basketball season on Nov. 14聽against the University of Texas 鈥斅爄n Shanghai, China.

In preparation for this trip, the entire men鈥檚 basketball team is taking a travel-writing course that covers culture, customs, teamwork and identity. English Professor Shawn Wong leads the majority of each class, but Yang is the class鈥� Mandarin tutor, and she begins each day by teaching the players basic phrases.

Born in Taiwan but raised in Shanghai, Yang graduated from an international school and is fluent in Mandarin, English and Spanish. With plans to major in English and communication 鈥� and to be a teacher or professor someday 鈥� she is also challenging herself at the UW as a teaching assistant for another of Wong鈥檚 writing courses, and as a writing tutor at the Odegaard Undergraduate Library鈥檚 Writing & Research Center. So far, she鈥檚 learned that the act of teaching is often inseparable from self-discovery 鈥� especially when it comes to teaching others about China.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been interesting telling the class about Mandarin and looking at their responses,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t makes me see my own culture with a different set of eyes.鈥�

The players are full of questions, many of which keep Yang thinking long after class is over.

鈥淒o Mandarin characters come from pictures? Why do they look this way?鈥�

鈥淲hy is the word for 鈥榬ice鈥� the same as the word for 鈥榤eal鈥�?鈥�

鈥淲hy are so many people going to want to take pictures with us? Why is it that big of a deal?鈥�

This last question comes after a discussion of the throngs of curious photo-seekers that will surround the basketball team when they鈥檙e in public in China. And it brings up another one of Yang鈥檚 roles for this course: She鈥檒l be traveling to China with the team as their interpreter 鈥� or, as she calls it, 鈥渓anguage bodyguard.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to get to China and be surrounded by people that are all talking to them and be like, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 going on?鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淎nd me just being there, making them feel comfortable, it should help a lot. It鈥檚 going to teach me a lot about my own home, too.鈥�

But for how different China and the U.S. may be, one thing they have in common is their love for basketball. Over 300 million people in China play the sport 鈥� including Yang.

When Yang, who was a power forward on her high school basketball team, first came to the UW and was reeling from the shock of living in a new country, she spent all of her free time playing pickup basketball on campus. 鈥淚 would go to class and then go to the gym to play basketball,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 latched onto it right away 鈥� being on a basketball court just makes me feel comfortable.鈥�

It鈥檚 not an uncommon feeling, to look forward to something familiar, even when you鈥檙e more than 5,000 miles from home.

Marquese Chriss, the UW鈥檚 freshman power forward from Elk Grove, Calif., echoes Yang鈥檚 sense of comfort on the court, no matter where it is: 鈥淚鈥檝e never played this far away from home, and I鈥檓 excited to see such a big city, to see how other people live their lives,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 still the same, really. All our teammates are still there, all our coaches are there. It鈥檚 just a different court. I鈥檓 just excited to play.鈥�

Learning off the court

The men鈥檚 basketball team will spend the second half of their weeklong trip in Shanghai, focusing on their showdown with the Longhorns.

For the first half of their trip, though, they鈥檒l travel to the historic city of Hangzhou, also home to China鈥檚 e-commerce giant, Alibaba Group. In addition to touring the Alibaba corporate campus as guests of founder Jack Ma 鈥� and practicing at its basketball facilities 鈥� the team will visit historic sites like the Temple of Soul鈥檚 Retreat, the Grand Canal and the Tomb of General Yue Fei. For these excursions, the players will research and prepare presentations.

鈥淭he students themselves will be the tour guides,鈥� says Wong. 鈥淭his is not just any trip 鈥斅爐he Athletic Department doesn鈥檛 want them to sit in hotels, but to get out and experience, to learn.鈥�

Not able to make it to China for the game?

Watch the matchup on campus on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.聽

And follow the

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