Pallas Zhang (in Chinese, Zhang Lidan) is a student in the Master of Arts in International and Intercultural Communication at Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada. Graduating from Nanfang College of Sun-Yet San University in China 2014, she majored in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) for her bachelor’s degree. As a professional TCFL teacher required to know both western and Chinese culture very well, she became interested in discovering the psychological differences between people from different cultural backgrounds.
Lidan’s previous experience has included a study tour in the United States in 2011. Her most recent internship in a Global Chinese Learning Center allowed her to meet new people from different countries and to experience firsthand the collision of cultures.
Her research focuses on the differences between Chinese (Mandarin) and English languages and also Chinese vs. western cultures. She participated in writing an essay about the different meanings related to the color black in English and Chinese, and researched the title differences in these two languages. Her final thesis, “The contrast study of Chinese and English greeting” also related to intercultural dialogue.
NOTE: Pallas will be one of several students completing small projects as interns for the CID this year. Her particular project will be to expand the database of centers and organizations with similar missions. Look for expanded coverage in a few months!
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 