We’re excited to announce a new collaboration with librarian Hua Sun from China!! Every week we meet via Skype to discuss what features to add to our newest LibGuide- China: History and Culture. We’re also talking about ways to create interactive research aids that focus on Chinese culture.

To learn more about Hua, I sent her some fun questions to answer:

  1.  Tell us a little bit about yourself.  Where is your favorite place to travel to? Do you have any hobbies? Favorite food?

“I’m have been a librarian in an academic library in China for about 6 years.  I like reading, traveling, playing badminton, music and doing some DIY works. I very much like playing the Guzheng (a traditional Chinese instrument)，which I’m not sure whether you familiar with it or not, but it is something like a zither. Maybe it can be called a Chinese  zither? It has 21 strings. My favorite place to travel to is Provence in France. I like the sea of lavender. Harvard University’ s campus is another place I really want to visit. Someday I wish I could go to its old campus and feel the atmosphere of it. I think this might be one of my dreams from when  I was a little girl. My favorite food is dumplings. I usually make dumplings by myself. I also like pizza very much, especially fruit pizza.”

  2.  What did you study in school and why did you decide to become a librarian?

 “My major in university was English. Why did I decide to become a librarian? Well, the main reason is I like books, and the library is the ‘home’ of books. I’m really happy to see so many  books in front of me. I also bought a very big bookshelf  in my home. Besides, I also like the atmosphere of the library. So, I started working in the library after my graduation from the university. I like my job very much.”

3.  What is your favorite aspect of Chinese culture?

“As for the Chinese culture, I like all aspects of it. But if I had to choose one, I think traditional Chinese Medicine is my  favorite. It could help people and reduce their pain in a natural way. It’s attractive to me. I like it very much.“

4.  How did this collaboration with Eastern University happen?

“Well, it happened accidentally. Mark [Puterbaugh, our Information Services Librarian] is my friend on the Library Related Group on Facebook and in LinkedIn. One day, Mark asked me if I would be interested in collaborating. I asked him, “How would we do this? Where would we begin?” Then we talked about the collaboration in detail and began to work on formulating some ideas, step by step. Now our collaboration is underway. I really appreciate yours and Mark’s help on fleshing out the details.”

5.  Our students just came back to school from Spring Break.  Do Chinese students get a week off during their semester?

“I heard that Eastern was on Spring Break. Chinese students don’t have a Spring Break. We usually have a winter vacation & a very long summer vacation.”

6.  If a student wants to learn more about China, what is the best resource for them? A particular book that comes to mind? Film? Website?

“If a student wants to learn more about China, I think our LibGuide (China: History and Culture) is the best resource for them to begin with… although it is still a work in progress. Mark and I will try our best to make it better and more helpful to the students who are interested in it. If the students have any good suggestions or need more help learning about China, whether with learning the Chinese language or about Chinese culture, they can contact me at any time. I’m ready to help!”

Thank you very much Hua for answering our questions! You can contact Hua by visiting our new China: History and Culture guide and view her profile (email address included there). Keep checking the China guide for new resources and information about China!