PRESS | FORCES AVENIR - Ben Liu
I was ( the first Chinese in history? ) nominated as “Personality of the year 2009” by a Quebec award FORCES AVENIR, which aims to recognize, honour and promote the commitment of young people in projects which enrich knowledge, arouse the desire for success and for surpassing oneself, encourage the development of community thinking and thus contribute to the development of socially conscious, active and responsible citizens who are both dedicated to their community and open to the world.
I was also told by Miss Anne Beaulieu, the Student Life Advisor of UQAT, also my referee, that I was the first student of UQAT in history who won this award.
This honor really encouraged me continuing what I did in the past: learning hard for French laguage, trying to know deeply about another culture and its community, creat an art column [BENDA] to link the orient and occident cultures. I will certainly keep working out my dreams! Maybe one day being a culturel ambassador.
I think that each and every one of us has the duty to act as a good citizen, a good international citizen. As a citizen of the world, I have to contribute to the progress of the place where I live and where I work.”
I am always thankful to the kind people who helped me with my
French-learning every day, the warm people in Rouyn-Noranda, my
teachers, my homestay, my classmates... Without their help and patience,
I wouldn't be able to practise and improve myself. Thank you to all of
them. I'd like to share this honor with them.
BEN LIU | PERSONALITY AWARDS - UNDERGRADUATES
Committed to ...going beyond all frontiers
It goes without saying that there are no longer any borders and that we now all live in a global world. But when it comes to leaving your native country of China and moving to Rouyn-Noranda to pursue your studies, it takes not only courage but a great deal of determination! Ben Liu, a baccalaureate student in interactive multimedia design and artistic production at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, has both these attributes. But more importantly, he cultivates a vision of life and openness to the world that enables him to cross cultural barriers.
When he arrived in Canada, Ben Liu already had an extensive artistic background. Among other things, he had tried his hand at drawing, painting, theatre, cinema, dance, singing and media arts. It was Ben Liu therefore quite natural for him to decide to volunteer at the Documenteur festival and at an emerging music festival in his area.
This passion for the arts helped Ben integrate into the community and learn and practice French. "I see myself as a clumsy little bird. There's an expression in Chinese that says that slow birds must make more effort to learn to fly," he explains. When you consider that, not even three years ago, Ben didn't speak a word of French, it's easy to grasp the proverb's full meaning.
He then went on to present his cinematic productions at an international film festival where his creations drew attention and were acknowledged. He thus obtained a scholarship, outstanding visibility in the media and his passport to Les rendez-vous du cinéma québécois event in Montréal. "He is a well-known and recognized figure in our community. For a foreign student, he has made amazing headway," says university head Johanne Jean.
He has also helped create and produce a children's stage play entitled Bascule. As assistant artistic director of the theatre company, he is able to make good use of his numerous talents while developing a new technical vocabulary in which he is not yet proficient.
In addition to studying and continuing to perfect his French, Ben wants to share the Québec he is discovering with his compatriots. He was offered the chance to contribute to a Chinese magazine called "1626" and as both artist and writer he created a character, a panda named Benda, which he uses to represent Québécois when comparing the two cultures in his stories. His articles talk of Québec, his life here, his travels and Québec culture. And then, when he became aware of Québécois' lack of understanding of Chinese culture, he created an e-magazine here in Québec and, thanks to this medium, gave himself a platform for exhibiting his photos and recounting stories about his homeland. Along the same lines, he also gives language classes to professors at UQAT.
When Ben Liu chose to study in Québec, he did so to learn a new language, embrace another culture and adopt a different lifestyle, all this because he dreams of one day becoming a cultural ambassador. He doesn't know just yet what form this dream will take but he is sure of one thing and that's that he wants to use his artistic abilities to build bridges between China and other countries. "Each and every one of us has the duty to act as a good citizen, a good international citizen. As a citizen of the world, I have to contribute to the progress of the place where I live and where I work."
Committed to ...going beyond all frontiers
It goes without saying that there are no longer any borders and that we now all live in a global world. But when it comes to leaving your native country of China and moving to Rouyn-Noranda to pursue your studies, it takes not only courage but a great deal of determination! Ben Liu, a baccalaureate student in interactive multimedia design and artistic production at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, has both these attributes. But more importantly, he cultivates a vision of life and openness to the world that enables him to cross cultural barriers.
When he arrived in Canada, Ben Liu already had an extensive artistic background. Among other things, he had tried his hand at drawing, painting, theatre, cinema, dance, singing and media arts. It was Ben Liu therefore quite natural for him to decide to volunteer at the Documenteur festival and at an emerging music festival in his area.
This passion for the arts helped Ben integrate into the community and learn and practice French. "I see myself as a clumsy little bird. There's an expression in Chinese that says that slow birds must make more effort to learn to fly," he explains. When you consider that, not even three years ago, Ben didn't speak a word of French, it's easy to grasp the proverb's full meaning.
He then went on to present his cinematic productions at an international film festival where his creations drew attention and were acknowledged. He thus obtained a scholarship, outstanding visibility in the media and his passport to Les rendez-vous du cinéma québécois event in Montréal. "He is a well-known and recognized figure in our community. For a foreign student, he has made amazing headway," says university head Johanne Jean.
He has also helped create and produce a children's stage play entitled Bascule. As assistant artistic director of the theatre company, he is able to make good use of his numerous talents while developing a new technical vocabulary in which he is not yet proficient.
In addition to studying and continuing to perfect his French, Ben wants to share the Québec he is discovering with his compatriots. He was offered the chance to contribute to a Chinese magazine called "1626" and as both artist and writer he created a character, a panda named Benda, which he uses to represent Québécois when comparing the two cultures in his stories. His articles talk of Québec, his life here, his travels and Québec culture. And then, when he became aware of Québécois' lack of understanding of Chinese culture, he created an e-magazine here in Québec and, thanks to this medium, gave himself a platform for exhibiting his photos and recounting stories about his homeland. Along the same lines, he also gives language classes to professors at UQAT.
When Ben Liu chose to study in Québec, he did so to learn a new language, embrace another culture and adopt a different lifestyle, all this because he dreams of one day becoming a cultural ambassador. He doesn't know just yet what form this dream will take but he is sure of one thing and that's that he wants to use his artistic abilities to build bridges between China and other countries. "Each and every one of us has the duty to act as a good citizen, a good international citizen. As a citizen of the world, I have to contribute to the progress of the place where I live and where I work."
BEN LIU | PERSONNALITÉ 1ER CYCLE
Un étudiant engagé au rapprochement des cultures chinoises et québécoises
Nous pouvons affirmer que les frontières n'existent plus et que nous vivons dans un monde global. Mais quand il s'agit de quitter sa Chine natale pour s'installer à Rouyn-Noranda pour y étudier, cela demande, si ce n'est pas du courage, beaucoup de détermination ! Ben Liu, étudiant au baccalauréat de création en multimédia interactif et production artistique de l'Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, possède ces deux qualités, mais plus encore, il cultive une vision de la vie et une ouverture sur le monde qui lui permet de franchir les frontières culturelles.
Lorsqu'il pose les pieds au Canada, Ben Liu a un long parcours artistique derrière lui. Il a touché, entre autres, au dessin, à la peinture, au théâtre, au Ben Liu cinéma, à la danse, au chant et aux arts visuels médiatiques. Il était donc dans le cours normal des choses qu'il s'implique bénévolement au festival du Documenteur et au Festival de musique émergente de la région.
Cette passion pour les arts facilite l'intégration du jeune étudiant et lui permet d'apprendre et de pratiquer la langue de Molière. « Je me considère comme un oiseau maladroit. Il y a une expression chinoise qui dit que les oiseaux lents doivent faire plus d'efforts pour apprendre à voler », souligne-t-il. Quand on sait qu'il y a trois ans à peine, Ben ne disait pas un mot français, ce proverbe chinois n'a pas trouvé écho en terre québécoise.
Puis, lors du Festival du cinéma international, il présente ses productions cinématographiques. Ses créations sont remarquées et récompensées. Il obtient ainsi une bourse d'études, une visibilité médiatique impressionnante et un passeport pour Les rendez-vous du cinéma québécois de Montréal. « C'est une personnalité connue et remarquée dans notre communauté. C'est dire tout le chemin parcouru pour un étudiant d'origine étrangère », déclare la rectrice, Johanne Jean.
Il s'implique également dans la conception et la réalisation de la pièce de théâtre Bascule, qui s'adresse à un jeune public. Comme directeur artistique adjoint de la troupe, il peut ainsi mettre à profit ses nombreux talents tout en développant un nouveau vocabulaire technique qu'il connaît peu.
Parallèlement à ses études et son apprentissage continu du français, il tient à partager avec ses compatriotes le Québec qu'il découvre. Il reçoit une offre de collaboration d'un magazine chinois, le « 1626 ». Ainsi, comme artiste et rédacteur, il crée un personnage, Benda, un panda qu'il utilise pour présenter les Québécois en comparant les deux cultures à travers ses histoires. Ses chroniques parlent du Québec, de sa vie ici, de ses voyages et de la culture québécoise. En contrepartie, constatant l'incompréhension des Québécois face à la culture chinoise, il crée ici un magazine électronique. Avec ce média, il s'offre une plate-forme pour exposer des photos et raconter des histoires sur son pays. Dans le même ordre d'idées, il donne aussi des cours de langue à des professeurs de l'UQAT.
Si Ben Liu a choisi de venir étudier au Québec, c'est pour apprendre une nouvelle langue, s'ouvrir à une autre culture, s'approprier un mode de vie différent, tout ça parce qu'il rêve de devenir un ambassadeur culturel. Il ne sait pas encore comment prendra forme son rêve, mais ce dont il est sûr, c'est qu'il veut créer des ponts entre la Chine et les autres pays du monde en utilisant ses oeuvres artistiques. « Chacun a le devoir d'agir en bon citoyen, en bon citoyen international. Là où je vis, là où je travaille, en ma qualité de citoyen du monde, je dois contribuer à son avancement. »
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