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October 31, 2012

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From cross-talk to magic ... there's a club

EVERY fall semester, student associations and clubs promote their groups on campus with colorful banners advertising events to attract newcomers.

Shanghai has 3,000-plus registered students' associations and clubs, including sports, culture and charity organizations, said the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League.

More than 219,000 university students - about 30 percent of those attending local universities - are members of students clubs, according to a recent study by the youth league.

Here are a sample of student-run clubs and associations at local universities.

North (Cross-talk) Club

Fudan University

Like comedian Joe Wong, who works to introduce Chinese humor to Western audience, Li Jiannan, a senior student from northeast China?s Jilin Province, wants to popularize northeastern 貌cross-talk贸 humor to Shanghai.

Li, a big fan of cross-talk performance shows, founded the club last year after finding that the rapid banter-style gags that are rich in puns baffled Shanghai friends.

貌I found that many classmates couldn?t understand the punchline when I was greatly amused,贸 he said. 貌That?s because of the cultural difference.贸

The club invites cross-talk comedians to stage free performances on campus and instructs members on how to write good jokes and amuse audiences.

Members write jokes based on the university life and give on-campus performances to showcase their new-found cross-talk skills.

Harry Potter Fans Association

Fudan University



























To the association fans, the university is like Hogwarts School: they are assigned to different 貌houses贸 according to their characters; go to university balls in wizard costumes; organize fun wizard-like activities on campus; and publish the Daily Prophet, which features association activities, as well information on the Harry Potter movies, its actors and, of course, author JK Rowling.

The group stages a Harry Potter drama every year, last year inviting migrant workers? children to watch the performance.

Members meet to read the books and watch the movies from time to time. They also perform role play and hold dubbing competitions.

Overseas students are also invited to join club activities and discuss the novels.

Map Association

Fudan University

The Map Association has an excellent opportunity to promote itself among new students, as maps provided to Fudan University freshmen are produced by the club.

The club invites geographic professors and Shanghai Surveying and Mapping Institute experts to lecture students on how to read historical maps and how to create maps. It also holds salons on making different types of maps, including those about weather and population change from time to time.

Members also visit the city?s suburbs and go on trips across the country.



University Students? SocialLegal Aid Center

East China University of Political Science and Law

University students and lecturers work as volunteers to provide free legal services to underprivileged groups. Services range from law consultations to advocacy in court, and the center has helped about 100,000 people since it was launched 15 years ago. Members work with the local civil affairs bureau to provide legal services to the elderly in housing disputes and help women with divorce problems. The center also works with the labor authorities to help solve labor disputes, especially those involving the disabled, and members visit juvenile detention centers to advise inmates.

Magic Club

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The club invites famous domestic magicians to perform on campus and lecture members on their magic skills. Students meet to discuss popular magic performances and learn magic tricks to perform in campus activities.

Original Music Association

Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade

This association attracts many musicians and fans, and organizes many popular and rock music concerts ? including running the Rockkid Musical Festival for seven years.

Dancing Club

Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade

This club teaches various dance including hip-hop, jazz and street funk. Launched in 2002, it is one of most popular clubs in Songjiang University Town.

Reasoning Club

East China Normal University

The club attracts fans of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Japanese detective Conan and has a detective book library where members can borrow books featuring their favorite sleuths. Members also gather to read detective books and watch movies. And athey share their experiences of reasoning, discussing how to solve puzzles and password questions.

The club's most high-profile event is its annual treasure hunt, last Halloween attracting hundreds of participants.

Contestants must solve 12 puzzles to get the clues to find the treasure. Winners receive university souvenirs and detective books, though prizes are not the motivation for most.

"Participants are not attracted by the prizes," said Guo Wei, director of the association. "They just enjoy the game."


 

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