纽约佩斯大学孔子学院4月29日举办公众开放日暨中国文化日活动，庆祝该校孔子学院成立两周年，向美国师生和当地民众介绍中国文化。
The Confucius Institute at New York's Pace University marked its two-year anniversary on April 29 with a public event to introduce Chinese culture to teachers, students and local residents.

师生和市民们在纽约佩斯大学孔子学院品尝中国传统美食。 Teachers, students and local residents enjoy traditional Chinese cuisines in the Confucius Institute at New York's Pace University.

当天的活动内容包括参观孔子学院、动手实验室及参加文化活动。每位参与者都可以现场挥毫泼墨，练习中国书法，或是切磋中国武术和气功（一种深呼吸锻炼方式）心得。该学院每周一次的语言文化聚会“汉语角”吸引了许多当地中文爱好者，他们在亲切友好的气氛中练习中文会话，同时品尝传统中国美食。
The event featured tours of the Confucius Institute, hands-on workshops and cultural activities. Participants were able to learn Chinese calligraphy on-site, practice Chinese martial art and qigong (a system of deep breathing exercises). The Chinese Corner, a weekly Chinese language and cultural gathering, attracted lots of non-native Chinese speakers to chat in and practice Chinese in a welcoming and friendly environment and enjoy traditional Chinese cuisines.

纽约市议员文森特•真蒂莱也在这所孔子学院学习中文课程。他说：“纽约市是一座国际化大都市，孔子学院建在此地意义非凡。我们有机会在这里学习中文，更深入地了解彼此的文化，”
New York Council Member Vincent Gentile is taking a Chinese course at the Confucius Institute. "New York City is a cosmopolitan city and it is so great to have the Confucius Institute here. We have the ability to learn Chinese here and understand each other's cultures better," he said.

佩斯大学孔子学院副院长周艳玉博士说，孔子学院已成为连接东西方文化的一座桥梁。
Dr. Zhou Yanyu, associate director of the institute, said that the Confucius Institute serves as a bridge to connect the East and the West.

周艳玉说：“我们希望中国文化和语言能够深入到纽约更多的社区当中，以促进美中两国人民之间的跨文化了解。”
"We hope to enable Chinese culture and language to reach out to more communities in New York to facilitate cross-cultural understanding between people in the United States and China," Zhou said.

佩斯大学孔子学院成立于2009年5月，是纽约第一所依托大学设立的孔子学院。该学院集教学、学术研究及专业技能为一体，旨在促进美中两国的文化交流。
Founded in May 2009, the Confucius Institute at Pace University is the first university-based institute of its kind in New York, aiming at integrating pedagogical, scholarly and professional expertise to promote U.S.-China cultural exchanges.

(China.org.cn translated by Li Jingrong May 4, 2011)