The following message was sent out on May 31, 2003:
Dear everyone,
Since our previous announcement on April 23, the SARS situation in Mainland China has been greatly improved. Today (May 31), there is only one new diagnosed SARS patient from suspected patients in Mainland China. We expect the situation continues to get better. However, the much-needed effective medicine and the most desired vaccination for SARS are still in the test phase and are unlikely to be readily available to everyone before July. Consequently, most of the universities and schools are still reluctant to lift the restriction rule to allow faculty members to visit China this summer with an institutional financial support. Many of the teachers have expressed the disappointment of not being able to travel to China to attend the conference.
Out of the request of many teachers and based on the consultations with the conference committee members in charge, I got contact with our Chinese co-organizers again and presented them with several irrefutable good reasons for not to hold the 4th International Conference as originally scheduled. I am glad to notify you that we have finally reached the decision with unanimous consent that the 4th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy will be postponed. For everyone's convenience to remember, the Conference will be held on the same dates next year: July 12-14, 2004.
Please note that this postponement decision will annul the refunding plan announced earlier. Everyone who has paid the registration fee will continue to be considered as an attendee we expect to meet in July 2004.
We hope that this postponement decision will enable all registered speakers and attendees to be physically at the 4th International Conference in Kunming to share ideas and experiences face to face and to visit any place in beautiful Yunnan as well without any fear of getting the SARS or spreading the SARS.
As most of the airline companies would allow passengers holding tickets purchased earlier to China to cancel or change the tickets due to the SARS outbreak in China, we hope that you will be able to make a change accordingly. We regret any inconveniences this decision may cause you, but we feel this decision has been cautiously made to the best interest of everyone. Should you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to write or call me.
Thank you all for your understanding, patience, and cooperation! Let us meet in Kunming in 2004.
John Yin
Co-Chair
The 4th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy
The following announcement was sent out on August 15, 2003:
The 4th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy
(July 2nd-4th, 2004 in Kunming, China)
Due the outbreak of SARS in the spring of 2003 in many places in China, the 4th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy had to be postponed. We would like to thank all the people who were planning to attend the conference for their understanding and efforts to cope with this unexpected crisis.
On May 31, 2003, it was announced
that the 4th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy would be postponed
to July 12-14, 2004. However, Due to the uncertain availability of the
hotel as the conference site on those dates announced earlier, it has been
decided that the conference will be held 10 days earlier, that is, on July
2nd-4th.
Please take note of this important change of dates and remind your colleagues and friends who are planning to be at the conference.
All conference attendees who have already paid the registration fee are expected to be present at the conference next year, and other teachers are also welcomed to join us at the conference.
If your paper has been accepted but you have not yet paid the conference fee, please make the payment by the end of September 2003 so as to be included in the conference program. Without the payment of the conference fee, it would be assumed that you would not be able to attend the conference.
If you are interested in attending the conference without presenting a paper, please pay the conference fee by the end of March of 2004 in order to guarantee the reservation of a standard hotel room for you on the conference site.
For updated and detailed information about the 4th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy in Kunming, please visit the conference website: www.uvm.edu/~chinese/conference