关于我们 About Rice Paper Kite

Archive Photo: Dragon Express Chinese New Year Party Kit

Rice Paper Kite was founded in 2003 by Tara Bardeen (B.A. Chinese Language and Literature from CU Boulder) as she could see the need for thoughtful, well-researched materials about China and Chinese language. She began by creating Dragon Express Activity Kits, a monthly subscription service that provided children across the U.S. with Adventure Kits that arrived at their doorstep each month. Each Dragon Express Activity Kit included fun cultural crafts, a mini Mandarin lesson with CD and an Adventure Journal that gave insight into Chinese language and culture. Tara believed that sparking an interest in Chinese language and culture through engaging activities was the best way to inspire a life-long interest in China. She also felt it essential that families receive materials that were well-researched and accurate. Certainly, back in the early 2000s, Mandarin language materials were less than developed.

Over the years, the focus of Rice Paper Kite has shifted from individual Dragon Express Activity kits used by families to school kits used by whole grades and now to becoming an online resource available to anyone interested in Chinese language and culture. We welcome communication from parents, educators and learners as we genuinely seek to support those who wish to learn more about the many facets of China!