Main Line Chinese Culture Center (MLCCC)

Established in 2003, the Main Line Chinese Culture Center, Inc (MLCCC or Ming Lang) is a nonprofit-501c3, nonpartisan, nonpolitical organization that serves as a catalyst to increase understanding between American and Chinese cultures. The MLCCC's mission is to provide compelling insights of China's culture to interested families within the greater Philadelphia area in order to support their educational needs and career aspirations. By the end of 2013, the vision for the group is to grow its operations such that its diversified sources of funding will enable the organization to secure its own site facility, full-time staff, and financial self-sufficiency that will lead to the most effective Chinese cultural education instruction within the state of Pennsylvania.

 

The MLCCC provides a window to Chinese culture by offering basic language instruction (Mandarin) as well as classes in traditional Chinese dance and other art forms (Chinese painting, self-defense, etc.). Through weekend and summer classes taught at rented facilities, MLCCC instructors leverage a traditional Asian teaching style that emphasizes strong study skills and discipline. Since its inception in 2003, the MLCCC has grown from an informal group of thirty students to an enrollment of over three hundred students by the end of 2008. Currently, three part-time staff, 16 instructors, and a very considerate group of parent volunteers serve a PreK-12th grade student population of which 87% are of Chinese-American descent. Satisfied parents have confirmed the value of the program model as the MLCCC's growth has been driven primarily by word of mouth alone. Finally, global CEOs like Ethnic Technologies' Zack Wilhoit have commented, "The Main Line Chinese Culture Center reaches out to so many children and their families with valuable insights on Chinese-American culture and the significant implications for our future relationships with China".