Architecture in the Forbidden City.
Tiananmen Square.
Coaches playing basketball.
Cathy with the Chinese student - notice his red scarf.
Students playing ping pong during P.E.
Hello from Beijing. Beijing is in the north of China, and the word actually means north capital. “Bei” mean north and “jing” means capital. The north and south of China have their own distinctions much like the north and south in the United States. For instance, it’s cold and dry in the north and wet and humid in the south. The Northerners prefer to each wheat while the Southerners prefer rice. The people in the north are considered generous but have a fighting attitude, while the southerners are softer and milder but not as generous. I found the comparisons very interesting.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, we witnessed a computer class where 13 year olds presented their Power Points on the Olympics. I’ve posted a picture of one of the students with me. Notice the red scarf around his neck. When we asked about the scarf, we were told that at around the age of 13, the students join an organization much like our boys scouts. It is an honor to be in this organization. They are called Pioneers. What’s interesting about this is that this is there first official introduction to the Chinese Communist Party – hence the color of the scarf is red.
Sports and PE are a big part of school life in Beijing. The P.E. curriculum has changed to include more exercise, and most schools now have P.E. each day just like at PDS. You’ll notice the picture of the students playing ping pong (table tennis). The children go to school from 7:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. That makes for a long day, but they get a very extended time for lunch and recess. Each school we visited had huge play areas. You’ll see a picture of men playing basketball with students watching. These are the coaches, and they play a game of basketball most everyday after lunch. Coach Smith will have to see if he can arrange that for our coaches.
Today we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world. It holds a half of a million people. It held even more until they erected Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. The Forbidden City was where all the emperors of China lived. It was called the Forbidden City, because only the emperors were allowed to be there with their staff.
Tomorrow we go to the Great Wall of China. I can’t wait to share some pictures with you. This is an incredible experience but I miss you all!
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