Newsletters from China

There is something truly special about Zi Luo Lan Migrant School. For whatever reason the volunteers that are placed at the school for a reasonable amount of time are always trying to figure out how they can help. This time two volunteers by the name of Amy and Lisa decided they wanted to contribute more than just teaching the children English, Art, Dance and song.

Shanghai. There are infinite words to describe this city but very few will do it justice. My main reason for choosing Shanghai as a destination was to try to figure out why the entire world was chanting "China! China! China!"- I knew it was known for its vast business opportunities which apparently lurk everywhere, but I wanted to see it for myself, and I wasn't disappointed.

Often volunteers come to China with an interest in learning Mandarin, but only a few go as far as taking courses. Here in Shanghai we work with a language school called Accent Mandarin. They offer all the volunteers one free lesson, this lesson is based around basic survival skills such as greetings, taxi lingo (maybe the most important), and shopping phrases. For those of you who don’t know, Mandarin is a tonal language; it has four tones and one neutral tone. The tone of a word determines the meaning.

Chinese National Day is on October 1st and for this public holiday the government gives seven days holiday. I found out recently that they give seven days off to develop the tourism and restaurant industries, they call this sort of economic activity jià rì jīngjì. All of the volunteers have a weeks worth of free time here, so most of them are using this time to travel.

Saturday, August 20 we participated in a social outreach at the Zi luo lan School. This school is located in the rural area of Shanghai and is an institution for underprivileged kids. Once we arrived at the school, we sat down with the kids in the classroom, waiting for the principal.

On Saturday 16th July, I decided to have a more cultured social activity, so we went to Qibao. Qibao is a small, old, water town that’s located in Shanghai. Just to give you a very brief history on the town, it’s over one thousand years old. Qibao was built sometime between 960-1126 during the Northern Song Dynasty. It then became a successful business center from 1368-1911 also known as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which were the last two Dynasties before what we now know as Modern China.

To end out the month of June on a good note, we had a Business workshop. The speaker was the Operational Manager for a company formally known as Enterprise Pipe & Tube Intl and as Hsteel for short. Hsteel is an American company that focuses on providing American companies with steel and copper pipes for various projects. They provide pipes that are able to effectively and efficiently transport or house cables, waters, coal and gases. They have suppliers in Korea, India, Oman, Vietnam, Taiwan, mainland China, and the Ukraine.

On 28th February I was taken to my placement; Ziluolan Primary school. I would be working here for ten weeks as an English Teacher. Now it’s the end of May, I have finished my placement and have returned to London. When I look back on my time at the school all I feel is great satisfaction; the feeling when you have accomplished something brilliant and knowing the reception has very much benefited from you.

Wij hebben een project voor de basissschool gehouden waar ik werk. Het is een basisschool voor kinderen waarvan de ouders vaak migreren. Daarom wordt het hier ook wel de "migrantschool" genoemd. Projects Abroad bedenkt van tijd tot tijd nieuwe projecten om deze migrantenschool te ondersteunen en Projects Abroad vond het weer tijd om iets te doen voor de school met de vrijwilligers die in Shanghai verbleven.

Tomb sweeping during the Qingming Festival shows respect and offers sacrifice to ancestors at gravesites. Many people had long followed the custom before the festival was established. According to the custom, when sweeping tombs, people offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and libations to their ancestors, add fresh soil to the grave, and stick willow branches on the tomb. Kowtowing is also an indispensable part of the custom.

So that’s February done then. Went kind of quickly no? We had so much to keep us occupied and so many things going on, I barely noticed the time pass. Firstly, it was the Chinese New Year, which meant the whole of China came screeching to a festive halt with fireworks and all types of seasonal madness. On top of that we had loads of events on; dinners, martial arts, quiz’s etc. Even the famous US singer, Kelis dropped by at Shanghai to sing to the volunteers...

From my first moment in Shanghai, I was truly captivated. Coming from South Africa, Shanghai presented a completely different culture to the one I was used to. That is why I loved every moment. Shanghai is a place where old meets new and east meets west. You will see soaring skyscrapers and ancient temples next to each other and old style motor bikes and bicycles riding on the same road as flashy cars. Shanghai is a city that is constantly moving, it has a certain rhythm and beat to it.

As a person responsible for arranging (and attending : >) social nights I get very happy when the time comes around when I can put together a Teppanyaki night. Teppanyaki refers to a type of dining experience which comes from Japan. The name denotes a technique of cooking which involves having the food fried in front of you by the chef.

On the 21st of this month we all got together to get our palettes dirty with a bit of ancient Chinese calligraphy. It’s difficult trying to get down a completely different language and along with it, an ancient artistic art form within the space of 90 minutes, but doggonnit, we gave it a jolly good go. The lesson went something like this...

Last Friday 22 October we were very lucky to have a guest speaker provide a talk for our business and law volunteers. His name is Si Wei Jiang and he has had extensive experience of working with foreign businesses in China. Mr Si is a prominent lawyer in China, and partner of Shanghai's Debund Law Firm, which is one of our partnering organisations. His practice includes a wide range of cases, including public interest and pro bono work.

So we all got together recently to try out some of the spicy cuisine China has to offer. In our own private Projects Abroad room (Chinese restaurants often have private rooms for groups of friends) the twenty of us; 2 large round tables of 10, got to playing the spicy turntables that are rather oddly called Lazy Susans and reaching for the pepper based dishes with our chopsticks.

Situated in the depths of the mountains in the border area of Nanping, Songpan and Pingwu counties in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of northwestern Sichuan, is a fairyland called Jiuzhaigou – Nine-Village Valley, which is the home of nine Tibetan villages. The valley is 50 kilometers in length.

Located on the southeast coast of China, Xiamen is a tourist city of Fujian Province, famous for its attractive seascape. As one of the major seaports since ancient times, Xiamen boasts a wide gulf with deep water but without freezing and silting. The name of 'Xiamen' was consequently given, which means 'a gate of China'.

Ni hao! My name is Mia Zheng, and I’m an undergraduate student majoring in Kinesiology at Rice University in Houston, Texas. As a Care Placement volunteer, I work at the Shanghai Bo Ai Children’s Rehabilitation Center and Zi Luo Lan School for Underprivileged Children.

Wuxi is one of the 15 largest industrial cities in China and one of the most important tourist destinations in Jiangsu Province. It sits at the centre of the Yangtze Delta, between picturesque Lake Taihu which marks the south of the city, and the Yangtze River which defines the northern edge.

Yellow Mountain (Mt. Huangshan), also known as Mount Huangshan, is located in the southern part of Anhui Province. It is undoubtedly China’s most celebrated mountain for all its grandeur and beauty. In 1990 Yellow Mountain was declared a World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO Heritage Committee. Within an area of 154 square kilometers, the mountain offers a crowd of peaks.

On 6 March the Projects Abroad team, along with a number of volunteers, went to partake in a charity clothes sorting event. The setting was a giant hall in a school in Pudong (on the East side of the city) and the task was to take hundreds of bags of clothing that had been donated to the charity and get them ready to be sent-off to the parts of the Chinese countryside that were most in need.

The Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Jie is a traditional Chinese festival, which is on the 15th of the first month of the Chinese New Year. The festival marks the end of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year. Chinese started to celebrate the Lantern Festival from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD). Like most other Chinese festivals, there is also a story behind the Festival. It is also believed that the festival has Taoist origins.

The capital of Hubei province, Wuhan lies at the confluence of the Yangzi and Han Rivers, roughly midway between Beijing and Guangzhou. The city is comprised of three towns – Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang – facing each other across the rivers and linked by several bridges. The most famous scene in Wuhan is Yellow Crane Tower.

Located northwest of the Yunnan Province, 300 kilo-meters (186 miles) northwest of Kunming, Dali City is the economic and cultural center of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. Here you will find 25 ethnic minorities, which have created a unique cultural heritage amidst the area's picturesque surroundings.

My time in Shanghai has been a fantastic experience, both for me personally and professionally. Shanghai is one of those cities where even the most mundane activity can be transformed into an experience. As a Londoner, I’ve always found commuting to work a drab and gloomy affair, but in Shanghai my commute is a cultural experience! In a fifteen minute walk to the metro station I enjoy the tempting smell of steamed buns and marvel jealously at the fact that Chinese people are standing on the street conversing whilst still in their pyjamas.

Chengde is a famous tourist City in China. It is located on the transitional zone from the Inner Mongolia Plateau to the North Plain, with forested mountains and valleys and numerous fantastic stone formations on the surrounding mountains, of which the most striking are Mt. Luohan (arhat) and Sledge Hammer Peak. In 1985, the city was listed as one of China’s Top Ten scenic Spots.

Wugong Temples is located at the southeast part of Haikuo city. Wugong Temples is a complex of five traditional temples and halls. The buildings were built during the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty to commemorate the five well-known officials of the Tang and Song dynasties. Through different dynasties period, restoration and extension works were carried out to this temple complex with the inclusion of gardens, ponds and pavilions to beautify the complex compound.

Ever since it was announced that Shanghai would host the 2010 World Expo, the city has been swept up in Expo Fever. Construction has been non-stop on the exhibition grounds in Pudong. The current metro lines are being expanded in order to cope with the anticipated 70 million visitors during the 6 month event. The theme of the exposition will be "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as a major economic and cultural centre.

Summertime has always been my favourite. No school and no obligations; just friends, the beach and most importantly, time to travel! I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this summer though, since I knew I had an accounting class to take (ew). I was determined, however, to somehow squeeze in a month of travel. I had no idea where I wanted to go. I wanted culture, some professional experience and diversity...

It seems like a trip to Beijing has become a must do for our volunteers here in Shanghai. With faster trains and cheaper flights, a trip up to the nation’s capital has never been easier. The Great wall, Forbidden City, and Bird’s Nest Stadium are just a few of the amazing sights the city has to offer.

In the western part of Shanghai, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple: the Jade Buddha Temple. In 1882, an old temple was built to house two jade Buddha statues which had been brought from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple.

Located in a suburb of Shanghai city, Zhujiajiao is an ancient water town well-known throughout the country, with a history of more than 1700 years. Covering an area of 47 square kilometres, the little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains. The little town is the best-preserved among the four ancient towns in Shanghai.

The Spring Festival holiday had most of our volunteers leaving Shanghai to visit different parts of China. Volunteers sampled fried scorpion in Beijing, spent some time out in rural Henan, braved the sub-zero temperatures in Haerbin, and experience the neon brightness of Hong Kong.

So what exactly happens during Chinese New year? I’ve been approached with this question several times and I consistently find it hard to give a definitive answer. For me, it was always an excuse to get an extra day off school and spend the day playing Nintendo. This was then followed by a big dinner out with the grandparents. After which we would return to my cousins house where the adults played mahjong and the kids played monopoly.

November was a busy month here in Shanghai. Director of Projects Abroad, Peter Slowe, stopped by for a visit. Volunteers were also spotted attending the Kanye West concert, Jens Lekman’s show, and the Tennis Master’s Cup. November ended with a trip out of Shanghai to soak up some culture and history. First stop was the town of Shengze where current volunteer, Romain Behaghel, is teaching.

After losing the title of tallest building in Shanghai to the sleeker Shanghai World Financial Centre, Jinmao tower has lost a bit of its allure. Jinmao’s saving grace is Cloud 9 Restaurant on 87th floor. Make sure you get a table facing westerly towards the Bund and Pearl Tower. Metro Line 2, Lujiazui, look for the second tallest building!

Located in the center of Shanghai in People's Square, Shanghai Museum is a large museum of ancient Chinese art. The museum style and presentation surround visitors with artifacts demonstrating ancient wisdom and philosophy.The exterior design of the round dome and the square base symbolizes the ancient idea of a round heaven and a square land.

China's premier shopping street,3-4 mile long Nanjing Road,starts at the Bund in the east and ends in the west at the junction of Jingan Temple and Yan'an West Street. Today Nanjing Road is a must see Metropolitan destination attracting thousands of fashion seeking shoppers from all over the world.

Andy Warhol will revisit China for the first time since his historic trip in 1982, this time in an exhibition of photographs by his personal photographer at the time Christopher Makos. Titled 'Andy Warhol in China,' the exhibition will make its world debut at Timezone 8's two venues in China ( Beijing 798 and Shanghai M50) Saturday May 17, 2008 where it will continue to be shown through the Beijing Summer Olympics.

The sixth annual Art Shanghai exhibition will display works from 25 international and 70 domestic art institutions. The works are based on the four themes of experimentalism, modernism, futurism and traditionalism. The exhibition will feature prominent international and domestic artists as well as many young artists. Encompassing a wide range of mediums including oil painting, sculpture, photography, prints, Chinese painting and more, Art Shanghai is a wonderful opportunity for art enthusiasts, collectors and the general public to enjoy a collection of some of the world's finest art.

Projects Abroad took all its volunteers bowling in Shanghai last month. As there are a lot of new people it was a great way for them to all get introduced to each other and a great activity for everyone to get to know each other. This was company director Kay’s second time bowling and she definitely gave her team a run for their money.

The Terracotta Army or Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a collection of 8,099 terracotta figures of warriors and horses located near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.The figures vary in height according to their rank; the tallest being the Generals.The heights range is 184-197 cm (6ft-6ft 5in), or more than a full foot taller than the average soldier of the period.The figures were discovered in 1974 near Xi'an.

The Great Wall is one of the largest building-construction projects ever carried out, it runs about 7,300 km east to west from the Bo Hai to a point deep in Central Asia. Large parts of the fortification date from the 7th to the 4th century BC. In the 3rd century BC the emperor Shihuangdi (the Qin Dynasty)connected existing defensive walls into a single system fortified by watchtowers. These served both to guard the rampart and to communicate with the capital, Xianyang (near the modern city of Xi'an, the capital of Shangxi Province) by signal — smoke by day and fire by night. Originally constructed partly of masonry and earth, it was faced with brick in its eastern portion.

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms. The Dongzhi Festival or Winter Solstice (literally means arrival of winter) Festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and this results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. It is the thanksgiving of the Chinese calendar and occurs 6 weeks before Chinese New Year (Spring Festival).

Last month the volunteers took a trip to Century Park in Shanghai for a chilled afternoon picnic. Century Park is one of the largest parks in Shanghai. It charges a small fee because of what it has to offer. When you get into the park there is plenty to do whether it be taking a boat ride on the river boats inside the park, visiting the gardens or fishing in the lake.

My best experience from work has been my friendship with one of my Chinese co-workers. When I came to Shanghai, it was my goal to make Chinese friends. The biggest frustration about being here has been not being able to communicate with very many people as I don’t speak Mandarin and only a very small percentage of the population speaks English. It has been very beneficial to have this friendship, as she was able to take me around to different areas of town and show me sights that I would not see otherwise...

The Chinese (Scholar's) Garden is a place for solitary or social contemplation of nature. To be considered authentic, a garden must be built and planned around seventeen essential elements...