Back in China

After a wonderful month spent in Thailand and Vietnam we are happy to be back in China and to start teaching for the spring semester. This also means that we are starting the picture of the week again!

The two pictures below are from a Thai traditional dinner and performance we attended for our 3rd wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful night and enjoyed seeing so much Thai culture and eating some fantastic food.

Picture of the Week Postponement

Thank you to all of you who regularly check our picture of the week. We are going to be leaving for classes and a conference outside of China. We will be gone for one month and will not be able to consistently post a picture of the week.

Check back around March 1 for our newest posts.

Banquet Time

Sorry for the delay in our postings. With the end of the calendar year and the end of our teaching semester we got behind. But, below are some fun photos from our provincial annual banquet for all of the "foreign experts" in our province.

This woman played a traditional Chinese musical instrument called a "zither."

No banquet is complete without a hostess in a pretty princess dress.

This girl performed a magic show. It was a lot of fun!

These girls performed a traditional-style dance.

Christmas Party

We recently had a small Christmas party with some of our students. Together we told the Nativity story, sang some Christmas songs and made Christmas cards. The students above are showing off their Christmas card creations. They enjoyed making the cards so much that after we had gone 45 minutes past our scheduled time Brian finally had to just start taking away the materials! In the end, we all had a good time, and the students heard the true story of Christmas.

People, people everywhere!

This is one of the many crowded areas you can find in China. Many of our friends say that the root of China's current problems is because of the "large population." Officially, the population is 1.3 billion, but friends here say it's more likely 1.5 billion. China just completed a census, so we are curious about the results.

Truthfully, you cannot escape overcrowding in China. The city where we live has about 1 million people and is considered a "very small city." But look at the photo above, taken while crossing a sky bridge. You see the effects of overcrowding when getting on the bus. People move in mass and push a lot. If it's rush hour don't expect to get a seat. The idiom of being "packed like sardines" is quite appropriate.

Overcrowding does have other problems too. Recently, we read an article about a stampede at a kindergarten. The children were going out to recess when one girl stopped and bent down to tie her shoe. over 40 children were treated for injuries.

Concert in the Park

This impromptu concert in the park is a common scene in China. This group was performing traditional Chinese songs. Other groups perform traditional Chinese dances. Some play card games and Chinese chess. Often, the people are retirees. With forced retirement at age 60 for men and age 55 for women, these folks have a lot of free time on their hands.

The parks in China are a fascinating mix of people.

"Civilized People"

After last week's "Crossing the Street" post we thought we'd share with you how to be "civilized people." This underpass is found at one of the major intersections downtown in our city. Increasingly it's becoming a problem with how people cross the street here. We know of multiple people here who have relatives who have been hit by cars or buses.