October, 2007
Articles from prior issues of beijingkids can be found by checking out the archive links below for the month and year you are interested in.
Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Mortals beware! The invisible veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest on October 31. On this day of the year, when disturbed souls begin to lurk close by, invite the masses over for a hell-raising Halloween party that will scare the pants off any wandering ghosts. By Tania McCartney; photos by Luna Zhang
Invite your Little Monsters
Send
out invitations
For
the bat invitation, trace a bat template onto black cardboard and cut
it out. Fold two strips of 1cm x 19cm black paper into
accordion-style "springs" and glue one end of each strip to the
back of the bat. Affix the opposite ends of the paper strips to a
piece of black cardboard measuring 15cm x 11cm. Glue in or handwrite
the details of your party in silver pen on the front of the bat.
Slide the bat card inside an envelope. When the recipient removes the
card, the bat will pop out.
Beijing's Smallest October 2007
Want to share your new arrival with our readers? E-mail a photo of your little one (at least 1 MB in size) with his or her full name, nationality, birth date, hospital and parents' names to amanizhang@tbjkids.com
Kelly Grace Hu
American. Born to Yian and James Hu on August 22 at Beijing United Family Hospital.
Saskia Cohen Key
British. Born to Jacqueline Cohen and Alex Key on March 30 at Matilda Hospital, Hong Kong
Playful Bytes
A primer on Chinese computer games
Despite the many reports of Internet addiction and carpal tunnel syndrome resulting from too much control pad crunching, computer games can be - dare we say - educational, especially if you're trying to bone up on your Chinese. We shopped around and picked out some homegrown Chinese video games for different age groups: some cultural, some historical, and some just plain fun. Most require at least some level of Chinese literacy (or at least a Chinese-English dictionary on hand), but these alluring games may be just the impetus you've been looking for to start working on those Chinese characters. Vivian Chow
October 2007 around the world
16
Oct
Tue
World Food Day
Started
in 1981 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Day
is celebrated by over 150 countries around the world in an effort to
raise awareness about world hunger. This year's theme is "the
Right to Food."
24
Oct
Wed
United Nations Day
UN
Day commemorates the birth of the United Nations by celebrating world
harmony and diversity. Many international schools in Beijing will
host festivities with students showcasing national costumes and the
culture of their region.
Elective 101
Paul, Sarah and @
Halloween
万圣节
Wàn
shèng jíe
Halloween
Halloween
is a festival the whole family can enjoy.
Wàn
shèng jíe shì lìng quán jīa rén
dōu kuaì lè de jíe rì.
万圣节是令全家人都快乐的节日.万圣节
Ebony or ivory?
And
you were worried about applying face paint or inserting vampire fangs
for Halloween! Women in Chinese high society once thought it the
height of fashion to dye their teeth with a dark stain made from
eggplant skins. Breast not best?
Aggressive advertising for infant formula may be responsible for a new low in the percentage of Chinese mothers who exclusively breastfeed. A report by the China's Consumer Association indicated that as much as 14 percent of new mothers in China do not breastfeed at all. The survey, conducted in 30 Chinese cities, found that almost a third of babies were fed a mixture of breast milk and infant formula, and these statistics were believed to be influenced by the insistent advertising of formula companies who claimed their product was highly beneficial to brain development in babies. As many as 57 percent of mothers were willing to buy formula based on that knowledge alone.
The Association's report also reveals that formula companies are pushing the boundaries of legal advertising. Chinese consumer protection regulations state that claiming or even hinting that formula could be an adequate replacement for breast milk is illegal, yet companies regularly flout these rules by creating furtive campaigns to lure parents, including giveaways, strategic product-placement and baby-health hotlines that support infant formula.
The Ogatas
Hailing from Tokyo, the Ogata family have been living in Beijing's Dongcheng District for three-and-a-half years. Dad Kazuyoshi is the IT general manager for 7-Eleven, and Noriko is a stay-at-home-mom to Shiori (4) and Jing Jing (22 months). This is the family's first overseas posting. Tania McCartney
Adopted Family Member
We adore our ayi and think she's one of the best things about living in Beijing. Ayi is like a nainai to our children and loves them just as much. She makes life in Beijing so much easier: interpreting, shopping, giving traditional Chinese medicine and health advice, returning broken or substandard items... she's priceless.
Birthday Celebration
Our relatives from Japan send gifts for both girls when one celebrates a birthday. We lay the gifts out like on Christmas Day and the kids go crazy over them when they wake up in the morning. We like to make a special birthday cake, too.
A Breath of Fresh Air
A Breath of Fresh Air
The Chinese regard October as "the month of golden Autumn" (jīn qīu shí yuè 金秋十月) because of its reputation as the best time of the year to be out of doors. Of the many places in Beijing where such days can be enjoyed, we recommend five suitable for kids of different ages. Amani Zhang
The Temple of Heaven
Wangfujing
Hidden gems around Beijing's main strip
Also known as "the Gold Street" by Beijing residents, Wangfujing has been a locacl attraction since 1903. Today, it has grown into a center of modernity and fashion, with numerous venues for shopping, dining, entertainment and education, all whilst maintaining its historical charm. Amani Zhang
What to Do With a Lost Tooth
Tooth traditions from around the world
Losing one's baby teeth is a universal experience, and in many Western countries a tooth fairy will exchange them for money. "When my son Arthur started losing his teeth at 6, we told him to put the tooth under his pillow and the tooth fairy would come at night to give him money," said Matt Roberts, father of two. "Then we put a little money, like 10 kuai, or sometimes a little toy, under his pillow."
The
tooth fairy's origins are thought to be rooted in an 18th century
French fairy tale called "La Bonne Petite Souris," where a fairy
changes into a mouse to help a good queen defeat an evil king by
hiding under his pillow to torment him and knock out all his teeth.
In Spain, a tooth mouse, known as "Ratoncito Perez," substitutes
a tooth under a pillow for money or sweets. In Mexico, children leave
their baby teeth next to a mouse hole, outdoors, or anyplace they
think a mouse will find it.
Cliques at School
High school seniors chime in on clique culture
The jocks. The cheerleaders. The nerds. The rebels. Most people will recall being affiliated with some type of group or crowd when they were young. And these types of "cliques" are often the basis of movies about adolescence: The varsity basketball team captain dates the mean girl who rules the school. But how close do these dramatizations connect to the reality of growing up in Beijing? We sat down with four students from the Western Academy of Beijing to find out. Lisa Liang
I Want To Be a Lawyer
Serwat Perwaiz keeps things legal
"The line between career and social life blurs if you really like to do what you do."
Serwat Perwaiz went to law school in the US before deciding to base herself in China and work with PRC lawyers and multinational companies on market-entry and international property. Her work involves aiding multinational companies wanting to purchase and set up businesses in China. Teacher Emily Williams' year 11 business studies class from Yew Chung International School had an opportunity to ask Serwat some questions about her profession and how the law effects us all.
Shyam Iyer, Indian
You're the sort of lawyer who acts as an intermediary and who does deals. Do you have any experience in court?
Serwat Perwaiz: Before I worked in China, I worked with a number of different organizations that represented individual people in court in the US. But now, I help people who are seeking solutions for their companies, so I don't need to go to court. Instead, my work involves negotiating between two sides. My job is to prevent things from going as far as court.
The Wonders of Wood Ear
Peculiar powers of the forest fungus
by
Zoe Li; photos by Luna Zhang
If trees had ears, would you eat them? According to Chinese medicine, you'd be silly if you didn't.
The Chinese fungi muer, which translates literally as "wood ear," is also known as tremella, or witch's butter, by Western health food stores. It is commonly found in Beijing either as the black hei muer (黑木耳, "black wood ear") or the white yiner (银耳, "silver ear"). These are the yin and yang of fungi; the fungal king and queen; the Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li of eukaryotic organisms. One is black like a gracefully wilting rose, while the other resembles an elegant albino peony in full bloom, and both are believed to contain many wonderful nutritional benefits.
Destination: France and Spain
The beautiful Basque region
The Travelers: Stephen and Gina Turner, who hail from Britain and Taiwan, and their two boys Nathan (7) and Joe (3). Stephen's sister Jane and her three children, Josh (17), Molly (15), and Izzy (9), came from the UK to meet up with the family.
The Destination: Southwest France (Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Socoa and environs) and San Sebastián, Spain.
The Plan: Not just a summer break for the whole family, this 12-day trip was also a good excuse for Nathan and Joe to catch up with their cousins, whom they hadn't seen in two years. It was the perfect location for both families to get to and a great place to catch some summer sun and waves at the beach.
10 Great Things to Do This October
1 Cycling Through Beijing Hutongs
Hutongs are a fading architectural legacy of Chinese culture. Join Unique Tour China for a leisurely cycle through some of Beijing's oldest and best preserved hutongs. Learn the history of old Beijing, gain an understanding of hutong architectural features, even enjoy a home-cooked lunch prepared by one of Beijing's friendliest hutong inhabitants. Suitable for kids 12 years and up. Contact reserve@utc88.com or phone 8097 8120 for a reservation. Daily. RMB 150 (includes bike rental, English-speaking guide and tea) www.utc88.com
Changing Winds
Autumn is a season for change. It’s a
time when the air wavers undecidedly somewhere between warm and cool,
when leaves which before were green start fading into hues of gold
and red, when memories of carefree days of summer start dissolving
into the reality of school.
October is, perhaps, the calm before the storm, the last breath before the onslaught of homework, school projects, book reports, SATs and college applications become impending doom. And for these reasons many kids around the world have come to look forward to – even rely upon – Halloween as a chance to play a trick or have a treat without the consequences of either being too grave. Hence, in this issue of tbjkids, you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to throw a Halloween party and make the most of this brief indulgence.
Fish out of Water
Readapting to a British lifestyle
The good news is I got three A’s and a B in my final semester at Harrow International School Beijing - way above what I expected and much higher than what Durham, my soon-to-be university in the UK, required. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been celebrating.
But the celebrations made way for more serious work as August came and went and I soon found myself faced with the reality of returning to Britain to begin life at university. Leaving family behind to settle down somewhere alone can be an emotional time, and I have to admit it was a bit of a shock having to wave goodbye to my parents at the airport in Beijing. I was loaded up to the hilt with a huge suitcase, a fencing bag, a carry-on bag and a backpack ñ not to mention nervousness. What if the bags were over the allowance? If I went over, would they let me on the plane? One thing was for sure: If I didn’t get on that plane, I’d be seeing my family again a lot sooner than I planned. Luckily, I managed to make it through without any problem.
Picking the Brain of Janet Kinsella
High school science at the
International School of Beijing
Janet Kinsella left her hometown in Newfoundland, Canada, at the tender age of 18 and has never looked back. Jumping from country to country for the past decade, she and her family now seem to have finally settled down in Beijing. After living and working in China's capital city for just over five years, she takes a look back at how she came to teach science at ISB. Lisa Liang
How did you end up in Beijing?
I've been working overseas for 11
years now. I started off in Istanbul. I was teaching middle school
science and then we went back to Canada for about five years, where I
taught general high school science and biology at a public school.
Then we went overseas again to Beirut, and from there we went to
Manila in the Philippines, and then we came to Beijing. I'm just
starting my fifth year here.
Dragon Fire Swim Team
Taking a splash never goes out of
season
As October rolls around and the routine of school kicks back in, nothing works better to distract children mourning the loss of summer than a bit of wholesome physical activity. Beijing parents searching for just such a release need look no further than the Dragon Fire Swim Team.
Started in 1994 by Kevin Hua, Dragon Fire began with a modest 20 swimmers but has since expanded to a membership of over 200. The team is a consortium of students from various local and international schools in Beijing, though practices are conducted primarily in English by Kevin and his squad of eight coaches.
Tiger Heads and Rabbit Fur
The origin of traditional Chinese shoes
Traditional Chinese children's shoes are believed to have their roots in the Warring States Period, approximately 2,600 years ago. It was then that the head of the Jin Kingdom, an area roughly outlined by present-day Shanxi province, ordered all the maids in his palace to embroider ten kinds of fruits and flowers on their shoes in remembrance of the great deeds he had performed. This practice eventually made its way to the people and it became a tradition for mothers to make similar shoes for their children.
Among the most common shoes made for toddlers were "tiger head shoes," usually sewn from cotton with tiger heads embroidered on the toes. To make them appear more vivid and lifelike, rabbit fur would sometimes be attached to the mouth and ears, so it would flutter in the wind like the fur of a tiger.
Meeting Granddad
Four generations, three countries, two
continents, one family
Before we had children, I might have thought of the following as drawbacks to living in Beijing in an international marriage with a Chinese girl: being mutually incomprehensible in an argument, never being able to win an argument, protracted lunches with the extended family on frequent feast days, not being able to have Sunday lunch with the European relatives, and being bankrupted by the cost of sharing Christmas dinner and a pint with the folks back home. For sentimental reasons, living half a world away from my son's Anglo-Saxon grandparents now tops the list, while practical reasons place the cost of bridging the distance to our far-flung family at second.
With that said, we don't regret a penny spent taking Daniel to see the big-nosed branch of the family in Europe this summer. Though the month-long family reunion may, perhaps, have been a bit extravagant, it yielded many priceless moments. One of the highlights was introducing Daniel to my irrepressible granddad, who, at 94, is one of the sprightliest among those in the retirement community in London where he lives. The old fella was so excited, in fact, that as soon as he clapped eyes on Daniel he rushed next door, returning moments later to wheel his neighbor in for a viewing session ñ after all, it's not only the Chinese elderly who like to show off their newest family members.
