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WLE Newsletter June-July 2000
Inside this edition:
 Student composition
Staff news
Student Perspective - Lindsay Pearson
Social Events
Weekend Trips
WLE Student Centre
WLE Business Course - JV Trip
Feature Article:Shaolin Wushu School
at eight years of age --Chen Lei
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STUDENT COMPOSITION
Our Summer students comprise a truly multi-cultural group coming from 13 different countries - America, Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and Turkey. Despite the very high temperatures this year, they have joined the weekend sightseeing trips and remained in high and enthusiastic spirits throughout.
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STAFF NEWS
For the busy Summer season, Lola Yang and Sabrina Bao have joined the World Link staff. Their duties have included application processing, accommodation arrangements, the language exchange partner program and organizing for people to meet incoming students at the airport. They have also been invaluable in assisting students and answering their many queries. After the Summer holiday, Lola will continue her studies at BLCU while Sabrina will be jetting off to England for post-graduate studies in Communications.
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SOCIAL EVENTS
WELCOME LUNCH
The Chinese Language four week students who arrived towards the end of July enjoyed their sumptuous welcome lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. It was a wonderful opportunity for these students from Indonesia, England, Germany, America and Turkey to get to know each other and the World Link staff.
BIRTHDAY NEWS
WLE Martial Arts student Chris Hanson celebrated his 20th birthday in June nearing the end of his semester stay in Beijing. Formerly known to his classmates as 'young Chris', now that his has left his teens behind, that name might have to change.
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WEEKEND SIGHTSEEING TRIPS
Tian Tan - Temple of Heaven Park
The Temple of Heaven was built between 1406 and 1420 and was designed for the Emperor to communicate directly with Heaven. The Emperor came several times a year to pray for rain and good harvests for his people. The four main parts of the park include the Round Altar, the Echo Wall, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
The central and most important section, the Hall of Prayer is 38 metres tall and was built without using a single nail. Although it was burned down in 1889, it has been faithfully reconstructed.
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STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
By Lindsay Pearson CL4w:7/00
I may be the oldest student here at this time, but being here makes me feel so young. First of all, I'm in school again, learning new things every day. (I've been a teacher of adults for 25 years myself, so it's professionally interesting to be on the receiving end.) But it's especially delightful because the two teachers who share our Chinese class are professional, lively, fun, gracious, experienced, adept. Their methods are different from ones I use, but never boring and, hey, I'm starting to speak and understand Chinese! And I've only been studying here 10 days. Although I was placed in the right level, I notice that other students are permitted to move out of or into levels they consider more appropriate.
The campus is lovely. Lotus flowers everywhere. "Ancient" stone tables and seats in parks where I sit and do homework, or drink coffee, or both. Maybe best of all, my class is quite international. We have Italians, Spaniards, Hong Kongers, Germans, Brits, Indonesians, French, Portuguese, and one Israeli. Have I forgotten anyone? Oh yeah, one American (me.) And everyone is relaxed and friendly with everyone else.
Then, I'm surrounded by young people who seem as comfortable with me, as I am with them. And I've signed up at the gym and swimming pool next door to World Link, so I'm getting more exercise than I do all year in New York. The problem is finding time to do everything (That's just like home.)
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WLE STUDENT CENTRE
The air-conditioned student centre has been a popular spot this Summer for students to meet to beat the heat. The free internet access, library and and the latest magazines have been well used.
Our June students enjoyed a relaxed gathering in the World Link Student Centre when they met their Language Exchange Partners for the first time. WLE and local Chinese students value the opportunity to meet regularly to exchange language and cultural information often resulting in long-lasting friendships.
Connie Chan from New York (right-top) regularly uses the Student Centre to meet her language partner, Chen Pu who has just graduated as a teacher from Beijing Normal Teachers?University.
Also in the Student Centre, Jonathan Tong from England keeps in touch with home by Email.
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WLE BUSINESS COURSE - JV TRIP
Students participating in the World Link-UIBE Business Studies Course enjoyed the lecture program with Professor Gao, informative seminar speakers and on-site trips to several Beijing Joint Venture companies.
Photo shows our Business Course students visiting the JV company Blue Zoo where they received a guided tour of this fascinating marine park before being addressed by the General Manager on the establishment and operations of this new venture.
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TEMPLE LIFE
Living in the Shaolin Temple Wushu School at the age of eight was a memorable year in Chen Lei's life. As a young child, Chen Lei loved Chinese Martial Arts and watched Chinese Gong Fu movies whenever he had the chance. With this special interest in mind, when his father saw an advertisement for the Shaolin Temple Wushu School, he asked Chen Lei if would like to attend. Chen Lei was delighted. His parents felt it would also him to develop and strengthen both his independence and his small, thin frame.
When he first left home, it was his older brother who took him on the long train journey of more than 40 hours - a long way from his family, hometown and everything with which he had been familiar.
At that time, the conditions in the Temple school were harsh. Days were long and tiring and the meals consisted of small servings of bland food. Water had to be pumped from a well. Students slept 40 to a room in double bunk beds. Nothing was like home!
Every morning, along with his older classmates, Chen Lei rose at 5.30 to start running 10kms, either on campus or the nearby roads. From 9.00 -.11.00 students could choose to attend Chinese language classes or Wushu classes. Chen Lei usually went to language classes about three times a week. In the language classroom, one teacher was responsible for the three grade levels that shared the one dirt-floor room, with about 10 students per class.
In the Wushu classes, there were usually about 40 students per level all lined up in groups under the trees. Here Chen Lei was able to move about from class to class because he was young and cute. He found he liked the young adult class (probably because they gave him a lot of attention) so he finally settled there. It was here that he received his basic training in Chinese Wushu.
Every afternoon from 2.00 -5.00, Wushu classes continued and the evenings were for practice. Occasionally there was a special evening treat, watching a Chinese movie.
Breakfast consisted of Baozi (large dumplings) cooked in a huge pot. Lunch and dinner were always one vegetable dish and mantou (a type of bread). Chen Lei was used to eating meat and spicy dishes so his mother sent him bottles of spice to add to his vegetable dishes. In the year he was there, there two meat meals - one for the Chinese Moon Festival celebration and the other on the National Day.
While he attended the school, Chen Lei loved the fact that everyone wore a similar uniform and he loved the opportunity to use weapons. When he went home for a month's holiday at the end of the first semester, he was very proud of his T Shirts with the school name. He liked to tell stories about his experiences to his friends and found that they admired the skills he had developed. He could fight well! He was quite a hero to his hometown peers.
When he returned to Shaolin after the holidays, it was his father who took him back. He became aware of the conditions in which his young son had been living and wanted to take him home again. But Chen Lei insisted that he must stay. The first night, his father slept in his bed while Chen Lei shared with a friend. Not wanting to leave his son behind nor say goodbye, his father left before Chen Lei woke the following day. When he discovered his father had left, Chen Lei became very unsettled and needed a great deal of comforting from the older students. For many nights, he cried soundlessly in his bed but he gradually became used to the life again.
Looking back, he says, he cannot believe now that he did stay there for a whole year at such a young age. He feels he learnt a lot from the experience though and it prepared him for leaving home again just a couple of years later. First to join the Yunan Province Athletics School in YuXi and then to Kunming when he was selected to join the Provincial Professional Sports Team.
Chen Lei went on to win four National Championship Titles as a professional sportsperson. In 1994 he attained Masters Level in Chinese Martial Arts, the highest degree. In 1996, he entered BUPE (Beijing University of Physical Education) to study for his bachelors degree in Wushu. In 1998, he obtained the 6th Dan in Martial Arts, the highest dan for technique. In 1999, he became a National Wushu Competition Judge and he graduated with his degree this year.
World Link is delighted to have this young champion on the team.
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