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December - January 2005
Inside this edition:
A Chilly Day in the Forbidden City
It goes without saying that if you travel to Beijing you will undoubtedly visit one of the world’s greatest architectural feats – the Forbidden City. A group of twenty World Link Education (WLE) students planned to visit the monumental palace last December and as the weekend approached for the guided tour we read up on some history and some of us even purchased “The Last Emperor” DVD that so prominently featured what lay within the Forbidden City walls: a complex that covers an area of over 2,350,000 square feet and contains 9,999 rooms.
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| WLE students huddle together to listen to the guide introduce |
Julie and Joanne stop for a picture outside the grand entrance into the forbidden city.
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Grace, Matteo, Allison, and Edelita standing outside one of the royal thrones. |
The day arrived for our tour and to our surprise, the temperature in Beijing had dropped by ten degrees and a fierce wind was blowing. We wondered if we’d be able to make it through the entire Forbidden City having heard that it takes more than two hours of walking to truly absorb the grandeur of the palace. Grace, a WLE staff member, remained positive about the trip saying that the cold would not stop us from enjoying the day. It turns out, she couldn’t have been more right.
We reaped amazing benefits from the crisp Beijing weather; not only were visitors to the Forbidden City few and far between, but we also had possibly one of the clearest, sunniest days of the year to view the opulence and historical heritage of the Chinese imperial court. Grace, who accompanied us on the tour, told us that usually you have to jostle for a spot to view each chamber – to see the magnificent thrones and furniture within.
Our guide taught us many useful bits of information such as that the layout of the Forbidden City is based on a Chinese cosmic diagram of the universe that clearly defines the north-south and east-west axes. We also learned that the Forbidden City was the residence of the emperors for nearly five hundred years, from the 15th century to the early 20th century, and was the actual and symbolic seat of imperial power.
The cold weather meant that people stayed away and this was great for us. It was almost like we had the entire Forbidden City to ourselves. Our own private WLE tour! Although we had to bundle up that day, we have a terrific selection of photos in the sun from our day within the walls of the Forbidden City.
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| Tobias and Sasha enter the Forbidden City under a clear blue sky. |
WLE’s Grace approaching the stunning main gate.
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Students pose at the magnificent first courtyard where the last emperor was filmed. |
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| Alexandra, Akiko and Edelita outside the royal banquet hall. |
Pablo, Thao and Ross braved the cold and loved the Forbidden City
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Warmer in the sun, Ross and Tobias approach the marble bridge |
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Tai Ji in the Heart of Old Beijing
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Tai Ji Elective
We’ve all heard about the tremendous health benefits of practicing Tai Ji (often spelled Tai Chi). It can lower your blood pressure, reduce tension and anxiety, and boost the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. These alone are good enough reasons to take up this powerful martial art. In fact, over one hundred million people practice Tai Ji on a regular basis.
But World Link Education (WLE) makes it even more appealing for students to take up this form of martial art by offering the course in a unique and beautiful courtyard setting in the heart of Beijing. You can literally absorb the history of the art through the centuries-old courtyard learning facility.
Zhang Shili was our instructor, a man with over 30 years of experience in teaching Tai Ji, and Gong Fu (often spelled Kung Fu). Through his tutelage, we learned about the power of Tai Ji, for internal power, and for longevity. He also took the time to explain to us the history of Tai Ji – it was the first martial art to incorporate the “yin” (of yin yang, opposites, a Taoist concept). Prior to Tai Ji, martial arts only used the “yang” elements that were more aggressive where proficiency was measured by the strength and aggression of attack. Tai Ji uses a balance of “yin” techniques with the “yang” techniques – a balance between yielding and attacking.
For those of us involved in the Tai Ji elective, these bits of history were fascinating but even more encouraging for us was that Zhang Shili taught us in Chinese and helped us enhance our Chinese language abilities. We found it challenging at first to complete a class entirely in Chinese but with Zhang Laoshi’s (teacher Zhang) patient manner and his English skills, we were able to understand everything. For us, these Tai Ji classes brought the Chinese language to life – out of the classroom and into a more cultural setting.
A class consisted of learning a bit about the history of the art and then some basic stretches. To our surprise, most of us left the elective class feeling like we had had a real workout despite a perceived low exertion level.
After our WLE Tai Ji experience many of us have chosen to maintain the practice of this martial art in order to stay in shape whilst busying ourselves with the challenges of our daily studies of the Chinese language.
For us, this is what really counts in terms of a cultural experience – finding small activities that we can incorporate into our lifestyles, for the long term. Many of us will take our Tai Ji knowledge and share it with friends and family upon our return home.
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| Looking out the window from our Tai Chi room into the Beijing courtyard. |
Patrick, Sam and Andy start their stretching exercises |
Patrick first lesson in Tai Chi with Zhang Lao Shi |
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| Richard and Timothy practice together |
Mira and Akiko help each other stretch. |
Sam, Patrick keeping up with Zhang Lao |
Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive at World Link
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Kong Yi Ji Christmas Party, 2004
Christmas in China is very different than at home – no turkeys, no Christmas pudding, and certainly no visits from Father Christmas, but the spirit of the holiday was alive and well among the World Link Education (WLE) community this year.
The venue of choice for this year’s WLE Christmas party was the famous Chinese restaurant, Kong Yi Ji. This restaurant is named after a character in a short story by one of China’s greatest literary geniuses, Lu Xun. Originally started in Shanghai, Kong Yi Ji restaurant is now a chain across China serving up Zhejiang style food, the province in which Shanghai is located.
The party was a truly international one. Students from around the globe gathered together, a fine substitute for our families far away. We attracted quite a few wandering eyes from neighboring tables curious about where we’d come from and what we were doing in China. It added to the occasion to be able to converse in Chinese with these local Beijingers and share with them a bit of our Christmas culture.
Echo, a WLE staff member, made ordering easy for all of us as she displayed her keen understanding of Zhejiang food. Despite a wide array of different preferences among us, Echo was able to satisfy every last one of us with her expert ordering. The most memorable dishes were Dou Fu Gan (cold marinated tofu), Hui Xiang Dou (broad beans soaked in tea), Long Jing Xia Ren (Long Jing dragon shrimp) and Mi Zhi Luo Yu (foil-wrapped fish).
No Christmas party is complete without a few bits of entertainment, especially some singing. Although we did not chorus into “Silent Night” or “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” we did have the chance to exhibit our Chinese language skills by singing Chinese songs for the listening pleasure of all those dining in the restaurant. One martial arts student also gave a fantastic display of Wu Shu. After the entertainment, we pushed our chopstick use skills to the limit, racing to see who could be the fastest at picking up dried peas from one plate and transferring them to another. Needless to say, a few peas were lost along the way!
So although we were far from home at such a festive time of year, our Christmas was very special and one that we’ll remember for years to come.
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| WLE Christmas dinner at Kong Yi Ji gets started |
Zain, Tom and Lilly take a brief moment away from their delicious food. |
Alex, Wesley, Gabriel and Carmen loved the family atmosphere at the WLE Christmas party. |
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| Denise, Eunsol, Sandra and Bill enjoying their first Chinese Christmas together. |
Kengo shows off the Wu Shu skills he learnt at WLE.
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Anna, Kengo, Kentaro and Yuko give their own impromptu performance. |
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| Anna and Tristan looking festive as they perform an old Chinese song. |
Jake and Loryn get to grips with their chopsticks
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Adnan and Victoria battle it out at musical chairs. |
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| Simon, Anna, Anchi, Christy, Sandra and Deborah sing in harmony and unison |
The WLE Christmas party pose for a final group picture |
Student Interview: Alexandra Simic
 Name: Alexandra Simic
Country of Residence: Sweden
Citizenship: Swedish
Profession: Student
Educational Background: Upper secondary School,University degree from Handelshögskolan in Gothenburg
Brief Work History: Internship in Germany
Languages Spoken: Swedish, English, German and some Spanish
Hobbies: Reading, Swimming, Dancing
Is this your first time in China?
Yes
Why did you decide to study Chinese Language?
We read about Chinese history and culture in school and it sounded like a very interesting country! I wanted to go to Beijing on a good program and live and learn the language and culture.
How are you finding your studies in China?
Chinese is one of the most difficult things I have ever learned but also the most interesting. The teachers are great so I’m making good progress.
Have they been what you expected them to be?
It was actually harder than what I expected it to be, unlike European languages where there are similarities Chinese is completely alien to me but I am loving the challenge.
How do you like Beijing?
It’s very beautiful and there are just so many things to see and so many exotic dishes to try out, it’s a beautiful city.
What do you find most interesting in Beijing?
There are just so many things that make the city so exotic –the food, the people the scenery, although I must say the people are amazing.
Tell us a few memorable experiences in Beijing/China?
Going on a WLE weekend trip to the Great Wall, Walking on the Great Wall and taking in the breathtaking view of the mountains, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life
My first bargaining experience in China!
Buying unbelievable clothes that would have cost a fortune at home but were a so cheap here, I probably paid too much but it seemed very little at the time.
What is the thing you like best about Beijing/China?
Just living in the city and getting to know the people and the culture by learning the language.
Will you come to China/Beijing again?
Definitely!
What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in China?
Try not to eat too much on arrival get to know the food first. And bring some good lotion with you because the air dries your skin out seconds after arriving. |
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