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July - August 2006
Inside this edition:
Social Activity – Welcome to a Dong Bei Restaurant
China is very well-known for its culinary delights and the diversity of its cuisine. On the last Friday of this month, we were invited to a Dong Bei restaurant to discover the dishes of the North East China.
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Gathering in front of
the restaurant |
Authentic Dong Bei
restaurant decoration |
Sonya, Veronique, Hamish, Evelyn and Ashami, ready for the feast |
In Beijing, menus are mainly in Chinese… nevertheless, with our Chinese language skills, we could identify some of the most popular dishes. Luckily for us, Deborah helped us to order the best North Eastern specialties. The Dongbei specialties on the menu included a lot of meat-based dishes, some spicy dishes, a number of potato-based dishes and a large array of dumplings along with the more traditional types of food.
This dinner for most of us was our last dinner all together with other WLE students because the summer term was coming to an end. That’s why the atmosphere was so lively! We had a great time trying the delicious North Eastern dishes such as xiao ji dun mo gu, gou bao rou or nian dou bao as well as speaking with our neighbours. Between two slices of meat, we exchanged our different experiences in China and of course our email addresses in order to keep in touch with our new friends from all over the world!
It was such a great experience to come to China even for a short term and I will for sure miss the friendly environment where I met a lot of new friends and some already have became my best ones!
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Traditional aspects of
Dong Bei culture |
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| Putting our chopsticks to work |
A true Dong Bei spread |
Hans and Jonathan |
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Real Life Event – Beijing Opera!
Going to a Beijing Opera show when you area foreigner like me, can sometimes mean ten minutes of interest and one hour of falling asleep. However after our in-center Opera evening at World Link, I became much more interested in the art of Beijing Opera!
For the first time, teachers from one of the most famous Beijing Opera schools in Beijing came to our language center explaining to us this national treasure with a history of 200 years. Full of Chinese cultural facts, the opera presents to the audience an encyclopedia of Chinese history as well as unfolding stories, beautiful backdrops, exquisite costumes, graceful gestures and acrobatic fighting.
It was so much fun learning about this Chinese traditional art culture. The Chinese teachers were eager to give us a better understanding of how to behave as a Beijing Opera actor. It was an interactive evening: teachers not only showed us how to get on a horse, how to walk as a smart and upper-class Chinese woman, but also how to laugh and cry and they picked students in the audience to imitate them. It was interesting to see how difficult it is to perform certain gestures and to achieve the very strange voices.
We also discovered stories behind the Beijing Opera costumes and were able to try them on in order to obtain nice souvenir pictures of the evening. Thanks to the event, I gained a greater insight into Beijing Opera tradition and the next time I go to the Beijing Opera it will be with a new perspective.
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WLE Trip - Welcome to the city of millions of soldiers…Xi’an
Real Life Event – Movie Madness
China Business Seminar – Stefan Hoffmann-Kuhnt, Siemens
The new WLE Business series kicked off last night with an excellent turnout and insightful business topic. Stefan Hoffmann-Kuhnt who has been a popular seminar speaker in the past, returned to present information on the development of Siemens and the challenges and rewards of being an expatriate manager in China. Mr. Hoffmann-Kuhnt has an impressive 20 year history with Siemens and experience working in Siemens’ offices around the world: Australia, the United States, Germany and China. Presently he is now the Head of the Internal Audit Department at Siemens and offered many facts about Siemens business and its structure and growth in China. Siemens supports 36,000 employees in China of which 400 are foreign expatriates. We were interested to learn that Siemens is not only reputable for its information and communication devices, and transportation solutions, but also for power plant organization, real estate, medical equipment and home electrical tools.
Mr. Hoffmann-Kuhnt introduced us to the challenges faced by Siemens managers, such as the difficulty of finding experienced staff in China; consolidating different legacy IT systems; managing joint-venture partnerships; working with the differences between Chinese and German cultures; and molding young energetic workers into employees with Siemens’ values. The positive aspects of living and working in China were also pointed out such as having access to a fascinating cultural wealth, a huge variety of food, experiencing China’s rapid development, and being introduced to a multicultural expatriate community. The many questions posed to our speaker at the end of the seminar indicated the positive response to the presentation. Gaining insights in the experience of managers at large multinational companies operating in China is one of the benefits that continue to make our Business seminar series so successful.
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| Mr. Hoffmann-Kuhnt addressing the crowd |
Our students appreciated the extensive experience that Mr. Hoffmann-Kuhnt had to offer |
Insights into the developments at Siemens China |
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Real life Excursion - Cultural visit in the Beijing’s traditional alleys…
For our students who are keen to experience the local customs as well as the history and culture of Beijing, the hutong and siheyuan are definitely worth a visit. They truly portray unique Beijing architectural structures.
That is why on a sunny day in October, WLE took our students out for a cultural visit to old Beijing. What is a Beijing hutong? A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane typical in Beijing. Hutong means street, lane or alley, and is in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan where most Beijing residents live.
Our day trip into the backstreets of old Beijing began with a visit to a traditional Beijing residence or siheyuan, where rooms are built along the four sides of a courtyard. During this visit the students learned about the lifestyle of this community.
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| WLE students pairing up for the rickshaw rides |
Going through the ancient city alleys |
The best way to capture unique photos of this special part of Beijing |
After a short introduction, our group of students divided into pairs for rickshaw rides. The rickshaws are the most convenient way to meander through the small alleys and discover the old parts of Beijing. During our excursion the students met locals playing Xianqi (Chinese traditional chess) or performing Taichiquan (Chinese traditional martial arts). The weather was clear so we had a perfect opportunity to climb the Drum Tower and have a panoramic view of the Beijing surroundings. What a lovely day spent in this cultural part of Beijing.
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| Gathering for a photo |
Chris enjoying the view from the Drum Tower |
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WLE Business Trip - Welcome to a “Made in China” Beer Factory!
One of WLE’s recent Business Program intakes had a chance to visit Beijing’s Yanjing Beer Group Corporation in Shunyi district this month. Ms Zhang Jie provided a warm welcome to our students and guided them through a refreshingly cool beer factory. The tour commenced on the site of Beijing’s miniature factory and with an explanation of the Yanjing Beer brand. We learned how it took Yanjing 20 years to develop from a small brewery to the countrywide, multi-industry, and internationally renowned beer group it is today.
Ms Zhang, being the knowledgeable guide she was, showed the group through the different sections of the factory. Our students had the chance to tour through the factory’s control room where they could watch the dozens of televisions that control beer production. Wandering through the factory’s corridors, our students arrived at the rather foul-smelling brew house and then entered the fermentation house, also auto-controlled by computers. Yanjing Beer was the first brewery in China to use computers in order to control a beer’s fermentation process. Its contribution in expanding the beer industry in China is clearly evident today.
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| Looking at Yanjing’s miniature factory |
David enthralled by the history of the brewery |
The impressive fermentation house |
The group was then led into the bottling workshop where they could witness how even in China machines are being used to replace workers for filling bottles. They were shown the process of pasteurizing, labeling, bottling, and filling boxes for shipping. After this, came the beer tasting. The group learned the way to appreciate a beer through its look, smell, and, last but not the least, its taste.
Yanjing Beer Corporation produces more than 80 different beers that impress the taste-buds of beer drinkers across China and especially in Beijing.
A visit to the onsite beer shop, where several purchases were made, was the conclusion to this educational and interesting excursion to the headquarters of the successful, award-winning Beijing Yanjing Beer Corporation.
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| The bottling process |
The best part –
the beer-tasting
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A final picture at the end of the day |
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World Link Language Exchange Partners Interview
David: I would like to thank World Link Education because they have given me a great chance to make friends with foreigners. I’m very happy to have met Stephen. He teaches me about Western culture and the English language. We also go out for fun to play basketball and soccer and bring together an international and diverse crowd of friends to experience something new. We even visited my hometown, Qing Huang Dao, and stayed with my family for a week-end. World Link was a big help. I hope more Chinese and foreign students can meet and become friends.
Stephen: On my first day of class I was quite skeptical about finding a Language Exchange Partner with whom to build a mutually beneficial relationship. One month afterwards, not only did I meet several helpful Chinese students who helped with language practice, but I also met my good friend David Zhou. What surprised me was that every Chinese student at World Link was welcoming and extremely eager to help, or even just chat for a while. David Zhou was especially helpful and focused on his school work. With this common priority, as well as several other common interests, what began as an LEP relationship became a friendship.
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Student Interview: Richard Chin
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 Name: Richard Chin
Country of Residence: England
Citizenship: British
Profession: Just began graduate training programme in financial services
Educational Background: Anthropology and Law. Legal Practice Course
Brief Work History: Temped as a paralegal in law firms
Languages Spoken: English, French, Chinese
Hobbies: Tennis, Badminton, Football, Salsa Dancing, Clubbing, all things to do with Chinese culture
Is this your first time in China?
No. Went to China in 2003 to study Chinese at BLCU, unfortunately had to leave after 1 month due to the SARS crisis. Also paid a visit to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing in 2005.
Why did you decide to participate in the Chinese Language Program?
As an overseas Chinese I felt the need to get back to my roots and learn the language that so many people assume I can already speak.
How are you finding your studies in China?
Amazing, I’ve been to China before, but World Link’s special language academy is a different class. Small and tailored classes made me feel like my needs were catered for. My class size varied over time but there was never more than 11 people in the class and most of the time there were only 6 people. A big difference to the 20+ people in my class I had last time I studied in China. The teachers at the academy were also at a very expert level. The lessons were well structured and geared towards real life situations.
Have they been what you expected them to be?
More than exceeded my expectations, studying Chinese was a lot of fun. I learned a lot and also made friends with my class mates which was a very international, with people coming from all corners of the globe, Japan, Korea, USA and Russia etc.
How do you like Beijing?
Beijing is a beautiful place to live. Apart from the stunning cultural attractions such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall the Beijing people are extremely friendly and welcoming to visitors. There is also an array of foods and drinks that I had never seen or tried before. Cost of living is also relatively cheap in Beijing compared to other major cities around the world, you can live very comfortably and not break the bank!
What do you find most interesting about Beijing?
The Chinese culture. Even though I am an overseas Chinese and my mother taught me Chinese values there’s nothing like good old fashioned life experience to teach you about a people’s culture. Visiting cultural attractions, making friends with the locals, talking to my school teachers and other foreigners I began to understand the rich and fascinating culture that is not always so easily translated watching the news or reading books. Some things about Beijing you just have to be there and experience to understand why it came about.
Tell us a few memorable experiences in Beijing/China?
Climbing the Great Wall of China. Took a bus ride about 1.5 hours outside Beijing to a place called Badaling. I took a cable car from the base of the Great Wall up high into the mountains. The view from the Great Wall is just breath-taking, especially as you can see the wall wind its way through the leafy mountains into the horizon. To think that the wall runs for 4,500 miles across the width of China really brings home the greatness at what human beings can really achieve.
How has your experience in China changed you?
China was a whole different world. I’ve come back to London refreshed and enlightened. The Chinese civilization is 5000 years old, their perspectives and views on life bring a different angle on how things can be done, not just in the way of living life, but on business practices, medicine and much much more.
What is the thing you like best about Beijing/China?
The Chinese people - very friendly, warm and helpful.
Will you come to China/Beijing again?
Definitely! I plan to come back next summer.
What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in China?
I would say that having a basic understanding of some Chinese words especially about food, will make the first weeks more comfortable. But the most important thing is that everybody needs to be aware that when you get to a foreign country you have to adjust yourself to the culture where you are living.
What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in
China ?
My advice would be keep an open mind and be patient. China is still a little rough around the edges, it’s still developing, so you might have to be patient when getting things done. Try and learn at least a few phrases in Chinese before you come, it could come in very handy, the Chinese people will respect for giving it a go and making the effort. You can’t drink water straight from the tap in China, so remember to stock up on lots of mineral/filtered water. Finally, relax and get ready to experience a unique life and culture like you’ve never seen before.
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