We started with breakfast of noodles, salad, and eggs, along with a few other dishes I couldn't identify. We progressed to the opening ceremony of the Project, in a small room, with a long oval table and no air conditioning. After the Vice President of the National Academy for Education Administration spoke, our fearless leader Dr. Lynne Walters spoke, and then we had our first lecture.
Dr. Zhang Yun presented her ideas and knowledge of Chinese culture. She is a professor of English and Chinese literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University. The lecture was interesting, but then she came and ate lunch with us, and told us a little of her experiences during the Cultural Revolution, from 1966-76. During that time of anti-intellectual purging she and all the teachers at her university were sent south to work on a collective for "re-education," a nice word for punishment. Since her parents were, as she put it, "petite bourgeois," she was suspected of harboring ideas contrary to the state, and so was watched closely. She had to throw all her books on the fire, and work hard to prove herself a good communist. That's about all she would say about it, so it must have been a very unpleasant experience for many people.
She did show us some acupressure massage points, to relieve stress and ensure good health and longevity. Since she's over 70 and doesn't look it, I listened and tried to learn.
Lunch was delicious assortment of dishes, plus fresh fruit. And then we had a 2 hour break, during which I tried to nap, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful.This afternoon we had 2 more lectures, about teaching geography and history in Chinese schools. It sounds a lot like our education, but with much more central control. There are few textbooks to select from, and national standards that have to be covered, as they are on the test that students take to get into college.
Prior to 2001 schools in China operated on a system similar to Russia's, but at that time reforms were implemented and now the system has been "Americanized." Instead of memorizing a laundry list of facts, teachers and students are being encouraged to discuss and think about ideas. This change has been difficult to implement, and reforms are ongoing. Our group asked many questions of the Chinese lecturers, and we had productive discussions about policy and standards. In light of the Texas SBOE recent adoption of new Social Studies standards, which includes "laundry lists" of dates and people, we seem to be moving backwards while China is moving forward.
Because the lectures this afternoon were delayed due to the late arrival of one lecturer, we did not have a break before our evening meal. This was presented in a banquet room, with Chinese red wine, and 15 or 20 different dishes, most served one at a time. We had 6 or 7 dishes on the rotating lazy susan as appetizers, then shrimp with pineapple and mango, very spicy tofu, mushroom tea, 2 kinds of rice, fish, pot stickers, a dumpling with some sort of greens, chicken soup, dishes I can't recall, and finally fresh fruit. I am still stuffed.
When it was finally over, 2 hours after we started, several of us walked around the outside of the NAEA complex back to the hotel entrance. In the lobby a man was doing calligraphy for a group of Chinese educators.
The artist was packing up as we entered, and a couple of my colleagues said he was with the calligraphy center, which was down the hall. They had gone there last night, so we went to see the center, and ended up staying an hour while they made and poured at least 4 different types of tea for us.
The artist was not there, but several of the people who worked at the center entertained us. One of our group, Bethany, speaks Chinese, so she interpreted for us.
After so much tea I am not sure if I can sleep, but I'm going to try. Tomorrow we have lectures in the morning and then we really are going to Tienanmen Square.
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