Guiping - Teaching Retreat

Welcome Sign at the High School

Every year the school I teach for sends its teachers on a 3-day retreat to another city in Guangxi Province. The purpose is to conduct English lessons at Chinese high schools and exchange teaching methodologies with the staff. This year we traveled to Guiping, a 'small' Chinese city of 1.8 million, approximately 4 hours Northeast of Nanning - the provincial capital.

Our bus arrived in style to our hotel, with a police escort. The mayor and members of the local communist party were on hand to welcome us to the city. The kind reception we received was a good sign of things to come, as the retreat produced a couple highlights:

1) I have never seen a Chinese high school before, thus an opportunity to teach a lesson at one was met with excitement. Upon arrival me and my colleagues were paired with a Chinese teacher and directed to their classrooms. All of us foreign teachers went in different directions and anticipation built as I heard applause and shouts echoing from behind; a sign that some of my colleagues had made it to their designated classrooms. I came to a large building at the back of the school grounds and was led up several flights of stairs. As I walked down the hallways, classes came to a standstill with students cheering and climbing over each other for a better look. After the dramatic entrance, I arrived in the classroom and the students excitement was like nothing I have ever seen. Clapping, screaming and a pair of students grabbing each other and shaking violently to top it off! It was as if a skid of Red Bull and Skittles had been airdropped into the classroom. It's something I will always remember, given that I'll probably never experience it again.

Overall the lesson was a great success as we talked about Canada, sang songs and showed each other our 'special abilities'. One student sang a Lady Gaga tune, one flexed his pecks back and forth like 'The Rock' and one even gave me an English beat box welcome. They were surprisingly well behaved (there were 89 students in the class!) and were very keen when it came to learning about North America. Many of the students come from a low socioeconomic background and have probably never seen a Westerner before (up close), which explains much of the excitement. They are also in school 7 days a week, from 7AM - 10PM and live in dormitories on the school grounds. I imagine that my lesson was a much needed break from the strenuous lifestyle of a Chinese high school student.

A Lazy Susan, Within a Lazy Susan, Within a Lazy Susan

2) Our hosts treated us well during our stay in Guiping, especially when it came to the meals. Extravagant food was served (mainly meat dishes), with a dozen courses for most meals. Private dinner rooms were rented for the occasion, which came equipped with motorized Lazy Susan's (especially helpful for the 22 person round table), washrooms, a bar and lounge seating. It's customary at formal dinners to toast all guests, whether in groups or individually. Around half of the toasts ended with 'Gam' which is the same as saying 'Cheers'. Meanwhile, 'Gambei' (dry cup) was uttered for the other half, which means that you are expected to chug your drink. Copious amounts of red wine was served, with Baijiu (40-60% rice liquor) reserved for communal toasts. Opposing tables are sometimes matched (and wagered) against one another, to see who can 'outdrink - outlast - outplay'. Like it or not, the Chinese will argue that this is a part of their culture and those that don't participate, risk being ostracized.

Overall, the trip was a culturally enriching experience and I was able to educate students on the English language, along with the home country of Canada - which I love so much!

The Beautiful 'Li River'

Karst Mountain Landscape - Li River

During the application process for my teaching position in Nanning, I did some research about the area. Google image searches for 'Guangxi Province' turned up countless photos of the famous 'Li River' in Guilin. I had seen the area before, as it is probably the most famous scenery in China, next to the Great Wall. If you go to a local Chinese buffet, you are bound to see a painting (cheap reproduction) of the Li River landscape. Its beauty has inspired artists for thousands of years and it attracts hordes of tourists every year.

I have done little travel in China thus far, choosing instead to head south to Vietnam and Thailand. The main reason behind this is:

A) Since I work in China, my holidays align with Chinese holidays. This means that in order to escape the mass migration (Spring Festival being the largest annual human migration in the world), you must exodus the country. With over 1.3 Billion people, the last place you want to be on the holidays is cramped on a Chinese train. Tickets are hard to come by, they sell more then there are seats, every washroom turns into a horror scene within an hour and survival of the fittest reigns supreme. You are also taking your chances when it comes to visiting popular tourist destinations (overcrowding). Keep in mind that when the Chinese travel, they tend to bring the 'whole' family along – Children – Parents -Aunts – Uncles – and Grandparents from both sides.

Cruising Around Yangshuo

B) China is a fairly new tourist destination, having only really opened up to the outside world in the early 1980's. As a result, tourism is not as developed as you would find in other Eastern Asian countries (excluding North Korea!). English is also relatively non-existent outside of major metropolis centers and Lonely Planet destinations.

To the gratification of my students, I chose to head North, to Guilin and Yangshuo for the week long tomb-sweeping holiday. Highlights of the trip included:

- Taking a cruise up the Li River to Yangshuo. The cruise lasts about 5 hours, lunch is included and the second level of the boat is open for taking pictures. The boat power hauls it upstream, in formation with a dozen other cruise ships.

- Traveling to the famous rice terraces of Longsheng. They are unique in that they are situated in the mountains, at elevations ranging from 380-880 metres.

Rice Terraces of Longsheng

Crowded Streets of Yangshuo

Li River Cruise

- Spending the majority of the trip in the town of Yangshuo. The tourist section is a throw back to classical Chinese architecture, cars are forbidden and there are many unique stores/restaurants. I was surprised by the number of foreign tourists in Yangshuo, the number of foreign owned businesses and the amount of English. The town is a major tourist trap, but a must see!