15 November 2015

Gentlefolk,

This post describes the China University of Petroleum (East China) where we live and work.

In Chinese: 中国石油大学; pinyin: Zhōngguó Shíyóu Dàxué; short name: Shi Da (石大) or just UPC.

Website: www.upc.edu.cn (English version available)

Background

UPC started life in 1953 as the Beijing Petroleum Institute, which in the early days was affiliated with Tsinghua University.

In 1969 some staff moved to Dongying, in Shandong Province, and and established the Huadong (East China) Petroleum Institute.  Dongying was the site of the big Sheng Li Oil Field which was being developed and they needed academic experts close by.

In 1988 it was renamed the 'University of Petroleum', with campuses in Beijing and Dongying. Later two separate entities were created: the China University of Petroleum in Beijing (which uses the abbreviation CUP) and China University of Petroleum (Huadong 'East China') in Dongying (UPC).

In 2004 UPC started construction of a new campus located in the Huangdao District of Qingdao (about 4 hours by car from Dongying), and over the next 10 years most teaching transferred to the new campus.  The Dongying campus is still used for practical teaching, as working oil fields and refineries are there.

UPC is one of three universities in Shandong Province which come directly under the Ministry of Education; the others are: Shandong University in Jinan and Ocean University in Qingdao.  These three universities are part of the national government's strategy to develop 100 world-class teaching and research institutions (China has 2,000 universities and colleges).

UPC has about 20,000 under-graduate and 5,000 post-graduate students (plus 900 foreign students). It has 1,600 teaching staff.

While its key focus is oil-and-gas related subjects (eg Petroleum Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Geology; Storage & Transportation; etc) UPC also offers other courses such as languages, finance and business.

UPC's motto is "Sincerity and Truth".

Here are some photos which I found on various websites today:

UPC is located in Shandong Province, on the East coast of China.

A more detailed map, showing Qingdao located on the coast of Shandong and about mid-way between Beijing and Shanghai (the two red dots on the map).  Seoul in South Korea is just over an hour's flight away.

A map of Shandong Province, showing the major urban centers. Jinan is the capital.  Dongying is in the north of Shandong, while Qingdao is on the east coast; UPC has campuses in both locations.

Another map of Shandong Province showing the main rivers.  Jinan is the provincial capital, although Qingdao is the largest urban center. Dongying is near the estuary of the Yellow River, where it flows into the Bohai Sea.

A view of the "old" part of Qingdao city. In the center of the photo is the Lutheran Church built in 1908 when Qingdao was a German colony. The Germans had Qingdao for just 16 years, until 1914 (when they were defeated by a joint Japanese-British force during WW1) but they had a profound impact on the city. 

Another view of the old section of Qingdao city.  This area has a distinct European feel, a legacy of the German time.  I first visited Qingdao in 1984 when I worked at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.  It appealed to me from the start as it was very different from other Chinese cities which had mainly drab, Soviet-style architecture.

A map showing Qingdao. Our campus is located in a suburb called Huangdao on the southern side of Jiaozhou Bay.   The Bay is the headquarters for China's northern fleet (Navy). About 20 years ago Huangdao was designated Qingdao's "Economic Development Zone" and has seen massive growth.  Three internationally-known companies are based in the Qingdao area: Tsingtao Beer (started by Germans in 1903); Haier Group (white-goods); and Hisense Group (TVs etc). 

This map shows the areas around Jiaozhou Bay.  Qingdao city is on the northern shore of the bay, while our campus is in Huangdao, on the southern shore.  A highway goes around the Bay.  Previously people took ferries between Qingdao and Huangdao. In 2011 two important infrastructure developments were completed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: a 9 km under-sea tunnel, and also the 42 km cross-bay bridge.  The tunnel, especially, has made a huge difference - connections are now much more convenient.

Another map of the areas around Jiaozhou Bay.  Qingdao has some beaches, but not as good as Huangdao's Golden Sand Beach and Silver Sand Beach. The Kempinsky Hotel overlooking Silver Sand Beach is now managed by the Wyndham Group.

The impressive Hilton Hotel opened in 2014. It is located near Golden Sand Beach, but is altogether too big and fancy for our town at this stage, I think.

A map of Tang Dao Wan Bay.  The UPC campus is across the road from the Bay.  I often cycle around the Bay and the peninsula - great because there is relatively little traffic.  The circuit is about 20 km and takes a bit over an hour.

The view of Tang Dao Wan Bay from our apartment on the UPC campus. A wonderful view to wake up to each day!

The Municipal Govt of Huangdao spent millions building a lovely esplanade around the perimeter of Tang Dao Wan Bay.  Great for walking, jogging and biking. It gets pretty busy during Summer weekends, but not too bad otherwise. I can't believe how lucky we were to end up in this place! 

A view of the UPC campus looking east towards Tang Dao Wan Bay and the Yellow Sea in the distance. The Wyndham Hotel (formerly Kempinsky) is the white building on the peninsula.  The building in the foreground with the curved roof is the University's gymnasium/ hall.  The residential buildings are orange, and the teaching buildings have a white façade.  The tall building in the center (behind the gymnasium) is the Admin Building.

A view of the UPC campus looking north-west.  The white buildings in the foreground are the Engineering teaching buildings while the orange-tiled buildings to the left are student residential buildings.  There are now many 20 - 30 storey apartment and office buildings in Huangdao - hard to believe that just 10 years ago the tallest building was only 10 storeys!

The emblem of the China University of Petroleum (East China) featuring the Goddess of the Sun (see below).

The symbol of UPC depicts the "Goddess of the Sun" with oil-type piping.  The Goddess is the provider of nature's bounty, in this case, oil and gas resources. New students come here and pledge to do their utmost to use Her resources for the benefit of China.

The North Gate of UPC, on Chang Jiang Avenue.  This is the main entry point into the University.  The tall building in the background is the Administration Building.  The building on the left behind the gate is the "Ring" Teaching Building.  A major shopping and commercial area is about one km east of this gate - there are frequent buses.

Some of the residential buildings for undergraduates.  Residential buildings have an orange-tile façade. All students live on campus (except for some of the foreign students).  Undergraduates are six to a room, while post-graduates are four to a room (and, fortunately, have their own bathroom).

Another view of the undergraduate residential buildings on campus. 

The UPC campus has many sporting facilities. Basketball is most popular, followed by table tennis, volleyball, and soccer. This photo shows the main oval which is used for sporting events and big assemblies like the Freshmen's military parade. In 2013 UPC celebrated its 60th anniversary - a major milestone. The university's iconic gymnasium is in the background; large gatherings such as graduation ceremonies are held there.

UPC has three large student canteens.  Feeding 25,000 hungry young students three times a day is a huge task. The food is good and cheap - you can eat well for $2. Now that we have a kitchen, Vera cooks more often or buys "take-away" to heat up in the comfort of our home.

Some of the friendly canteen staff.

A bust of Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955). He is greatly admired in China. In the background is the Nan Tang Teaching Building, where I have most of my classes.

A photo of part of the Administration Building.  On the right, and attached to the Admin Building, is the main Library.

The interior of the "Ring" Teaching Building, next to Nan Tang. 

On a website I found this picture of me writing poems on the black board.  For link to this story, click HERE

We have enjoyed working and living on this campus, and can recommend it to others.
For information on employment as English & Russian teachers see UPC website or click HERE 


...

Well folks, that's it for this post.

Dreadful news yesterday about the bombings in Paris - estimated 129 dead and 350 injured.  We feel so sorry for those innocent and blameless people.  Madness!!!

Best wishes,

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Sunday, 15 November 2015

8 November 2015

Gentlefolk,

This post covers some of the things we have been doing over the last 2 weeks.

Weather

Well, colder weather has finally caught up with us here.

We had a brilliant autumn - bright and clear days, maximum temperature in the mid-20sC.  I swam in the Yellow Sea near our campus since returning to Qingdao in early September until late October.  On 26 October a cooler change came through, and temperatures have been falling ever since. Yesterday was our first really unpleasant day, showers and maximum of 9C, but a nasty wind made it feel colder.

It snowed in Beijing yesterday, which means still colder temperatures are definitely on their way.

Time to dig out the long-johns.

In this area the central heating (hot water) normally starts on 15 November. It is an effective system, and our apartment is quite comfortable.

Visit to Rizhao

On Sunday 25 October 2015, with colleague Gautier and his wife Hao Yu, we visited a city called Rizhao, about 100 km south-west of Huangdao, the suburb of Qingdao where our campus is located.

Map of Shandong Province, showing Qingdao and Rizhao. 

Enroute to Rizhao we stopped at "Movie Metropolis" a new development about 10 km south of Huangdao, a project by property-tycoon Wang Jian Lin, China's richest man.  Leonardo Di Caprio and Cate Blanchett attended the launch about 18 months ago.  Several movie studios are already operating.  Five months ago I met two Aussie cameramen who were filming a joint US-China movie - they were based here for 3 months and were full of praise for the facilities.  

Gautier, Vera and Hao Yu at "Movie Metropolis". 

The new area of Rizhao has parks, high-rise buildings and wide avenues.  We were impressed; it has a good feel.

Rizhao is a coastal city, with nice beaches.  They have developed a kind of eco-park between the coast and the city itself.

Hao Yu, Gautier and Vera at the main beach.  It was a cool, overcast day. Gautier felt right at home - said it reminded him of beaches in Brittany!

As we walked along the esplanade, a guy was flying a beautiful kite - very skilful.

Part of the large bay and marina just behind the main beach.

Lunch and tea ceremony

We were walking in a park in Rizhao.  It was 12.15 and time for lunch.  We saw some people go into a building and followed them, thinking it might be a restaurant.  It was, but only banquet-style for large groups.  We were leaving when a man called us over. He indicated some spare places and invited us to join them - he said there would be no charge (in fact, he quoted a saying from Confucius: "Guests from afar should be shown proper courtesy").  

We were touched by this generous and friendly gesture.

It turned out that the group was participating in a course to learn traditional tea-ceremony.

After lunch the organiser invited us to participate in the next session.  Gautier, Hao Yu and Vera took up the offer, squatted at the back of the room and tried to follow the intricate sequence of actions by the instructor at the front. See photos below.

It was all very serious and focussed. The session lasted about 30 minutes.

As we were saying our goodbyes, the organiser asked us to pay for the lunch ($6.50 each).  We protested, but without great conviction, that we had been invited,  We had had an interesting time, so we didn't really mind paying.  

We reflected afterwards on the truth of the old saying: "there's nothing like a free lunch"!

We were invited to join this table for a "free lunch".

After lunch we were invited to watch and participate in a segment of the tea-ceremony course.

A view of the tea-ceremony class, from the back of the room. The students were emulating the motions of the teacher sitting on the stage at the front of the room. Gautier (left) took part.

Freshmen student's welcome concert

Freshmen students in the College of Arts (English, Russian and Music Majors) put on a 'welcome concert'. 

Two of the 'hosts' of the welcome concert who introduced the acts.  Hosts are older, more experienced students. The boy, Jason, is in my Thursday night Oral English class. 

The Music Majors played some lovely music. The girls looked stunning in their long white gowns.

Some of the students in my class English Major 1503 put on a short play.

They all came on the stage for the finale.

Carol

Carol Zhang Qi, my 'liaison teacher' spoke to my Western Culture class about her experiences in the US. She recently spent a year on an exchange program at a private college in Portland, Oregon. 

Carol addressing my Western Culture class.

Carol was amazing. She spoke for 40 minutes, without notes, and then answered questions.  Impressive performance. 

Sunday

Sunday Fu Xiao was my "Liaison Teacher" when we arrived in Dongying back in August 2009 at the beginning of our teaching in China.

The first time we met she wore a tiny mini-skirt and I mistook her for a student! 

She's a lovely person and helped me find my feet during the first few months, when everything was so strange. We've kept in touch.

Sunday got married about 3 years ago and is now expecting a baby (for late-December).   Her husband and parents live in Dongying, so she has gone there to wait for the baby's arrival. She will have 6 months maternity leave, and will return to teaching duties in May 2016.

Vera saying goodbye to Sunday (Fu Xiao) who has gone to Dongying for the birth. 

Speech contest

The China University of Petroleum has about 1,000 foreign students.  The biggest contingents come from Pakistan and Kazakhstan; there are many students from Africa, and some even from South America.  There are 6 students, 3 girls and 3 boys, from Papua New Guinea.

The International Students Union's annual English Speech Contest was held last night and I was one of the judges.  

There were 16 finalists: 4 China; 2 Tanzania; 2 Zimbabwe; 2 Pakistan; 2 South Sudan; and 1 each from Somalia, Ghana, Ecuador, and PNG.

There were four topics, and they chose one from a hat. The topics were:

• What it means to be a hero.
• It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.
• Experience is the best teacher.
• Equality is a myth.

They were given two days to prepare a four-minute speech.

There were four judges: Gautier Plassais, Liu Cheng Jiang, Liu Da Peng, and myself.  We had to give points based on content, fluency, and presentation.

It turned out to be an interesting and enjoyable night.

The winner was Tatenda Marapira from Zimbabwe.  Brilliant speaker.

The runners-up were Felix Doku from Ghana and Resala Gol from South Sudan.  Resala was amazing - spoke like a rap singer - the crowd favorite.

The contestant from PNG, Tessie Tanda, performed very well and was ranked just outside the top three. 

The ISU's annual English Speech contest last night.  Gautier and I were judges, as were two Chinese lecturers.

The top performers: from left, Felix, Resala, Tatenda, and the Guest of Honour Vice Dean Zhang Zhi Yin.

Some of the contestants in the English Speech contest. 

...

That's it for anther post.

Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Qingdao, Sunday 8 November 2015

3 November 2015

Gentlefolk

This post has the News Summary for October 2015 (see below).  

We are now in Week 9 of this semester, so at the half-way point. Time flies when you are having fun!

The Autumn weather has been exceptional this year.  I was swimming in the ocean until 22 October, much later than other years.  But on 26 October a cooler change came through, and temperatures last week dropped by about 10 C (from max of 24C to 14C).  A couple of wet days, but still generally sunny and quite pleasant.   But colder weather can’t be too far away.

As you know, I compile a monthly summary of news items, with a focus on news on China.  

There is so much competition for space within Western media outlets that usually only the unusual, sensational, or bizarre gets a mention. Hopefully this summary will give you a better idea of some of the things happening in China.

The events/items included are not necessarily the headlines, but rather things which caught my eye.

The second list, international events reported in China, is basically for me.  There are so many things happening around the world (information overload!), that I find it useful to have such a list to look back at. 

These news items were sourced from the China Daily newspaper 1 – 31 October 2015. 

Actual events usually occurred a day or two before they appeared in the China Daily newspaper. 

Currency shown is US$, and the exchange rate used this month is US$1 = Yuan 6.3.

Remember: the China Daily is a government newspaper whose main purpose in life is to make the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Government look good.  But if you strip away the propaganda, there is still quite a lot of interesting stuff in the paper. 

Events which made the news in China in October 2015

(a) Domestic (in China) events and news

1 Oct	New commemoration, Martyr’s Day, was held on 30 September to honour deceased national heroes.
	At a reception to celebrate China’s National Day (1 October), Premier Li Ke Qiang said China is on the way to achieving its goals for this year: 7% GDP growth; 10 m new jobs; international trade up by 6%; energy intensity (units of energy used per unit of GDP) down by 3%.
2	Package bombs exploded at 13 locations in Guangxi.  10 dead, 51 injured. Traced to Wei Yin Yong, 33, who died in one of the blasts. In response, the govt introduced “real name” registration when sending packages by courier or through the post.
	The minimum down-payment by first home buyers was reduced from 30% to 25%, except in Tier 1 cities. Building starts are down 17% so far this year.  Property is estimated to represent 15% of GDP.
5	The Beijing Municipal Govt said that the whole city is now under CCTV surveillance. Beijing has 850,000 volunteer “security guards”, mainly retired folk.
	The Forbidden Palace (aka the Palace Museum) in Beijing has imposed a daily limit of 80,000 visitors (50,000 to be booked online). It has compiled a “blacklist” of 2,500 illegal vendors, guides and scalpers.  Four new areas have been opened – now 65% of the Palace is accessible to the public.
7	China’s population is expected to peak at 1.41 billion in 2025.
8	Several instances of tourists being scammed during the National Day Holidays (1-7 October), such as a restaurant in Qingdao which charged a customer $240 for a plate of prawns ($6 per prawn!); and a bar in Lijiang which charged a customer $795 for drinking wine.
	A new high-speed train line will be built from Hongdao Bay in Northern Qingdao to Jinan at an estimated cost of $9.4 billion.  The journey will take only one hour.
9	The National Statistics Office announced that China will adopt the IMF’s Special Data Dissemination Standard for statistics.
	Governor of Fujian, Su Shu Lin, is under investigation for corruption.  First sitting Governor to be caught in the anti-corruption drive.
10	Respected economist Du Run Sheng, “Father of rural reform”, died aged 102.
	The Govt announced plan to recycle rainwater in urban areas, expected to cost $14 billion.
12	Consumption of dairy products in China increased from 7 kg per person in 2004 to 19 kg in 2014. Forecast is for 10% growth per annum over next 5 years.
	108,654 ‘new energy’ vehicles were sold in China in the first 8 months of 2015.  Aim is to have charging facilities for 5 million electric & hybrid cars by 2020. Older vehicles which do not meet current emission standards will be scrapped.
	Actress Yang Ying (aka Angelababy), 26, married actor Huang Xiao Ming, 37, in a glittering ceremony at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. Estimated cost $31m.
14	During the National Day Holidays (1 – 7 October) and estimated 740 million trips were made, most by road but also by air and sea. Huge traffic jams prompted calls holidays to be spread out, and for employees to take paid leave. Most popular foreign destinations were Japan, Korea, and Thailand. 300 million people have drivers licences in China today.
15	Govt to spend $22 billion on improving internet connections in rural areas.
	Ministry of Transport published quite restrictive draft regulations for the emerging car-hailing industry. Taxi industry concerned about this new competition.
16	According to Greenpeace, only 20% of China’s 367 major cities achieved national PM2.5 standards.
	Hurun’s China Rich List contained 596 billionaires (USA 537). China’s richest man is Wang Jian Lin (Wanda Group - property), followed by Ma Yun (Alibaba - ecommerce), and then Zhong Qing Hou (Wahaha Group – food & beverage). Alibaba announced that it will increase its 18% stake in Youku (China’s YouTube) to a majority shareholding.
	An estimated 70.2 million Chinese live on less than $1 per day.
19	China’s wind power capacity is forecast to reach 120 gigawatts by the end of this year. China has 22 nuclear power reactors (installed capacity of 20 GW); another 26 reactors are under construction.
	Sales of Passenger Motor Vehicles for the first 9 months of 2015 totalled 14.6 million units (up 2.8% on the same period in 2014).
	China’s National Youth Games held in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, 18 – 27 October.
20	China has about 100 million registered pets, 10% of which are in Guangdong Province. One-in-13 Chinese has a pet (62% dogs, 19% cats, others include tortoises, fish, rabbits, birds, etc).
	China’s GDP increased by 6.9% in Q3 2015, the lowest increase since Q1 2009.
21	Investigation into the death of Miao Chun Qi (54, from HLJ) in Hong Kong.  He was on a super-cheap tour and intervened in a brawl related to 'forced shopping'.
	Thick smog blanketed Beijing and other cities – partly due to farmers burning corn stalks.  Also, winter heating is mostly coal-generated and adds about 20% to PM2.5 levels.
22	The Communist Party of China (CPC) has 88 million members (about 10% of the adult population).  New regulations published on ethical behaviour of members.
24	To stimulate the economy, the Central Bank (Peoples Bank of China) “double cut”: cut interest rates by 25 points to 4.35%; and cut Reserve Requirement Ratio of banks. The Shanghai Composite Index closed at 3429 (17% higher than its low on 26 August).
	The 5th Plenary session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC will be held in Beijing from 26 to 29 October.  Major agenda items: discuss the 13th 5 Year Plan (2016-2020), and fill senior positions of the CPC. Outcomes announced on 30 October included the end of the One Child Policy; in future all couples can have two children. Estimated 90 million couples will be eligible for a second child.  It will take some weeks (or months) for this change to filter down to local levels. 2017 will be “Year of the Monkey”, a popular birth-year in China. The meeting also announced the aim to double GDP from 2010 to 2020.
28	A piece of the skull of Sakymuni, the founder of Buddhism, was installed in the Foding Temple outside Nanjing.
	1.39 million applicants will sit the National Civil Service exam in November, for 27,817 vacancies.
	IELTS cancelled some exam results as it said too many Chinese test-takers were relying on memorising questions & answers.  Some parts of IELTS will be changed, to better measure student’s real English skills.
31	Baidu (China’s Google) Q3 2015 profit $395m, down 36% on Q3 2014 result.
	Tianjin Court ordered ConocoPhillips to pay $266,000 to 21 local fishermen for loss of income due to a major oil spill in the Bohai Sea in 2011.
	Official visit to China by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; her 8th visit in 10 years.

(b) International events

1 Oct	In support of President Assad, Russia begins air-strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State.
2	Official ceremony to raise Palestine’s flag at United Nations in New York.
	The number of Chinese students in the USA has increased from about 62,000 in 2005 to 274,000 now.
3	Mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseberg, Oregon by Christopher Mercer.
	US airstrike against Taliban rebels in Kunduz, Afghanistan hit a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital. 22 dead (including 12 MSF staff). Obama apologised.
7	Beijing said it welcomed the Trans Pacific Partnership FTA agreed by 12 countries in Atlanta (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Peru, Singapore, USA and Vietnam).  But each country must still ratify.
	85 year old pharmacologist Tu You You became the first Chinese to win a Nobel Prize for Medicine.  She discovered Artemisinin, an anti-malaria drug.
9	Indonesia agreed to accept international help to fight the fires causing the haze over Singapore and Malaysia.
	FIFA’s Ethics Committee banned Blatter and Platini for 90 days during investigation.
	NBA: LA Clippers and Charlotte Hornets will play two pre-season games in China: 11 Oct in Shenzhen and 14 Oct in Shanghai. Jeremy Lin now plays for the Hornets. The team is owned by Michael Jordan.
10	DPRK celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers Party.  China represented by Politburo member Liu Yun Shan.
	At least 1,400 died in a stampede by Haj pilgrims near Mecca.
12	The China Tennis Open in Beijing. Women Final: Muguruza (Spain) beat Bacsinszky (Swiss) and Men Final: Djokovic (Serbia) beat Nadal (Spain).
	Twin bombings at a Pro-Kurdish rally in Ankara. 128 dead, many injured. Blamed on Islamic State.
	International interest in Chinese language soars.  In 2012 18,000 Chinese teachers were sent abroad; expected to increase to 50,000 teachers by 2020.
14	The Dutch Safety Board declared that a BUK missile caused the MH17 crash in Ukraine.
	AB InBev will take over SAB Miller for $104 billion.  The merged company will produce one-in-three beers worldwide.
17	A Cuban band performed at the White House – historic moment.
	A Chinese consortium will build the Jakarta to Bandung high-speed train for an estimated $5.5 billion.  150 km, the journey will take just 40 minutes.
19	President Xi Jin Ping and First Lady Peng Li Yuan started 4-day official visit to United Kingdom. Stayed at Buckingham Palace. Chinese / British companies signed deals worth $62 billion during visit. Britain eased visa rules for Chinese visitors: now multiple-entry 2 year visas.
21	390 South Koreans travelled to the DPRK for family reunion; to be followed by another 250 next week.
	The Liberal Party won the Canadian general elections. New Prime Minister will be Justin Trudeau, 43 (eldest son of Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair).
	Oscar Pistorius (“Blade runner”) released on parole after serving 12 months of a 5 year sentence for the manslaughter of Reeva Steenkamp in February 2013.
	Yum Brands (parent of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc) has a turnover of $31 billion from 41,000 outlets in 125 countries. It will split off its China business into a separate company. It has 6,900 outlets in China which generate 57% of its revenue and 54% of its profit.
24	Thailand is expecting 30 million visitors in 2015 (including 8 m from China).
	Continuing huge migrant flows into Europe mainly from Middle East. Hungary closed its borders. Turmoil in Croatia & Slovenia. European leaders meet to try to find solution.
27	World Health Organisation linked processed meat (sausages, ham, etc) to cancer.
	Lewis Hamilton won the US F1 Grand Prix, and the 2015 Driver’s Championship; his third Championship (2008, 2014, 2015). Mercedes won the 2015 Constructor’s Championship 2 weeks ago.
	NBA: new season started.  GS Warriors beat the NO Pelicans 111 – 95; Steph Curry hot with 40 points. This is Kobe Bryant’s 20th NBA season (all with LA Lakers). He is 37. The Lakers have missed the playoffs for the last 2 seasons.
28	American Navy Missile Destroyer USS Lassen sailed through the 12 nm zone around the Nansha Islands which China claims (also claimed by other countries).  China accused US of “blatant provocation”.
29	Talks on the Syrian crisis held in Vienna, attended by USA, Russia, European and Middle East leaders. Iran invited. The 4 year civil war has created many refugees.
	Apple revenue in July – September 2015 Quarter $52 billion ($13b from China). Apple shares hit $115 in New York. Apple opened its 25th retail store in China – in Dalian.
	Rainy season began in SE Asia; finally, after two months, cleared the haze over Singapore and Malaysia.
31	2015 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals: Australia beat Scotland 35 – 34, and Argentina beat Ireland 43 – 20. Semi-finals: NZ beat South Africa 20 – 18; Wallabies beat Argentina 29-15. Final: NZ beat Australia 34 – 17; South Africa beat Argentina for 3rd place.

Best wishes to you all, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Tuesday 3 November 2015.