1 October 2014

Gentlefolk,

October 1 is China's National Day. China is celebrating Mao's proclamation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949, 65 years ago, when the Communists prevailed over the Nationalists. The next 65 years have been a wild ride: from the collectivisation and Great Leap Forward of the 1950s, to the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s.  Finally sanity prevailed and Deng introduced the "reform & opening" which led to unprecedented economic growth - has any other country recorded an average of 9.9% p.a. over 30 years?  

Two telling statistics: In 1950 life expectancy was 36 years (now 75 years); and the literacy rate was 20% (now 95%).

But I won't dwell on all that.  This post is mainly about the move to our new apartment.

New apartment

For the three years we have worked at the Qingdao campus of the China University of Petroleum we have lived in two identical adjoining rooms on the 4th floor of the campus 'guesthouse' (rooms are let to visitors for $16 per night; the foreign teachers all lived on the 4th floor as Chinese don't like the number 4).

The university has just completed a new building which will house many of the 900 foreign students and also the foreign teachers.  We moved our belongings last Sunday, and are still unpacking and settling in.  Many teething problems (such as no internet connection), but no doubt we'll get there in time.

The positives about the new place are: lift access; kitchen; and great views.   The main negatives: lack of storage space, and further from teaching buildings.

Although we now have a kitchen, we have become accustomed to eating in the student dining halls and will probably continue to do so most of the time.

Here are some photos of our former and new digs:

Our former digs comprised 2 identical adjoining rooms - this was our living room.  Both rooms had toilets, and big cupboards.  South facing, so plenty of sunlight.  We quite enjoyed living here.

This was the bedroom in our former digs.

Vera spent 3 weeks preparing for the move.  Here are some of the 20 boxes she used to pack up our things.  We arrived in China with the bare essentials - it is surprising how much one accumulates over time.  

Vera on her bike in front of Residential Building #1, our former address.  She bought the bike from a Russian teacher who left, and is really enjoying cruising around the campus and along the esplanade of Tang Dao Wan Bay.

The new apartment has a kitchen, a small living area (see above), one bedroom and a bathroom.  In total area it is probably a little smaller than the two rooms we occupied before.  But it is a small, self-contained, one-bedroom apartment.  The orientation is south, so we get plenty of light, and the views are great (see below).  We are on the 13th floor and there is a lift, so no more trudging up and down four flights of stairs.

The bedroom (& bathroom) in our new apartment.  Back in June I asked the administration to give us a bed without a frame, as I like to stretch out.  Guess what?  The bed we ended up with has a frame!  Murphy's law.  Solution - they gave us a second mattress to raise the level.  It feels a bit strange being so high, but maybe we'll get used to it.

The view from the balcony window, looking south.  We are across the road from Tang Dao Wan Bay.  You can see Cow Island which is near the mouth of the Bay.  The open ocean (The Yellow Sea) is on the other side of the peninsula in the distance.

The view from our balcony window, looking north, towards the end of the Bay.  

I managed to get the camera around the open window for this shot.  This is the view directly in front of us.  The white building across the Bay is the 5 star Wyndham Hotel (formerly the Kempinsky Hotel) at Silver Beach.  You can just see the Yellow Sea on the other side of the Wyndham Hotel.  I usually ride my bike around the Bay and the peninsula, as it gets little traffic.  In a 20 km ride I only have to cross two roads.  And being right on the coast means the air is relatively good much of the time.  We really are fortunate to be in such a good location.  

A panoramic view from our balcony window.  The balconies are all enclosed, which is a pity now - but the extra protection will no doubt be a blessing when the icy winds blow in winter. 

Qingdao TV

Yesterday I spent two hours with a journalist (Zhao Qing Li) and cameraman (Yin Yan Wei) from Qingdao TV.  Three foreign teachers at universities in Qingdao received Awards as "national model teachers" back in April, and the TV channel is doing a 30 minute program on the three of us, to be aired next month.  Zhu Shan (Susie), the teacher who translated my book, participated in the interview, as did three former students: Li Lu Jing (International Trade major); Li Su (Economics major) and Bu Ping (Management major).

Interview with Qingdao TV.  From left: Li Lu Jing, Li Su, Liu Li Na (UPC International Office); Bu Ping; Zhu Shan; me; and Zhao Qing Li.

Vera's former pupil

When we were at the Dongying campus 5 years ago Vera taught English at the local primary school. Her star pupil was a young lad called Zhang Ya Xuan.  He is visiting Huangdao over the National Day holidays and we had lunch with him and his father today.

Professor Zhang (UPC Geology faculty); Vera; and Ya Xuan.  What a difference 5 years make: then Ya Xuan was up to Vera's shoulder - now he towers over her!  He is 16 now, in the first year of Senior High School, and an impressive young man.  When we asked what he wanted to do in the future, he said that he was only sure that he didn't want to study Geology or attend this university.  His father took it all in good spirit!

Han Han

A few posts ago I described Yao Chen, a Chinese actress who has the most "followers" in China (and probably the world).  I'd now like to introduce the person who many say is China's (and probably the world's ) most popular blogger.

He is a 32 year old Chinese who goes by the unlikely name of Han Han (English pronunciation Hun Hun). 

Han Han

I must confess that I hadn’t heard of him until he appeared on Time Magazine’s 2010 list of the world’s 100 most influential people.  I recognised the other three Chinese on Time's list but I had never heard of Han Han (he gets almost no mention in the official media, for reasons which will become clear). 

Han Han (Chinese: 韩寒; pinyin: Hán Hán) was born on 23 September 1982 in suburban Shanghai, the son of the editor of a small journal. 

His name comprises two different Chinese characters, although the pronunciation of both characters happens to be the same.  The first character is his family name ‘Han’ and the second character is his given name, also pronounced Han, which means ‘cold’.  

Often a child’s given name reflects the parent’s hopes for the child’s future (eg success or happiness).  But in this case HH’s parents probably selected his given name because of the alliterative combination with his surname.

As well as being China's (and the world’s) most popular blogger, Han Han is also a best-selling author, singer, professional rally driver, and now movie director. 

In 1999, during his first year of senior high school, HH won China's New Concept Writing Competition with his essay, ‘Seeing Ourselves in a Cup’, on the Chinese character.  Later that year he failed all subjects in the year-end examination (including Chinese), which caused a huge uproar. How could someone who was a total academic failure possibly win a prestigious literary award?  It was contrary to all tradition.

Han Han repeated the year, but failed everything again, and quit school.

HH's first novel, ‘Triple Door ‘(三重门), on his experience as a high school dropout in Shanghai, was published in 2000 when he was only 18 years old.  Millions of copies were sold and it became China's bestselling literary work in the previous 20 years.  He wrote five more books and many articles.

Older people find him puzzling and rude, but to young people, the so-called ‘Post 80s generation’, he is their torchbearer and hero.  They love his cleverness, his irreverence, his willingness to speak his mind, and his stinging humour.  He has been described as a combination of James Dean and Hemingway.

As HH got more involved in his other passion, rally car racing (he has won three championships with VW and now Subaru), his writing slowed and he started blogging.  At last count his Weibo blog recorded 599,675,895 hits.  Almost 600 million!  Only in China!

HH has a sharp wit, but he is careful to deliver his barbs through sarcasm and humorous anecdotes that obliquely take on corruption, censorship and everyday injustice.

He doesn’t spare officialdom.  He once described Communist Party officials as useless. “Their lives are nothing like ours,” he said. “The only thing they have in common with young people is that like us, they too have girlfriends in their 20s, although theirs are on the side.” 

Ouch!

I’m surprised he hasn’t been muzzled.  They could be forgiven for not taking him seriously at first - after all he was just an uneducated kid - perhaps they thought he would be a passing fad.  But he became popular overnight and his fan-base is huge and loyal.

In September 2009 HH participated in the World Rally Championship in Australia.  On returning, he wrote a long article unfavourably comparing conditions in China with those in Australia. 

HH is no angel.  He is married, and they have a 4 year old daughter.  Last year he admitted to having a girlfriend, which led to a chorus of criticism for 'loose morals'.

For years HH refused approaches to translate his work into English (he thought it would make him more vulnerable).  But in 2012 "The Generation", a collection of blogs and essays, was published. 

The cover of HH's first English language book "This Generation".

HH has now turned his attention to movies.  On 24 July 2014 his first effort at directing was released in China.  The film's title is Hou Hui Wu Qi (English title "The Continent").  It is about two young mates who drive across China, and their experiences during the road trip.  Some critics have canned the movie, but the public have voted with their wallets - it grossed over $100 million in the first month!

HH continues to amaze and excite.  He is a modern-day folk-hero; a legend in his own lifetime.

...

Well, that's it for this post.  Vera & I are off to Dalian tomorrow for a few days during the National Day holidays.  Will do a post on that trip when we get back.

Best wishes, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Wednesday, 1 October 2014

27 September 2014

Gentlefolk,

Our main preoccupation over the last week has been the imminent move to our new apartment.  The university has built a new residential building for foreign students, and the foreign teachers will also be housed there.

Vera has been amazing, as always.  She is very well organised, and has been slowly packing our things into boxes over the last 2 or 3 weeks.  To think we arrived in China with just  a suitcase each, but that was 5 years ago and we sure have picked up a few things along the way!  Why do we homo sapiens have the urge to fill every cupboard and drawer in our proximity?

We may only be moving about 750 meters, from one corner of the campus to another, but it involves just as much preparation as if we were moving 70 kilometers.

A couple of our colleagues have moved already, not without problems - nothing goes smoothly in China. Workmen here often neglect the final touches - as long as it looks OK, that's good enough. But closer inspection shows the poor finishing - for example, big gaps in windows; or showers which are not properly installed; or fans which don't work.  I don't know why owners accept such poor workmanship from contractors, but it seems to be normal here.

Vera & I are scheduled to make the move tomorrow morning, Sunday 28 September.  I will take some photos of our new digs and include them in a future post. Our accommodation for the last 3 years has been two rooms on the 4th floor of the campus guesthouse.  The new apartments are nice (small living room with kitchen, one bedroom, and wonderful views across Tang Dao Wan Bay), but we will have much less storage space which will make things awkward.

In today's post I will cover the Freshmen's final military parade and also show photos of the new Hilton Hotel which has just opened.

Military training

In last week's post I described the compulsory military training which all Freshmen must do for about two weeks when they first start university or college.  This academic year the training at our university started on Thursday 11 September and finished with the Final Parade on Saturday 27 September (this morning).

The parade went for about an hour.  The students took it very seriously and performed well. It is quite amazing how they changed in 16 days - from looking like a rabble, to putting on an impressive display of marching and other combat skills.

The relief on the young faces at the end of the parade was palpable.  They survived a tough 16 days of military training, and put on a good show for the leaders.  Big achievement, and an obvious sense of camaraderie.  Now their real college life will begin.....

Here are some photos of the final parade.

The President, Vice Presidents, CPC leaders, and College heads viewed the parade.  The Party Secretary (the power behind the throne) gave a stirring speech, telling the new students to study hard so that they can contribute to the future development of the motherland.

Before the parade started President of China University of Petroleum (same as a Vice Chancellor in Australia) Shan Hong Hong walked around the oval accompanied by  two military officers and reviewed the groups of trainees.  

Professor Shan Hong Hong is one of the few female university Presidents in China.  She is widely respected as smart and highly competent.

First the flag was paraded.  The guns carried by the Honor Guard look real, but are plastic replicas.

One of the female Corps in the parade.  This year the girls all wore red berets - very fetching!

Female Freshmen acknowledging the university leaders on the podium.

The trainees, both boys & girls, did the 'goose step march' for about 60 meters in front of the Leader's podium - not easy to do, and looked most impressive. 

Male Freshmen goose stepping and shouting their allegiance.  The leaders of the future.

The trainees performed routines using these wooden rifles.

Trainees showing skills with knives.

Trainees demonstrating their skills at unarmed combat.

The last display of the parade featured a mock battle.  A group of soldiers defeated a pirate gang who had occupied an island.  In the photo the valiant soldiers have killed the pirates (see dead bodies) and are about to declare a glorious victory.  Any similarity between the island depicted on the large poster in the background, and the Diao Yu Islands is purely coincidental!

Qingdao Golden Beach Hilton Hotel

You may recall back in March I mentioned that a new Hilton Hotel was under construction.  It opened in July 2014.  It is about 5 km from the University, near Golden Sand Beach.  Three days ago two other teachers (Paul & Michael) and I cycled there to have a look.

We were gobsmacked.  It is a seriously impressive hotel.  An attractive building, set in large, landscaped grounds.  A huge outdoor swimming pool, plus two beach-volleyball courts.  The Health Club is located in the basement. Membership is a mere $2,000 per annum (introductory offer 50% off at the moment).  Comes with unlimited use of the heated indoor swimming pool.

A sea view double room with breakfast is $200.

It will be very interesting to see how this hotel performs.  I think it is a bit ahead of its time.  I doubt our area of Huangdao (about 30km south of Qingdao City) can support a hotel of this size and quality at this time - it's just too big and luxurious.

It is certainly a big step up from the Wyndham and the Howard Johnson 5 star hotels, and they will both suffer from this new competitor.  A new Sheraton Hotel will open in about 6 months, and while it looks as if it will be a very nice hotel, it is not in the same class as this Hilton.

My prediction is that occupancy will be low, less than 30%, and Hilton will walk away from its management contract within 2 years.

Here are some photos of the new Hilton Hotel:

View of the back of the new Hilton Hotel, across the children's pool in the foreground and then the main pool.  The hotel is located about 500m from Golden Beach, the best beach in Qingdao.  And, yes, that blue sky is for real.  We are right on the coast here, and fortunately the pollution is not as bad as in many inland areas.

The foyer of the Hilton Hotel is luxurious.

The bar area of the Hilton Hotel.

Paul inspecting the 30m indoor heated swimming pool, next to the Health Club.

...

Well folks, that's it until my next post.

From 1 - 7 October is the annual National Day holiday.  Vera and I will visit Dalian in Liaoning Province during that period.  I'll try to do another post, featuring our new apartment, before our holiday, but it depends on time.  We'll see how the move goes.

Best wishes, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Saturday, 27 September 2014

21 September 2014

Gentlefolk,

Well, I survived the first week of teaching.  Although I've done this for 4 years, I still get nervous at the beginning of each new semester and before each new class.  I needn't have worried - it all went OK.  The students are great and I'm looking forward to working with them over the next 4 months.

The big news is that Andrew has accepted a transfer to Google's Hong Kong office and he, Caroline and little Eddie will move to Hong Kong in October.  They certainly can't complain that life is boring.....

Other highlights of the week: the Dow Jones hit another record high; Alibaba's sterling debut in the New York; Scotland rejected independence (I was rootin' for the Yes side, Vera for the No side); and Li Na announced her retirement from competitive tennis.

Remember I use US$ in this blog - the Aussie dollar is too volatile - so all references to money are in US dollars.  The exchange rate at the moment is US$1 = Yuan6.13.

Kuala Lumpur

Below are some photos of Kuala Lumpur we took on our visit there 2 weeks ago. Guess we won't get back to KL for a while as our focus will now shift to Hong Kong.

Andrew & Caroline had a lovely apartment in the Zehn Towers next to Pantai Hospital in Bangsar. This was the view from our bedroom window, looking across the top of the hospital (lots of  new construction) to the interesting Telecom Building.  I wish we in Australia would be a bit more adventurous with our architecture.

Our favorite restaurant at Bangsar Village shopping centre, about 1.5 km from their apartment.  Indian-Moslem food. Their special curry chicken (nasi briyani dan ayam madu) was delicious.  For about $4 you get the curry dish and a tasty Teh Tarik!

All roads lead to the iconic  Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC).  The huge shopping mall included an Isetan Department Store and Supermarket which was featuring a 2 week "Australian Food Promotion".  Reminded me of Singapore 20 years ago when I organised many similar promotions.

But let's get back to China.  For this post I have included some details of student living conditions and also the compulsory military training they undergo when they first start college.

Student living conditions

Student living conditions and costs are very different from back home.

All students must live on-campus, even those from nearby suburbs / towns.  There are separate buildings for males and females.  Only dormitory living is available.  Typical dorm rooms for undergraduates feature 6 beds. 

A few days ago one of my English Major students, Oliver, showed me his dormitory (see photos below).  His dorm is on the top floor - these rooms are smaller, 4m x 4m - and accommodate only four students rather than the usual six.  

There are shared toilets down the corridor, but these bathrooms only have cold water sinks.  Students have to shower in the large communal bath house. 

The cost of accommodation in a dormitory is Y1,000 ($160) per annum.  For that they get a bed, locker, and small work table and chair (see photos).  Students pay an additional $110 for a thin mattress, sheets, quilt, and mosquito nets (their uniforms for military training are included in this payment).

Airconditioning is not provided or permitted.  Heating (via wall-mounted hot water heaters) is provided free of charge in winter. Oliver said that heating was adequate in winter, but other students sometimes complain that their dorms are cold (temperatures here can get to minus 20 C and below !).

The student residential buildings are strictly supervised.  The doors are open from early morning to 11pm.  If you get home after 11pm you have to hope that the building warden will let you in. 

Electric power in student residences is turned off at 11pm.  So it's lights out at 11pm, but these days many devices run on batteries so often students will stay up longer playing computer games or listening to music or reading.

 

There are no laundry facilities in the residential buildings.  Students must do their own washing (usually in the hand-basins in their toilets and use their balconies to dry clothes) or go to a commercial laundry and dry cleaner on campus.

The student residences do not include cooking facilities.  There are three large student dining halls on the campus.  Meals are served at the following times:

Breakfast         6.30 – 8am

Lunch              11.30am – 1pm

Dinner             5.30 – 7pm

Food in the dining halls is inexpensive. Vera and I normally eat in the student dining halls.  We eat pretty well and usually spend around $1.50 each for lunch and perhaps $2 each for dinner – most students would spend less than us. 

A typical student residential building on our campus. Six floors, walk-up.  Most dorms accommodate 6 students, but the rooms at the top are smaller and accommodate 4 students. Note the clothes drying on balconies.

This is Oliver's dormitory.  The room measures 4m x 4m.  It contains two lots of bunk beds.  They are also provided with a metal locker each, in an adjoining room, where they keep clothes and other belongings.

Each student has a small work-station and chair.  Oliver said that it is not conducive for study - he usually studies in the library or in a vacant lecture room.

The bathroom near Oliver's dorm comprises 2 squat toilets and two sinks (only cold water).  If the weather isn't too hot they can sponge themselves.  Oliver takes a shower in the campus public bath house 2 or 3 times a week.  

Those students who come from "the countryside" probably find the living conditions quite acceptable, but students from urban areas must find them a bit of a shock.  Urban kids are usually from single-child families, and they are probably used to having their own bedroom, hot and cold running water & showers, and mother's cooking.

These are the conditions on offer, take it or leave it.  And they know that, in this ultra-competitive society, if they don't want it there are dozens of others only too happy to take their place. This university is ranked in China's 'Top 100', so not an opportunity to be easily dismissed.

I admire the way Chinese students make the most of their situation.  Despite their very basic (to us) living conditions, most seem well-adjusted and sensible. In class they are invariably polite, respectful and keen to learn.

Maybe the compulsory military training which all students have to undergo is part of a strategy to shock kids into accepting their new environment?

Military training

One sees army cadets everywhere on campus at the moment.  Every Freshman, male and female, has to participate in two-and-a-half weeks of military training when they first start university (the length of training seems to vary slightly depending on local requirements).  Our students had just two days of orientation when they first arrived, then got their uniforms (green, jungle-camouflage style) and started their training. 

There are close to 5,000 Freshmen at the China University of Petroleum this year, so organising them for 18 days of training is a huge logistical task.

This is going on around the whole country.  About 7 million students enter universities every year, and probably a similar number enter Vocational Colleges.  They must all do around 18 days of military training to kick off their tertiary studies.

This system of military training for undergraduates started in the mid-1950s, just after the Korean War, so has been going for about 60 years.

The students are divided into groups of 50.  The group leaders are dressed in grey jungle uniforms, and come from the university’s Military Reserve units.

The training is rigorous.  The cadets start at 6am, stop for breakfast at 7am, resume training at 8 am until about 11.30am.  A break for lunch and then back into it till dinner at 5.30pm. Last year we often heard them training at night from 7 to 9pm, but that has only happened a couple of times this year possibly because the last week has been unusually wet.

The training focuses on marching practice and drills and singing patriotic songs.  We have never seen them with real weapons, although apparently some universities have access to real guns and ammunition.

In China only the police and military are allowed to have guns – it is illegal for any other citizens to possess them.  Sometimes there are reports of criminals getting hold of guns (perhaps smuggled into China from neighboring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand), but that is rare.

The military benefits of a few days of training are questionable, so why do the Chinese persist with this activity?

I suspect the object of the exercise is more psychological and physical, than military.  It is a chance to upgrade their fitness; enhance students' sense of patriotism; remind them that they are here at the pleasure of the government; and reinforce 'acceptable' attitudes, dress and behavior.  

Last year a couple of female Freshmen students told me how difficult (physically and mentally) they found the training.  They often cried themselves to sleep at night.  Two days ago we noticed a girl having lunch by herself at the next table.  She was crying quietly.  Vera's Chinese is quite good and she asked her what was wrong?  The girl replied that she was home-sick and finding the military training tough going. 

Can you imagine spending the last 12 months studying day and night to get a good result in the National College Entrance Exam (Gao Kao) and your dreams come true when you are accepted by a top university.  You relax over the summer holiday, and now here you are, finally, at what your teachers had assured you would be a wonderful new life at college. 

This is the first time away from home for many students.  Suddenly they are living in dormitories with five strangers.  Facilities are basic, no one speaks their local dialect, and the food is different.  Not only all that, but they are thrust into camouflage gear and made to march around the campus for 10 hours a day, day after day.  

What a shock to most students that must be.  The only saving grace is that everyone is ‘suffering’ the same fate. There is no doubt that the shared experience would create a very strong feeling of camaraderie and identity with their fellow students (shared pain & gain)  and with the new learning institution.  

I don't want to give the impression that all students find the military training repugnant.  Most accept it as inevitable and 'go with the flow'.  Several, especially boys and even some girls, told me that they actually enjoyed the experience.

I remember an American teacher, Barbara, making the observation that any individuality which the High School system had missed, would be knocked out of the students by the military training when they first start college. 

This culture certainly encourages conformity much more than ours does – for example, things like colored hair, or tattoos, or piercings are almost non-existent.  Rowdy behavior, and graffiti and other acts of vandalism are virtually unknown.

But they still have their own opinions. When I do my little surveys of student opinions, I am often surprised at the diversity of their opinions. 

Vera and I are impressed by the progress in marching skills we observed even over the course of the first week.  They look such a rabble to start with, and yet within a relatively short period they become much more coordinated and disciplined groups. 

A group of boys early in their military training - they were all over the place - but much improved by the second week.  

Some boys using 'wooden rifles' in their training regime. First time we have seen that.

Girls have to do the military training too.

Girl trainees learning to 'goose step'. 

See the umbrellas in the background - a bit of drizzle was not enough to stop the training.

I chatted to these two girls; one was from Hebei Province, the other from Xinjiang.  They said they were dreading the 13 km route-march planned for the following day (Saturday - training doesn't stop on weekends) - the furthest they had ever walked was 3 or 4 km!  

I can't imagine the average Australian college student surviving Chinese conditions, and participating in military training, can you?

Vera & I intend to watch the 'final parade' which will mark the end of the training period for the Freshmen.  The transformation from stragglers to precision marchers is quite amazing to see.  I'll include some photos in a subsequent post.

Book

I'm half-way through Bill Clinton's fascinating autobiography "My Life: The Presidential Years". A couple of observations.  Who would want to be President? Politics is the art of compromise, but what happens when one side, the Right, refuses to budge?  American society seems fractured - so many interest groups all out for themselves.  The other striking thing is how President Obama, 20 years on, still faces many of the very same issues: Israel; North Korea; Russia; Iraq; Immigration; Healthcare; Budget; Guns.  Does it ever end???

Rugby League

The NRL is into the finals series.  Two marvellous games this weekend, both won by just a point: Roosters beat the Cowboys, and the Bulldogs got home over the Sea Eagles.  Looking forward to the semis next weekend.

...

That's all for this week.

Take care, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Sunday 21 September 2014

14 September 2014

Hello everyone,

We are back online, after a long hiatus during the university mid-year holidays.  Time to start my weekly blog posts again.

Vera & I arrived back to the Qingdao campus last Monday, 8 September 2014, which was Mid-Autumn Festival in China.

Mid Autumn Festival

In Chinese this festival is called Zhong Qiu Jie (中秋节). 

Its origins go back 3,000 years, and it is regarded as the second most important traditional festival (after Spring Festival).  It fell into disuse under Mao, but was reinstated as a 3 day national holiday in 2008.

It is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month, to mark the end of the autumn harvest.  The moon is at its brightest and roundest at this time.  It is regarded as a time for family reunion - indeed we met a young man on the bus from the airport who had flown up from Shanghai just to spend the day with his parents.

The giving, and eating, of moon cakes is an important part of the festival.  The cakes are normally round, and feature many different fillings such as lotus bean paste.

Moon cakes are traditional food during the Mid-Autumn Festival

This year, as part of its austerity drive, the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued strict instructions that public servants should not give or receive extravagant gifts of moon cakes.  Sales of luxury packages of moon cakes plummeted.

A popular legend relating to this Festival involves an ancient hero, Hou Yi, who was given the elixir of eternal life by his Emperor for saving the world.  The legend then has different versions, but all agree that his wife Chang'e drank the elixir and subsequently had to take up residence on the moon (accompanied by her faithful dog, Yutu). 

Moon Goddess Chang'e

China's current manned space craft are named after Chang'e.  The "Lunar Rover" vehicle on the last mission was nicknamed Yutu, in honor of her dog.

"Yutu" exploring the lunar surface, 13 December 2013.

I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's go back to my last blog post on 27 June 2014, when we were in Kuala Lumpur enroute to Australia.

Kuala Lumpur

We had a week in KL to see Andrew, his wife Caroline and their baby, Eddie.  KL is a big, bustling, spread-out city which takes a little getting used to.  We thoroughly enjoyed our week there, getting to know our newest grandson.

Eddie at 6 months, Sept 2014

Brisbane - Canberra

From KL we flew to Brisbane and spent 10 days with the Roberts family.

Tom & Jen decided to take the 3 boys on a 5 month camping odyssey around Australia - see map below.  They left Brisbane on 2 August and this week crossed from the Northern Territory into Western Australia: one-third down, two-thirds to go.

An outline of the Roberts family itinerary August - December 2014

At the NT / WA border earlier this week.  

Jen keeps a blog of their trip - see: robertstour2014.wordpress.com  They are now 6 weeks into the trip and have seen and done lots of interesting things.  Life will seem very dull when they get back to suburbia!!

We picked up our car in Brisbane and drove to Canberra.  We stopped in several places to catch up with friends: Tweed Heads to see Dennis & Irene; Nambucca Heads to see Bob & Siri; Port Macquarie to see Leon & Kate; Sydney to see Paul & Niniek and Howard & Angie; and finally to good old Canberra.

We intended to spend 3 weeks in Canberra, but Vera needed minor surgery which meant we stayed an additional two weeks. But it meant we had more time to catch up with family and friends, including Aniko & Peter; Sharon & Ian; Tomoko & John; Christine & Logan; Kaye & Patrick; Patricia & Paul; Donna & John; Helen & Neil; Barbara & Richard; Somsong & John; and others.

I particularly enjoyed watching rugby and playing golf with mates Paul, Noel, Dave, Don, & Neale.

Vera & I have toyed with the idea of moving to the Gold Coast when we finally settle down (this time next year?), but every time we are back in Canberra we realise that it is 'home'.  I know the winters are harsh (by Aussie standards) but it just feels right. Canberra is well organised, and easy to get around.  And most of all, it's nice to get together with old friends. Often when you are in Civic or Woden or Dickson you will run into someone you know - there is a sense of belonging.

Herewith some photos of our time in Australia.

Lunch at the Roberts' place in The Gap, Brisbane, from left: Tom; Sid; Jen; Nate; Kurt & Vera

Taking Tilley for a walk.  She used to be so full of beans, but now it's just two old codgers together!

Vera with Sid, 5 years old and a handful!

At Lake Cathie near Port Macquarie: Barry & Sharyn (ex- Monaro High School, Cooma); Vera; Kate & Leon (our former neighbors in Canberra - very pleased with their move north - wonderful hosts).  

Birthday party for Tui (Dejon) Labutte in Canberra organised by Britt and Pierre.  Angie came from Narooma, and Sasha from Sydney.  It was a good chance to catch up with the extended family.

We did the 'Inner Basin' walk around Lake Burley Griffin once or twice a week.  One day we came across this 'Santa in Speedos' Fun Run raising money for charity.  This was winter - late-July - but fortunately a lovely day.  The nights can get pretty cold in Canberra - we had 4 nights in a row with minus 7C - but the days are often clear and bright, with maximum temperatures between 10 - 14C. 

I presented a copy of my book "It's all about the students" to Carol Keil, President of the Canberra Branch of the Australia - China Friendship Society.  We were at the ANU together, more years ago than we care to admit!

At Federal Golf Club with fellow hackers, Noel and Des.  The couch fairways brown off in winter, but still play well. Note the 'gallery' of kangaroos in the background.

Celebrating my 68th birthday.

With good friends Yvonne & Jim.  Jim has just retired after an illustrious career with the Department of Immigration. We met while working at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in the late-1980s and have kept in touch ever since.  We were both keen members of the Hash House Harriers, but alas our running days are behind us. 

Farewell dinner for Moritz (my cousin's grandson) who visited from Germany; from left: Moritz, Vera, Richard, Peter, Adrienne, and Aniko.  An impressive young man, Moritz spent 5 weeks around Canberra and the south-eastern corner of NSW.  He seems to have fallen in love with the place, and said that he is determined to live and work here when he finishes his apprenticeship with BMW.

We went to a wonderful concert by honky-tonk pianist Jan Preston at Smith's Alternative Bookshop in Civic.  We have been keen fans since we first heard her perform at the National Folk Festival 14 years ago. 

My glamorous sister Aniko was a stand-out model in a charity event.

Lunch with former Austrade colleagues; from left: Geoff McKie; Jim Enright; Brendan Dyson; Dick Wilson; Des Walsh; and John Bush.  Missing were stalwarts Ian Ffrench, Pat Stortz and John Smith.

While there's a lot to like about life in Australia,  the things that strike one most after living in China are the clean fresh air, the big blue sky, and the lack of crowds.

Always love the 1,200 km drive from Brisbane to Canberra: the wide, open spaces; the clear, blue sky; seeing old friends.  We use public transport in China, and find it both convenient and cheap, but it's still nice to get behind the wheel of a car again and cruise along a highway.

After only having access to one English language TV station (the government's CCTV News) it is a pleasure to switch on the telly in Australia.  I especially enjoy Monday nights on the ABC starting at 7pm: News; 7.30 Report; Australian Story; 4 Corners; Media Watch; Q & A; Late Line.  It's entertaining, stimulating, often challenging but always interesting, stuff.

It may be my imagination, but it seems to me that the quality of media reporting (TV, radio and print) is diminishing in Australia.  Murdoch has a too-dominant position in Australia's media scene.  ABC radio and TV at least give some relief from the incessant advertisements on commercial channels and the biased editorials.  The Abbott government seems determined to shackle the ABC, which I think is a great pity.

Everyone tells you that the biggest problem with Australia today is the cost of living.  Twenty years ago we used too marvel at how expensive life was in the UK and other European countries compared to life in Australia, but we have well & truly caught up.  It's crazy, but New York City is now much better value than Sydney or Melbourne.

Why have costs of food, energy and services gone up so much in the last 20 years?  Some commentators blame the rush to privatise in the Howard years - utilities, airports etc.  There was a widely-held belief that the private sector could run such facilities more efficiently and prices would come down.  But in many cases, the opposite happened.

We were lucky to escape the worst ravages of the GFC, but countries like the USA and UK have rebounded with meaner, leaner, more efficient economies. Somehow, we have become too self-satisfied and complacent, and our productivity is lagging far behind.

Mr Abbott promised to lower the cost of living, but his options seem limited.  The Aussie dollar is depreciating (now around US$0.90) which will put up-ward pressure on the price of imports.

There are probably many reasons why the cost of living has increased so much, and I'd be very interested in your comments and ideas.

Enough about Australia; time to come back to the present.

2014-15 Academic Year

Key dates of the university's 2014-15 academic year:

First Semester: from 9 September 2014 to 24 January 2015
Winter break: 25 January to 7 March 2015 (incorporating Chinese New Year / Spring Festival which will start on 19 February 2015)
Second Semester: from 9 March to 3 July 2015

My classes actually start in Week 2, on Monday 15 September (tomorrow).

My teaching load this semester is 7 two-hour classes per week (5 Western Culture, 2 Oral English); three classes on Tuesdays, and one each on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

No weekend classes this semester - yippee!!

...

Well folks, that's all for now.

I hope to do another post next weekend, which will include details of my classes and students.

Best wishes, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
Sunday, 14 September 2014