WLE Newsletter November 2001 - January 2002
"HAPPY TIME" On the way
Friday, December 7, 2001 Cherry Lane Movies
The new seven week World Link Students were excited to go see Cherry Lane movie "Happy Times" , a new movie released by infamous Chinese Director Zhang Yimou. The night was remarkable only for the light flurries that began to fall earlier in the day, marking Beijing's first snowfall for the winter season. WLE students and staff started out from WLE Center at 6:45 pm. Everyone remarked at how beautiful the snow looked in the night and how exciting it was to finally have snow.
As we approached the Third Ring Road, we began to notice how congested the express way looked, but were not bothered. We had purposely arranged to depart early so we would arrive at the movie on time. How unfortunate we were! We had become entrenched in every big city nightmare - a traffic jam! Due to the snow and quickly plummeting temperatures, all the roads were slick with ice. The expressway was a virtual ice rink and at a stand still. World Link Students, who are always helpful, even got out to push some cars over particularly slippery areas. The new students kept their spirits up and took the time to get to know each other better. Thanks guys!
News and Events
New World Link Caf?Opens!
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! To serve the World Link Students better, our WLE Residence Center now boasts a newly renovated caf? World Link students can grab a quick cup of coffee and chocolate croissant as they rush off to class in the mornings, settle down to serious study with a cup of coffee and a sandwich in afternoons, and sit and relax with friends in the evenings. The caf?also has fresh pastries and breads so students can still get their comfort foods - even this far from home.
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Caf?hours:
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Monday to Thursday
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07:00am to 21:30pm
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Friday and Saturday
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09:00am to 00:00am
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Sunday
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09:00am to 21:30pm
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Abbreviated Drinks List
Cappuccino
Caf?Mocha
Hot Chocolate
Black Coffee
Tea
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Abbreviated Menu
Chicken Baguette Sandwich
Chocolate Croissant
Egg Tarts
Apple Danish
Lemon Cake
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Student Center Gets Dandied Up!
Our Student Center has undergone a dramatic change in the past month. With new royal blue carpeting and golden curtains, the Center is almost unrecognizable. The computer and study area are better divided to provide students with privacy and quite as they review their lessons or write emails. The back corner has been converted into a "living room" where students can relax, watch movies, read a book or just hang out with friends.
A small corner has also been converted to a "tete a tete" area where students can review their lessons one on one with their language partners. New pillows in rich silk brocade, a large palm and standing lamp make the place feel warm and inviting.
A bulletin board hangs on the wall to keep students updated on events and happenings with World Link.
An added bonus- students can checkout the Student Center key overnight and on the weekends.
The Fantastic Christmas Party
December, 15, 2001
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World Link's Holiday Season got off to a great start with a Christmas bash at the Goose and Duck Pub. Students and staff all gathered together to share in the Holiday Spirit. Good food, prizes, and contests insured all the students had a wonderful time that night.
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Sanna Johannesson, our Program Advisor from Sweden, started the party off by introducing a Swedish Christmas drink known as Glogg. Glogg is similar to the drink served during the winter in Germany called Gluck. Made with red wine, spices and dried fruits, this holiday drink warms the heart and stomach.
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After a holiday greeting, the dinner began. A feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, corn soup, and much more delicious food filled the stomachs of all the guests. After the students sated their appetites, it was time for the games and prizes.
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The first game to start off the night was the singing contest, where tables competed against each other to see who could sing the loudest. Note - the loudest not the best. Our ears are still ringing!
Then time for the first lucky draw where our big prizes were handed out. Lucky Louise received a new pillow for her WLE apartment living room. Khiet received a Chinese Chess game board - a gift she has always wanted. Other gifts included tea sets, books and gift certificates. In the spirit of the holidays, no student left empty handed thanks to door prizes such as DVD's, candies, books, and CD's.
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Later on in the evening, the Goose and Duck house band serenaded World Link with Christmas Carols, even inviting our daring students to come up and sing a song with them! Needless to say, our student took up the challenge and brought down the house with their heartwarming (though slightly out of tune) rendition of White Christmas.
The festivities continued as students ate more food, played more games and just had a jolly time! Sadly the night ended all too soon. And everyone went home with visions of chopsticks and rice bowls dancing in their heads.
Lao She Tea House, December 22, 2001
Students and staff alike enjoyed themselves in the warm and relaxing atmosphere of the Lao She Teahouse one of the most famous tea houses in Beijing. The teahouse is named after the famous Chinese author, Lao She, and one of his better-known works, "Teahouse."
At Lao She Teahouse, customers find themselves in the old Beijing atmosphere, as they drink traditional Chinese tea in a hall filled with antique coffee tables and chairs and ceilings adorned with red lanterns.
A presentation of the history of tea was followed by a traditional Chinese performance. We marveled at the Chinese acrobats and were intrigued by the Chinese opera show. A variety of dance and music followed, bringing a close to what we all felt was a most enjoyable afternoon.
Birthdays
Guo sheng ri, or having your birthday, in a foreign land, away from friends and family, is never easy. But World Link Education sweetens the day for our students with a cake, a few candles (very few) and a song.
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Sarah Holdstock, a 1-semester Martial Arts student, celebrated her birthday with other WLE students and staff on October 30, 2001.
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Kevin McDermott, a Chinese Language and China Business student enjoys his birthday cake on November 23, 2001.
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Elaine Cheung, a Chinese Language and China Business student, celebrated her birthday on November 28, 2001.
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Temple of Heaven - November 4th, 2001
World Link Education students choose a chilly, rainy day to enjoy the sights of the Temple of Heaven. The perfection of Ming architecture, Temple of Heaven has come to symbolize Beijing and its lines appear on countless pieces of tourist's literature. It originally functioned as a vast stage for solemn rites performed by the Son of Heavens who came here to pray for good harvests, seek divine clearance and atone for the sins of the people.
One of the most memorable areas of the Temple complex is the circular wall surrounding the Imperial Vault of Heaven. It stands 3.7 meters high, stretches 193.2 meters long and is 0.9 meters thick. The wall is built on the principles of sound waves. A sound wave may bounce off a curved wall many times in succession. So, should one speaks into the wall at one end, another can hear his voice at the other end of it. Our students enjoyed testing the amazing example of Chinese sciences at work.
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CCB Seminar: Introducing Interior Design in China: Scandinavian Furniture
(Nov 13, 2001)
WLE China Business Students were awed by sophisticated and modern designs during their CCB Seminar to Scandinavian Furniture on November 13, 2001. Scandinavian Furniture is a wholly owned Swedish Furniture and Interior Decoration Company established in China in 1993. Its headquarter, showroom and factory are all located in Beijing. They provide high quality corporate furniture to top companies, not only in Beijing, but throughout greater China.
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Scandinavian Furniture was one of the first companies of its kind to start up business in China. Patrik Clavenstam (General Manger ) and Emma Sahlen (Marketing Manager) presented the company's history and development over the past ten years starting from its illustrious refurbishing of the Ericsson Offices to challenges they faced along the way. At the end of their presentation, Patrik and Emma invited interested students to seek them out for internships and work experiences.
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Emma Sahlen, the Marketing Manager, showed our students an example how Scandinavian Furniture market themselves in China.
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12 week and 1 Semester students with Professor Gao.
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China Business Concludes - Wednesday November 14, 2001
The time has come, the lecturer said, to speak of many things, of Chinese dynasties and SOE's and all the things between? After 6 busy weeks filled with lectures, seminars and joint venture trips, the China Business course finally concluded for the fall season. This semester's course topic: China's Business Environment from a Marketing Perspective with Professor Gao Guo Pei.
In addition to Lectures, students attended seminars with speakers such as Laurence Brahms (Naga Consulting) and Peter Rosta (Swedish Trade Council) and joint venture field trips to places such as the Dragon Seal Winery and the Blue Zoo Aquarium. The course is designed to give students an overview of the Chinese Business Environment. At the end of the course, students were presented with their certificates.
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Monthly Trip: Shaolin & Zhengzhou (Nov 16 - 19, 2001)
All Aboard! WLE Fall 2001 Students boarded the night train and speed off to a weekend of adventure in the province of Henan. Dubbed as "The Shaolin Trip", our Martial Arts and Chinese Language Students saw more than the Shaolin Temple and flying monks. They were treated to an area tour of Zheng Zhou, the capital of Henan Province, and the famous Yellow River.
They started off their visit at the Yellow River with a cruise on a hover-craft. The hover-craft crossed over land and water, taking the students out to a sand bar where they rode horses and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It is here in the lush hills and valleys that one can see how the Yellow River basin and Henan could be the main birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization.
After visiting the Yellow River, the students went to Kai Feng. Kai Feng was known as one of the six major centers of ancient Chinese civilization. It was also the capital of the Kingdom of Wei (475-331 B.C.) and later the Liang, Han and Zhou dynasties. At Kai Feng students visited the Buddhist Xiangguo Temple and the Dragon Pavilion. Both were beautifully decorated with a multitude of chrysanthemum flowers!
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Tatianna, a 1 Semester Chinese Language student, received electric treatment to cure her headache.
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WLE Martial Arts students doing different Wu Shu poses in the Pagoda Forest of the Shaolin Temple.
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In the afternoon the students visited a Chinese Hospital, where they met amazing Chinese doctors who introduced traditional medical treatment with herbs and electricity. One of the doctors diagnosed our student's physical health by just taking their pulse. The same doctor could also light up a light bulb with his bare hands! Amazing!
The second day was spent in Deng Feng where students visited the Shaolin Temple and the Pagoda Forest. The tour of the Temple was interesting, but the Martial Arts students found the great deals on Wu Shu equipment and clothes even more interesting!
Last but not least, a visit to the Longmen Caves. The Longmen Caves, along with the Yungang Caves and Dunhuang Caves, are among China's major Buddhist cave sites. Some 2,345 large and small caves were carved into the cliffs at Longmen during a period of approximately 400 years that began during the Northen Wei dynasty. It is said that more than 110,000 Buddhist image were carved in the Longmen caves during that time.
Jiao Zi Making - November 25, 2001
Students had a chance to practice their cooking skills in World Link Education's Jiaozi making workshop. Labeled as a "staple food" or zhu shi, dumplings are a traditional Chinese Spring Festival food used to signify the transition of the New Year. There are two schools of thought concerning the origin of jiao zi as the traditional food for the New Year. One school of thought maintains dumplings are used because of their similarity to ancient Chinese money. Another school of thought reasons the dumplings are used because the Chinese name of dumplings jiao(3) zi has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese word for transition jiao(1) zi(3). Whatever the reason, we are still glad to be able to eat them anytime!
Here is the recipe we have been able to "steal" from a famous dumpling restaurant in Beijing.
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Boiled Dumplings (Jiaozi)
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups (500 g) flour, sifted
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tsp ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp MSG
10 1/2 oz (300 g) lean boneless pork or mutton, minced
6 1/2 tbsp (100 g) scallions, chopped
1/8 tsp five-spice powder
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Instructions:
Dough:
Mix the flour with 3 1/2 oz (100 ml) of water to make a dough. knead until smooth and let stand for 30 minutes.
Filling:
To prepare the filling, mix the pork or mutton with 7 oz (200 ml) of water and the salt. Stir in one direction until it becomes a paste. Add the scallions and blend well. Divide filling into 100 portions.
Wrapping:
Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll into long rolls. Cut each into 25 pieces. Flatten each piece and roll into 2 inches (5 cm) circles. Place 1 portion of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough over it, making a bonnet-shaped pouch. Pinch the edges together to seal the dumpling. Repeat until all the dough and filling are used.
Cooking:
Bring 8 cups (2 litres) of water to a boil over high heat, Add half the dumplings. Stir them around gently with a ladel, and let the water return to a boil. Add enough cold water to stop the boiling, then bring back to a boil. When the water boils again, add more cold water and bring to a boil a third time. The dumplings will be done when they float to the surface. Remove, drain well, and serve.
Friday November 30th, Farewell Dinner at A Fun Ti
Dancing, music and good food were all on hand as World Link Education bid a sad Farewell to September 2001's 12 week students. The traditional Farewell dinner was held at "A Fun Ti" the famous Xingjiang restaurant renowned throughout Beijing for its beautiful Xingjiang dancers and raucous tabletop dancing.
Students were surprised when they heard World Link Education greeted by name as they entered this popular hot spot. The greeting commenced a fun filled night with plenty of food, laughter, and pictures.
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Zaijian 12W CL and 12W CCB Students! Students pose for final pictures outside A Fun Ti.
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Oodles of Noodles! Luo Yi tries her hand at eating the never ending "la shou mian".
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Tatianna Sanabria CL1Semester and Megan Tighe CL12 Week, Tackle the huge lamb kebobs - aka "yang ro chuanr".
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Language Supervisor Wang Lao Shi
Wang Lao Shi obtained her teaching certificate from BLCU and taught there since1961. She has been the Language Supervisor for World Link Education for the past 3 years. What she enjoys most about her Language Supervisor position at WLE is that she can help the students improve their Chinese. Wang Lao Shi taught briefly in the United States from 1986-1987. She taught in Finland from 1992-1996.
Her advice to the students coming to learn Chinese is to practice, practice, practice. For those who wish to improve their reading, listening and speaking skills Wang Lao Shi gives the following advice: Beginning students should learn to recognize the Hanzi without looking at the Pingyin. Advanced students should practice reading in newspapers and magazines. Practice is also key to improving listening and speaking skills. Students should take every opportunity to practice with Language Exchange Partners and other native speakers. Grammar is important, however, students should not spend too much time differentiating the subtlety between similar words; they should learn to focus more on their practical usage.
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Wang Lao shi has published "Chinese Conversation"(Han Yu Hui Hua), "Medium Level Chinese"(Zhong Ji Hai Yu) in cooperation with other teachers in Japan and has been presented the title of "Excellent Teacher" by her department and the university many times. She has traveled to Russia, Greece, Sweden, Demark, Britain, France, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In her free time, she likes reading, listening to music, singing and watching T.V.
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