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September - October 2006
Inside this edition:
Real Life Event – Mid-Autumn Festival
Every year in China, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, China celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival also known as the Moon Festival. On the last Friday of September, we celebrated “中秋节” (Zhong Qiu Jie) at the center.
The aim of the event was to celebrate and learn more about the origins and cultural practices of this festival. The fun packed evening included a play by students, moon cake making demonstration by a chef, annual eating competition, and tasting the variety of mooncakes.
The tale of Hou Yi and his wife Chang Er was performed by a group of students as they displayed their Mandarin skills. This was followed by Chef Xi Song, a chef from the renowned restaurant who gave us a demonstration on the art of making mooncakes “月饼” （Yue Bing).
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| The seminar room filled with students |
Andreas and Marcus (Sweden) |
Students performing the Mid-Autumn tale |
The competition for eating the most mooncakes had us all in stitches with the winner winning a great prize a return trip to Shanghai! We also tasted the different mooncakes with a variety of fillings. This educational evening was such an enjoyable and colorful cultural event. We certainly learned more about the Chinese culture.
Our next major Chinese festival is the Chinese New Year on the 19th of February! So your firecrackers and chopsticks!
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| Chef mooncake demonstration |
Linda (Norway) and
Evan (US) |
The eating competition |
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WLE Trip to the Shaolin Temple
“Kung fu under heaven comes out of Shaolin”
Chinese Kung fu, Buddhism, Zen, monks, temples, blood, sweat and tears…these are some of the images one thinks of when the name of Shaolin is brought up. One of WLE’s most popular excursions is to the Shaolin Temple and it met all our expectations and more!
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| Group pictures in front of the Xianguo temple in Kaifeng |
The famous 1000 hand and eye Buddha attraction |
Our Martial Art students demonstrating their skills |
During a weekend in September, our students gathered together from our three campuses and took an overnight train to this sacred location. After arriving and checking into our hotel, we were off to see Xiang Guo Temple. This was the center of Buddhism in China, built in the 6th year of Tian Bao of the Northern Jin Dynasty. Home of the 1000 eye and 1000 hand Buddha.
The hovercraft Yellow River scenic tour was one of the highlights of the trip. Transitioning seamlessly between sea to land to sea, this hovercraft competed for our attention. Beautiful mountains surrounded us, waves gently lapped at the river banks as we took in the breathtaking scenery. Occasionally, meandering nomads approached us to see if any of us desired to rent a mule. The Yellow River is the second largest river in China and was the life line to many inland provinces. The Yellow river is so named because…it’s yellow. Silt from the surrounding mountains drains into the sea and causes the water to turn a strange hue of yellow.
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| Neil (UK) and Thomas (Ireland) practicing their Wushu forms in front of the Yellow River |
Jesus (Mexico) by the hovercraft |
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Next was Kaifeng – a time to explore one of the six oldest capitals in China.
Sunday was the highlight for us all - the Shaolin Temple! Arriving at the temple you could sense the air of peace and spirituality. Seeing and actually being in the place where Shaolin Kung fu was founded inspired us all. Our guide Liu Bin shared the deep history surrounding this temple and showed us the ingenious appliances and items used by the monks to tirelessly practice their art.
For the monks, everyday life constantly involved ways to further train their bodies and soul in this ancient art. We were shown an old cooking vessel used by the monks as they hung upside down and used their arms to stir the vessel; stone floors riddled with divots from the constant practicing of footwork; trees with inch deep holes made by fingers jabbing at the trunks and more.
As the non martial arts students traveled to the Longmen grottoes to view carvings made in the 18th year of the emperor Xiaowen of the Wei Dynasty, those of us training in Wushu stayed behind. We were first given a performance by the monks exhibiting their amazing agility and mastery of skills. After their incredibly skillful performance, we actually trained with the monks! So adept at the movements, and so motivated by our enthusiasm, the monks were able to teach us a complete Shaolin Kung fu form. This was such an honor and indeed no easy feat. Under their professional instruction, we were continuously corrected, and our movements and postures adjusted. Finally, with the monks blessing of a job well done, we were both elated and exhausted, but the memories from this unforgettable experience will always remain.
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| Visit to the UNESCO’s site of carved Buddha in Luoyang |
Welcome to the Shaolin Temple |
Our students posing with the Shaolin Wushu masters |
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WLE Elective – Chinese Calligraphy 书法
The calligraphy elective at WLE is a short introduction into Chinese calligraphy as not only a means of communication, but also a means of expressing a person's inner world in an aesthetic sense. Over the thousands of years, the style of Chinese calligraphy has continually evolved. Each session of this elective focuses one of the popular styles.
WLE’s calligraphy teacher, Feng Laoshi has been teaching calligraphy for nearly 20 years and is a member of the National Calligraphy and Painting Commission. Under Feng Laoshi’s instruction we learnt about the seal, clerical, cursive and regular styles. |
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| Feng Laoshi showing Danny (Thailand) the regular style. |
In this October’s calligraphy series, we were given an explanation and demonstration of each style at the start of the session. This interactive elective allowed us to practice and develop the skills used in calligraphy, from the way we hold the brush, the movements through to learning Chinese characters! Feng Laoshi’s experience was apparent as she guided each of us individually throughout the lesson. Some of us were beginners and felt a real sense of achievement as we wrote our names and other characters!
This was a useful and practical way to learn about Calligraphy. For nearly all of us, it was the first time we had written calligraphy and learn about it. This hands-on approach to learning was enjoyed by us all.
As Merrin (US) summed this elective: “I really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much I learned and that I could actually do it! I have been learning Mandarin for just one month and now I can write my name and some words in calligraphy! This is a great way to learn about Chinese culture and art.”
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| Feng Laoshi explaining to Kristen (US) and Justin (US) |
The informative and interactive calligraphy elective |
Merrin (US) and Hugh (UK) in practice |
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A Real Life ‘First Impression’
September new student intake was a busy one at Real Life. We welcomed more than 180 students from 24 different nationalities. Below is a glimpse of their first impression of learning Chinese, being in Beijing and our language center.
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Christine Urbanski (United States)
Christine Urbanski arrived in Beijing for the first time yesterday. Christine is from the U.S and has a background in marketing, advertising, PR and sponsorship. She currently works as a television producer specializing in sports production. Christine’s first impressions:
“This is great. I am really excited to be here. Since Beijing will be holding the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics in 2008, I thought it would be a good idea to come to Beijing. My goals are to learn about business etiquette and protocol and of course, learn to speak Mandarin.”
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Rebecca Ling, Selina Tang and William Darlington (England)
Rebecca and Selina are living in China for the first time. William has previously studied in Taiwan and is also new to Beijing.
“I can speak a bit of Mandarin and hope to learn a lot more. So far, I have been pleased with everything so far. I am about to take a placement test – very eager to start. Beijing is a city that is different from what I am used to at home, but the experience has been very good so far.”
Rebecca and Selina have been in Beijing for a short period of time. ‘For us, the shopping and markets have been some of the most interesting new experiences. It has been such a fun time where you learn all the time”.
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Lior Avidor (Israel)
Lior Avidor previously studied Mandarin in Israel. He has wanted to study Mandarin here in Beijing for many years, so for him being in Beijing is a dream come true. He has been living for a few weeks in Beijing.
“My impression so far has been very positive. I like it here. Beijing is a nice place to live. My experience with World Link Education has been good. The level of the organization is good and the information has been concise. I also enjoy living in the shared apartment that was arranged for me. It is big, very clean and comfortable.”
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Julian Rothknopf (Germany)
It is Julian’s first time traveling to Beijing and Asia. To him, this city is constantly changing and things are happening quickly.
“I have always wanted to study Chinese. I believe that I will need this language for my future career. I chose to study World Link Education’s Chinese Language Program when I was looking for information about schools where I could learn Mandarin. World Link Education struck me as the most attractive program. Yes World Link Education is living up to my expectations!”
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WLE Media Event – Studio recording of Up-Close with David Wu
A major focus of the Mandarin program is to provide ‘real life China experiences’ beyond the campus. This event entailed introducing us to the Chinese media and a ‘real life’ studio experience. We arrived at the China Central Television recording studios in Beijing. We had been invited to participate as the audience of one of China’s most watched English talk shows ‘Up Close’ watched by millions of viewers.
Today’s guest speaker was David Wu, otherwise known the “Wu Man”. David Wu one of the best known TV hosts and actors hailed from Taiwan. For the 20 years he has been in films such as ‘Farewell to my Concubine”, hosted variety shows, acting in TV dramas and as a VJ (video jockey) for the past 10 years.
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| Julie (UK) at the studio |
Tom (Germany), Kelly (UK) and Julie sitting as the audience. |
Eyee Hsu, the host and David Wu
talking about his experience |
As David Wu fans, we were ecstatic to be part of the audience in this talk show and meeting him first hand! It was very interesting to learn about his life, professional career, and personal life. The talk show host Eeye Hsu asked about his new projects. We certainly gained an insight into what a talk show in China was like.
To out surprise, the talk show was interactive with a game of charades held at the end of the interview. This was fun and amusing for us all. Whilst David acted out charades, we the audience guessed and won prizes. WLE’s Kelly was one of the lucky winners winning David Wu’s English learning books.
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WLE Business Seminar Series - Helios Partners China
This past Business Seminar Series welcomed a dynamic speaker from the field of Sports Marketing – Christopher Renner. With a strong international background and a successful track record in marketing some of the largest sporting events, Chris Renner is one of the industry’s most experienced executives. As director of the marketing programs for sports as diverse as the Olympics, Asian Games, and the ATP Tennis Masters Series, Chris has worked and delivered on projects in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Chris began his sports marketing career in Switzerland with ISL, one of the industry’s pioneers. Amongst other properties, ISL represented the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the World Athletics (Track & Field) Championships and the World Basketball Championships. After more than a decade with ISL, Chris established a Beijing-based consulting agency specializing in sports marketing in Asia. This company has had a particular focus on consulting brands considering sponsorship of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Key clients over the past few years have included Lenovo (TOP), BenQ (UEFA EURO 2004, Real Madrid), Adidas, (Beijing 2008) and FedEx (Chinese Badminton Association).
Chris’s presentation covered various different angles relating to working and living in China. The information provided gave a snapshot of the sports marketing industry internationally and how the industry is now developing in China. He presented an overview of different programs and strategies that have been used here in China for different clients such as promoting FedEx through badminton tournaments, and BenQ through sponsorship of Real Madrid. There are also new media platforms such as TV, internet and wireless 3G that can be used to promote companies in association with sports, to targeted market segments. There is a growing appetite for sports viewing in China and more and more sports celebrities that can be used to increase the visibility of a certain sport. This environment is ideal for leveraging company profiles via sports sponsorship. The challenge is that there are few viable or reliable sports marketing agencies in China at the present time. That is why Helios Partners is perfectly positioned to provide expertise and industry knowledge to local companies seeking creative ways to market their brands and products.
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| Our China Business students listening intently |
Mr. Renner delivering the presentation |
An interesting parallel was identified during Chris’s presentation. Chris mentioned that China is like the 1950s and 60s in that this is a boom time and the market is not saturated yet. He outlined a variety of helpful recommendations for those considering starting businesses here in China in the future. The Business students greatly benefited from Chris’s background and insight into the sports marketing industry and took away a multitude of helpful ideas regarding doing business in China. |
Student Interview: Linda Bergström
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 Name: Linda Bergström
Country of Residence: China
Citizenship: Swedish
Profession: Student
Educational Background: Have just completed high school
Brief Work History: Temped as a paralegal in law firms
Languages Spoken: Swedish, German, English, Spanish, French
Hobbies: Climbing, sports, travel
Is this your first time in China?
Yes, my first time. My father is working in Beijing which is why we moved here.
How are you finding your studies in China?
I really like it!
Have they been what you expected them to be?
I really did not have any expectations. I decided to come to Beijing two weeks before school started, so I did not have any time to create any expectations. I feel that I have learnt a lot so far though, and it has only been one month.
How do you like Beijing?
I have fallen in love with this city. It’s great here!
What do you find most interesting about Beijing?
The people and the life that they live. I feel that just being here, watching and experiencing everything is really interesting.
Tell us a few memorable experiences in Beijing/China?
When I walked to school the other day, the rain was pouring down and all of a sudden someone who walked behind me held up his umbrella for me. We walked together all the way to my school and we talked with each other in Chinese.
How has your experience in China changed you?
Since I only have been here for a month I haven’t really changed that much, but I am more aware of the culture here, which is different from what I am used to, and I have learned Chinese.
What is the thing you like best about Beijing/China?
Everything is so cheap and you have a lot to do. I also love the food!
Will you come to China/Beijing again?
Definitely!
What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in China?
I would say that having a basic understanding of some Chinese words especially about food, will make the first weeks more comfortable. But the most important thing is that everybody needs to be aware that when you get to a foreign country you have to adjust yourself to the culture where you are living.
What advice/tips would you give to others who plan to come and study in
China ?
Don’t bring anything with you, except for vitamins. You can buy everything here.
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