Related News
Home » Supplement » Education
The thoughts of a young outsider
By Liang Yiwen |
October 27, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HUSTLE and bustle, prosperous and peaceful, traditional and modern ... they are all impressions that Shanghai has left on international students.
Nearly 200 students in Pudong's international schools or international divisions talked about their life in Shanghai in the first Shanghai Pudong New Area International Students Chinese Writing Competition.
Winners will read their composition aloud with music at the awards ceremony on Saturday. The excellent works will be compiled and published after the ceremony.
"This writing competition is organized to provide a channel for international students from Grade 3 to Grade 12 in Shanghai to express their love for the Chinese culture and language, their experience living in this city and their view of the World Expo 2010," according to the organizer, Pudong New Area Language Association and the Pudong TCSOL (Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages) Committee and SMIC Private School.
"Eight international schools or international divisions took part in the first writing contest. The contest will be held annually and promoted to cover all the city international schools in the future," said Qian Jing, an official with the Pudong New Area Education Bureau.
To ensure fairness, the contestants are split into 16 groups based on their age, how long they have learnt Chinese and whether they are descendants of Chinese.
"Shanghai is my second hometown," South Korean Cho Eun Jung, a Grade 11 student at Jianping High School and a first-prize winner, wrote in Chinese.
"I enjoy strolling on Huashan Road and Huaihai Road in autumn, stepping on the fallen leaves of the phoenix tree and watching the winding alley, relishing the tranquility in bustling Shanghai.
"I like the shikumen buildings (stone-gate houses) in Shanghai. The gentle melody of songs singing by Zhou Xuan can be heard from behind the closed black wooden doors," she wrote. "I also liked the noisy City God Temple and the quiet Duolun Road with green trees and red walls on the roadside."
However, she didn't like it here so much when she first arrived.
"I didn't understand any Chinese word when I first came to the city seven years ago," she wrote in her composition. "I missed my hometown Busan very much."
Many students expressed the same worries and loneliness when they first arrived in the city in their composition. But they soon overcame the language barrier and culture shock with the help of their warm-hearted Chinese peer students and teachers.
Anton, a Belorussian 3rd grader student from Juyuan Experimental School, recalled his successful role in a Chinese drama performance at the school half a year after he reached the city in his essay.
He was afraid his poor Chinese would ruin the performance. But with the help from teachers and classmates, it turned out that his standard pronunciation of Chinese won him great applause from the audience.
"I think I'm terrific," he said in his essay. "My Chinese is better than my parents and I can be their interpreter in the city."
Many students became fond of the city after staying for a while. They are fascinated with the delicious cuisine, beautiful nights and enjoyed the fast transport and exciting activities in the city.
Michael Tao, a Chinese American and a 12th grade student at SMIC, wrote, "I'm so fed up with the hamburger and chips in the United States. It's when I came here that I found a great enjoyment from eating."
Fried buns and dumplings are his favorite and he eats them every month.
"I have stayed in a small city with much fewer people than in North America and visited many cities," he said. "But Shanghai made the strongest impression on me. I will never feel bored in the city because I can learn many new things here."
Tao had a special hobby ¨? he enjoys taking the Metro in his leisure time and gets off at random stations.
"I don't know where the Metro will take me. But that is the fascinating point. I learn new things wherever I get off. It's an eye-opening ride within the city," he wrote.
His admission is shared by many international students who appreciate Shanghai's diversity. Many of the contestants depicted their Expo journey, which broadened their horizon.
"Numerous cultures blend together in the city, igniting bright sparks," Cho wrote.
"More and more foreigners flood into the city to study or work. They have integrated themselves into the city culture harmoniously. I believe that they have treated the city as their second hometown just like me," she wrote.
Nearly 200 students in Pudong's international schools or international divisions talked about their life in Shanghai in the first Shanghai Pudong New Area International Students Chinese Writing Competition.
Winners will read their composition aloud with music at the awards ceremony on Saturday. The excellent works will be compiled and published after the ceremony.
"This writing competition is organized to provide a channel for international students from Grade 3 to Grade 12 in Shanghai to express their love for the Chinese culture and language, their experience living in this city and their view of the World Expo 2010," according to the organizer, Pudong New Area Language Association and the Pudong TCSOL (Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages) Committee and SMIC Private School.
"Eight international schools or international divisions took part in the first writing contest. The contest will be held annually and promoted to cover all the city international schools in the future," said Qian Jing, an official with the Pudong New Area Education Bureau.
To ensure fairness, the contestants are split into 16 groups based on their age, how long they have learnt Chinese and whether they are descendants of Chinese.
"Shanghai is my second hometown," South Korean Cho Eun Jung, a Grade 11 student at Jianping High School and a first-prize winner, wrote in Chinese.
"I enjoy strolling on Huashan Road and Huaihai Road in autumn, stepping on the fallen leaves of the phoenix tree and watching the winding alley, relishing the tranquility in bustling Shanghai.
"I like the shikumen buildings (stone-gate houses) in Shanghai. The gentle melody of songs singing by Zhou Xuan can be heard from behind the closed black wooden doors," she wrote. "I also liked the noisy City God Temple and the quiet Duolun Road with green trees and red walls on the roadside."
However, she didn't like it here so much when she first arrived.
"I didn't understand any Chinese word when I first came to the city seven years ago," she wrote in her composition. "I missed my hometown Busan very much."
Many students expressed the same worries and loneliness when they first arrived in the city in their composition. But they soon overcame the language barrier and culture shock with the help of their warm-hearted Chinese peer students and teachers.
Anton, a Belorussian 3rd grader student from Juyuan Experimental School, recalled his successful role in a Chinese drama performance at the school half a year after he reached the city in his essay.
He was afraid his poor Chinese would ruin the performance. But with the help from teachers and classmates, it turned out that his standard pronunciation of Chinese won him great applause from the audience.
"I think I'm terrific," he said in his essay. "My Chinese is better than my parents and I can be their interpreter in the city."
Many students became fond of the city after staying for a while. They are fascinated with the delicious cuisine, beautiful nights and enjoyed the fast transport and exciting activities in the city.
Michael Tao, a Chinese American and a 12th grade student at SMIC, wrote, "I'm so fed up with the hamburger and chips in the United States. It's when I came here that I found a great enjoyment from eating."
Fried buns and dumplings are his favorite and he eats them every month.
"I have stayed in a small city with much fewer people than in North America and visited many cities," he said. "But Shanghai made the strongest impression on me. I will never feel bored in the city because I can learn many new things here."
Tao had a special hobby ¨? he enjoys taking the Metro in his leisure time and gets off at random stations.
"I don't know where the Metro will take me. But that is the fascinating point. I learn new things wherever I get off. It's an eye-opening ride within the city," he wrote.
His admission is shared by many international students who appreciate Shanghai's diversity. Many of the contestants depicted their Expo journey, which broadened their horizon.
"Numerous cultures blend together in the city, igniting bright sparks," Cho wrote.
"More and more foreigners flood into the city to study or work. They have integrated themselves into the city culture harmoniously. I believe that they have treated the city as their second hometown just like me," she wrote.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
