Recruiting for Dixie

International Students at Dixie State College
Students from GAC School in Jinan, Shandong, China

A thank you note from the director of GAC Program -

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Davis,

As the director of studies from Shanda GAC Center, I would like to thank you very much for what you have done today, giving the presentation to our students about American studies and scholarship application.

Going to the USA to study is a cherished dream for a lot of Chinese students and it is especially so for our students. As you maybe are aware, we have a lot of talent students here with their families fully supportive both financially and mentally. With your guidance, their aim would be clearer about what American college education might offer and what they would expect.

The program we run is called GAC program. The program is recognized by hundreds of American universities and it is delivered worldwide. In it, students are taught different modules, which closely resemble what they will meet in their first year American study (such as Maths, Science, IT, Business, Communication Skills, Study Skills etc).

I would like to extend my warmest welcome to both of you to come to our school any time as guest speakers about overseas study or about subjects.

Regards.

Yuliang Xu
Director of Studies
Shanda GAC Center
13853136033

Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China

Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China was a fascinating figure. There are a lot of books written about him because of his influence on Chinese culture. There are several sources below if you are interested.

Wikipedia - has a concise report of this special emperor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang

From the "Travel China Guide", it has some interesting, short description of this emperor.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/qin_shihuang_1.htm
Q/A
How did Qin Shi Huang become the first emperor of China?
Did he build the Great Wall of China?

Xi'an Trip

We decided to take a trip to Xi'an during the National Holidays. For those who are interested in Chinese history and geography, here is some information about Xi'an from Wikipedia. The url is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi%27an for more information on history. Following the info are some great pictures of our trip. Please take a look and give us some feed back. Thanks!

Elwin and Shirley's trip to Xi'an
Day 1, Monday, September 29, 2008

We flew to Xi'an Monday morning to spend the National holidays there. Traveling with us were two lovely ladies from BYU - Idaho. They are in Jinan teaching English and learning Chinese.

We took an airbus from Xi'an airport to Xi'an which was about 30 miles away. After checking into the Gausu Shengzhou Hotel on the east side we proceeded to go to downtown Xi'an. Many people got there before we did. The place was very packed. We visited the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the busy souvenir market where the stalls kept on going for miles.

We then went to the Great Goose Pagoda to see the water dance. We met 2 young ladies who were graduate students at one of the universities there. They took us to where the water dance was supposed to take place. It was beautiful, but the most amazing thing was the photographers taking pictures of people standing in between the water sprays. Some had umbrellas so they wouldn't get wet. The photographers were very aggressvie. At one point, we were pushed off the step where we were standing so their customers could come through. Nevertheless, we had a good time.

Please enjoy the slide show below.
Xi'an Day 1 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/shidavis/sets/72157607721849112/
or the slideshow below

Day 2, Tuesday, September 30, 2008

We visited the famous Terra Cotta Warriers. It was indeed an amazing sight. We could not believe we were looking with our naked eyes at these clay soldiers made during 250 BC era. It was worth the trouble of making the trip there. We also visited the mausoleum, the empress' palaces, Banpo Neolithic Village, Lishan Mountain where President Chiang Kai Shek went to meet the communist party officials to work out a truce to fight the Japanese. We were gone for 12 hours. It was exhausting, but lots of fun.

See slide show below.

Day 3 - Wednesday, October 1 - National Day of PRC

We met with Wyatt, who is living in Xi'an to do an internship, and visited several sites. We got on the bus and just went from place to place and saw a lot of places where the locals go. We walked almost all day. We were so tired, but had so much fun too.

Day 4 - October 2, 2008, last day of our stay in Xi'an

We visited the East Gate which was across from our hotel. It was fun browsing and visiting with the locals. The most interesting thing was the road show where people gathered around to listen to the opera singers. We heard the opera singing from a distance and when we got close we saw a man singing Peking opera (female voice). It was very interesting.

See slide show below.

Celebrating National Anniversary of P.R. China on Saturday, September 28

On the Occasion of the 59th Anniversary of the Founding of P. R. China

The Government of Shandong Province

requests the honor of your presence
at a reception in the Grand Banquet Hall on the 6th floor of
Sofitel Silver Plaze
at 18:00 on Spetember 28th, 2008
Dress: formal
Table No: 1

This was the invitation for Elwin and Shirley to attend the celebration. It was a grand event. Shirley sat at the head table with the Lieutenant Governor 才, Deputy Commissioner Du Xi Fu, Korean Consulate General Kim Sun Heung, Director General, Foreign Affairs Office, Zhang Weiling, Represenant permanent de la Region Bretagne dans le Shandong (French Representative) Cyril Rouault, and so on...It was the biggest round table we've ever seen. Everything was grand, and beautiful. See pictures below.

Korean Consulate General Kim Sun Heung

Director General, Foreign Affairs Office, Zhang Weiling
Mrs. 萄原霏 of Japan

Shirley & Elwin @ the celebration dinner

Shirley & Deputy Commissioner Du Xi Fu

The food was incredible. There seemed to be a waitress for every couple of people. The Chinese sure knew how to throw a big party. It was enjoyed by all.

More on Movie stars...

From the last post you probably saw Elwin doing a commercial for CCTV on Shandong agricultural products, specifically, young soy beans, or what we call edamame. The kind one can buy at Costco frozen food department. It'll air when CCTV finds a suitable slot for it. Ms. Wu promised she would call us when she finds out from CCTV the time slot.

After the commercial, the people came to pick up the 2 wives and took us all out to dinner. They took us to a Brazilian Restaurant, called "C Sohoh Business Hotel Jinan". It was a very nice restaurant with foods that are even eye-openers to Elwin and me. Look...It's shrimp looking at you!

Octopi

mushroom w/ vegetables

fish balls

What is it? Look like an urchin, but it's a fruit.

He's safe...it's a lechie fruit

crabs, I'm dead!

any kind of meat or fruit can be put on the skewer and barbecued

That's what it said: cow's face, we didn't look at it for fear of being stared back at.
Mr. Xiao, the Agricultural Engineer having an engineer=to=engineer talk with Elwin.

Waiting for our freshmen to show up…after their month long mandatory military training

All the freshmen going to colleges and universities go through a one-month boot camp before starting classes. All our freshmen won’t start school until after the National Holiday in October. But, we see them on campus with their uniforms marching and doing physical skills training. Boys and girls are all required to serve the one-month camp.


According to USA Today:

Chinese kids undergo required military training
Updated 9/4/2007 10:48 PM
By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY

College students began getting mandatory military training in the mid-1980s. State-run boot camps for teens and preteens started in the 1990s and spread nationally after a 2001 government directive. Further expansion followed a new regulation this March.

Youngsters are expected to show up for camp before their first year of middle school at age 12 or 13; before high school at 15 or 16; and before college at 18 or 19. Parents pay up to $50 to cover the cost of uniforms, food and lodging.

The expansion of the program comes as China tries to address concerns by the United States and others about its military buildup and lack of transparency in defense spending. Beijing tacitly acknowledged those concerns over the weekend by agreeing to submit basic information about the size of its military budget and weapons purchases to the United Nations for the first time in more than a decade.

The boot camps are less about militarizing China's youth than trying to bolster teamwork and offer the "rare experience of collective life (that) will help prevent these children from being too selfish and conceited as their parents spoil them," says child psychologist Liu Zhe of the Beijing Institute of Medical Psychology. Life at a PLA boot camp "resembles Boy Scout training in Western countries," ...

… more on the same article

China's current generation of youngsters is known as the "little emperors." The government's one-child limit for most couples means millions of kids have six adults — their parents and two sets of grandparents — doting on them.
At Liheng's camp, the emphasis was on discipline, self-reliance and respect for others. "Cast aside your spoiled life and pack a strong will in your bag," went a song sung by campers.

Du Chunmei, Liheng's (a 13-year old middle school student attending the camp) mother, says military training shows "little emperors" how cushy their lives are. China's young "are lazy and not respectful to elders," she says. Du says her son returned from camp a changed boy. "He's much more obedient and less fussy about eating. He makes his bed ... much better than before, because in the training they're taught to fold their blankets 'as sharp as a block of bean curd.' "

Not all parents share Du's enthusiasm for boot camp. A Shandong provincial newspaper reported last week that tearful parents climbed the walls of a camp in the city of Dongying to bring drinks and sunscreen to their children.

What do you think?

Rubbing Shoulders with Movie Stars…

Yes, Elwin was invited to do a commercial for the Shandong Province Tree Seedling Breeding Center. A Ms. Wu called to see if I could help her find some Americans to do a commercial. So, I volunteered Elwin…I think inside of him, he wanted to be a movie star (just kidding). So, arrangements were made, and he and a fellow upstairs were picked up to go outside of Jinan to do some shooting (movie). Ms. Wu brought us a gift when she, her boss and the driver came to pick up the guys. It was a beautiful box. Upon close investigation, I discovered that they were sea urchins. Yes, a very expensive, special delicacy. Anyone interested? It’s free for the asking…

More pictures coming later!

Shandong Province Tree Seedling Breeding Center is a public institution directly under the Forestry Bureau of Shandong Province. 主要承担林木种苗繁育、现代化育苗新技术的示范和推广及新品种的引进、开发与繁育。 The main tree seedlings to bear breeding, modern breeding and demonstration of new technologies and to promote the introduction of new varieties, development and breeding.
Some more information in Chinese for those who would like to know more.
中心总部位于济南市文化东路42号山东省林业局院内，下设五个基地（官庄基地、郭店基地、南京基地、黄河林场黄金梨基地和枣园基地）和山东鸿林园艺有限公司，基地总面积7800亩,同时在济南市北园大街京林鲜花市场设有1300平方米的花卉交易大厅。 Center,