Via Fusion View, I read about One Inch Punch's new site called Visible Chinese - A Guide to Achievers in UK's Chinese Culture.
Visible Chinese aims to become an Authoritative Independent Listing of Achievers within the UK's Chinese Culture with the following mission statement:1. To Be Comprehensive
Through all walks of life and subjects2. To Operate with Integrity
3. To Provide Recognition
Candidates are carefully screened and selected
Profiles will inform, celebrate and inspire
See Photo Gallery: Hong Kong City Life (although I do not appreciate the link name on the first slide there).
Cool idea, and well done to Michel Chen for his invention and it pocketed him a cool £5000 cash plus £1000 towards his former university in the James Dyson international design awards. It's a cycling jacket that changes colour when you slow down, or when you turn left or right, and of course, when you are stopping.
Found this via BBC video of his interview: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7345902.stm
Beeb article on it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7340000/7340963.stm
He's been picked up by many sites, including Gizmodo.
I just so happen to flick to BBC Four tonight and caught a documentary on Chinese School. It follows the days of several pupils from primary to secondary school, showing the different pressures Chinese school kids have, and this was produced in 2007. So it's quite recent.
I noticed that the children are so straight to the point, for example, in the primary school shown, kids are made aware of how to treat your own possessions properly, the example of using class monitors to go around checking the item of the teacher want to make an point of, a pencil eraser. One boy was pointed out and voted to have the worst eraser and was shown as an example of a story of a tattered jumper that it's important to respect one's own things like respecting people. The humiliated pupil went around apolagising to the rest of the class and hooked the little finger hook with each of the students (like a shake on that gesture), and the class forgave him in unison. Although he was crying from being pointed out that he should look after his personal items properly, being a kid, it was forgotten very soon afterwards in their outdoor activities.
The pressures of secondary school kids looked pretty intensive, they even have medical checks on final year students, yes, a full medical! It's to make sure they can hack it through the tough study and exams and ensuring clean bill of health means you can get into university level). That just hits home as I watch all these kids, with books piled high, and how there study hour is reciting outloud in the same room, that will drive me absolutely bonkers, but that's how they study. And they get up at 5:45am, do morning exercises before brekkie at 7am. I noted that most of these students are staying in dorms or boarding schools. Even young kids at 6/7 years in that primary school learn to take care of themselves, no dishwashers, washing machines and parents to pick up things for them there. >-<
I have said this in many a posts already, we have it so easy over here!
More info:
- Structure of Chinese education
- Structure of Hong Kong education system
Came across this via http://drawn.ca/2008/03/27/chinese-painting/ with their linkie to the video, see below:
Vote here:
To me, "Manga" in Chinese is Manhua (ok, in Cantonese, or maybe it's the same pinyin for Mandarin!). And there is an exhibition held in London right now! I found out via this interesting article from the Beeb.
Location: London College of Communication, Elephant & Castle
And it's called Manhua! China Comics Now. If you are in London, the exhibition ends on April 11th.
Further details:
I meant to post about this on Saturday... An Post released a stamp to commemorate cultural diversity. While I was checking out the stamps, I also found that An Post released stamps for the Year of the Rat.
Came across this story that is very touching about the love of a husband who carved 6,000 steps for his wife in the mountain. Check the article out, contains photos as well: Chinese Man Shows World What Real Love is by Carving 6,000 Steps Up a Mountain for Wife (From Asian Offbeat)
Wow, he is 102 and still carries on what he does. Check the video, very inspiring: Helping China learn to read (From the Gaurdian)
