Ma Wancheng, principal of Beijing Haidian Minzu Primary School, said he clearly remembers President Xi Jinping's visit three years ago to the school in the capital's Haidian district. What impressed me most was the amount of attention Xi gave to traditional Chinese culture, Ma said. He had intensive exchanges with our teachers and students on the topic. Xi visited the school on the morning of May 30, 2014, two days before International Children's Day. Watching students practicing calligraphy in the classroom, Xi asked each questions such as from whom they learned calligraphy, how long they had been practicing it and whether they understood the meaning of the characters they were writing, Ma recalled. Xi also watched as students read and recited classical poems and played classical music instruments, he said. We feel President Xi has a strong love for his family and also for the country, said Li Ying, a Chinese teacher at the school. His visit gave us great encouragement to improve education in traditional culture. The public school Xi visited has nearly 2,000 students, 11 percent of whom are members of minority ethnic groups, Ma said. The school has emphasized the teaching of traditional Chinese culture for decades, Ma said. Since 2010, it has offered optional classes in subjects such as calligraphy, martial arts and tea culture appreciation, he said. The school has also emphasized the cultures of minority ethnic groups and those of other countries, so students learn to live in harmony with people of different ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, Ma said. The school holds an annual international cultural festival around New Year's Day that includes cross-cultural activities such as seminars, dramas and dance performances by Chinese students and students from the school's sister schools in countries like South Africa, he said. Xi also said he hoped students would learn to pursue beautiful things and be people of integrity and virtue when they grow up, Ma said. The president's visit is our biggest reward, said Wang Jing, vice-principal of the school. It is very important to teach students step by step, starting with the small things, so they become people of friendliness and respect. [email protected] (China Daily 10/11/2017 page3) man city wristbandswristband keychainmotivational wristbands for athleteswrist band com coupon codejordan wristband rubber24 wristbands
Guo Feng, a 39-year-old with Down syndrome, waits for a bus with his mother, Meng Fanrong. [Photo by Liang Yingfei/For China Daily] A lack of care options means many will have no support when their elderly parents die, as Xin Wen reports. Meng Fanrong once considered jumping into the Pearl River in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with her baby son in her arms because she was fearful of the future that awaited him. Meng, now 70, quickly abandoned the idea, but her concerns over the future of her son, who has Down syndrome, persist nearly 40 years later. Guo Feng, 39, is unable to speak, so he can't alert anyone if he is unwell or experiencing pain, and Meng can only discern his state of health through tiny changes in his expression. He is also unable to care for himself or perform basic tasks, and it took years to teach him basic skills, such as getting a newspaper from the newsstand or pouring water from the kettle. Down syndrome, also called trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder that results when a person is born with three, rather than two, copies of chromosome 21. The extra chromosome results in impaired mental capacity, delayed growth, flat facial features and lower immunity to a number of illnesses. The mental ability of an adult with Down syndrome is equal to that of a child age 8 or 9. More than 2 million people in China have Down syndrome, according to the China Association of Persons with Intellectual Disability and their Relatives. They have trouble communicating and controlling their emotions, and often rely on their parents for care into adulthood. As their parents age, though, the question of future care becomes an overriding concern. People with Down syndrome generally take a long time to adapt to new environments, and some never adjust to new surroundings. Helping them to adapt requires knowledge of the syndrome, familiarity with the person's habits and endless patience. As a result, many parents worry that without professional care, their children won't be able to adapt at all, and are concerned that caregivers will lose patience and mistreat their charges.
