Written by Al Wong (Write to me) This is my experience in Beijing, China in the Summer of 1999. If you came to this webpage first, it's better if you start from the beginning of the story. Friday, July 2nd Class Begins, CCTV Station, Lao She Tea House Class finally begins today but was postponed until the afternoon. We visited a TV station in the morning. Today's activities include: China Central Television (CCTV) One of Cathy's former students is the daughter of one of the managers of the China Central Television station. Mr. Wang, the manager, was gracious enough to show us around the station. We saw various sound stages, control rooms and theaters. It was interesting to note CCTV actually broadcasts to nine separate channels. We were then treated to lunch at the station's cafeteria. There was a lot of food! Class Begins. I was anxious to start the Chinese class for a few days now. Our teacher, Liu lao shi, seems like a very good teacher. She asked what we wanted from the class. I said I wanted to have a lot of repetition, to improve my grammar in impromptu situations, and learn typical conversations dealing in more practical matters like bargaining (while shopping) and giving directions to taxi cab drivers. Today, we went over informal and formal introductions including introducing oneself and introducing others. We also went over how to say prices and counting money. What I liked about the teacher is that she also summarized what we learned in the class session. Lao She Tea House. Later that night, we went to the Lao She Tea House to see some classical Chinese entertainment. There was classical music, singing and acrobatics. The show's finale was a lady contortionist who was able to balance 5 candlabras on both feet, both hands and forehead! A really great act! Laundry Returns. I got my washed laundry back today which is a good thing since I was wearing my last clean shirt! So it takes two days turnaround time for the laundry service. (I was expecting to go clothes shopping well before this so I only brought a few changes of clothes. Cathy had planned to go clothes shopping a week after arrival in Beijing which I wasn't aware of. So be forwarned.) The Next Day China 1999 My Writings Al's Wild Web Page