bjkid's blog

• Read more

China values education, and this starts at a very young age. Recently, a lot of kindergartens have been exposed as 'inadequate'. According to China Daily, the government has admitted that young education is 'the weakest part of our country's education,.'

The perceived lack of good schools coupled with parent's desire to give their children the best learning experience possible has created a scenario where schools squeeze parents with 'enrollment' and 'sponsorship' fees, and parents willingly pad their pockets in an attempt to guarantee admission. No one will call it bribery, but no one will call it fair either.

• Read more

• Read more

• Read more

Photography, I feel, is one of the most interesting forms of media used in the artistic realm. Jim Pojman, a dedicated technology teacher at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) is a talented photographer. He recently undertook a new project where his aim was to photograph a large body of students and teachers from WAB in the same lighting, with the same background, with the same pose. He wanted his subjects to “look like a student” or to “look like a teacher”. Not posing them in any particular way ensures the photos are authentic to the highest extent. Inspired by a French photographer named JR, the final products, as you can see, are stunning.

• Read more

The beijinger's fashion editor Tiffany Wang recently learned that Brand Nü, Beijing's first charity store, needs the support of the Beijing community if it wants to stay open:

Beijing’s first charity store is presently at dire risk of losing its space.

Chances are, if you ever visit Wudaoying Hutong, you've popped by Brand Nü (Brand 女) before. The do-good shop – where you can donate old clothes, books and trinkets, and pick up accessories of like kind – first opened two years ago, just in time to help cultivate the area into what it is today.

• Read more

Guess what parents? A recent study has shown that being a parent is bad for your health! No, the study was not conducted by the Research Academy of the Obvious, it was conducted by the University of Minnesota - it's just that they proved the obvious. 838 women and 682 men from different socioeconomic and ethnic background were looked at and a correlation between being a parent and various negative health effects was found - especially for young mothers.

• Read more

In Mandarin, instead of saying 'humph', you say heng（哼) when exasperated. If you want to say 'hey look', as in 'hey look, here's your jacket', you say nuo (喏) .

It's interesting to think that there are Chinese characters for even the most inane vocal expressions; somebody had to figure out a way to visually represent even things like the sound you make when you spit (pei 呸). Check out this list of interesting Chinese particles to learn more of the huffs, guffs, sighs and cries of Mandarin. Use 'em properly in speech, and people might have to take a second look to make sure you're not a local.

• Read more

Commuting in this city is tough; too many people and not enough space. I like to zone out, put the headphones in and lean up against the side of the subway car. But instead of listening to music, I prefer to listen to podcasts. In fact, I've concluded that podcasts may be the single greatest thing that the internet has made possible - and an under-appreciated one at that.

The following is a list of some essential free podcasts. If you have any you'd like to share, please feel free. One more thing: podcasts are not only for adults, teens can really get into these in small, smart doses.

• Read more

A post two weeks ago by Jerry Chan brought to light a very funny meme that's hit the net: Tiger Mom. She's successful, demanding, overbearing and ruthless. She's in the suburbs of America and your kids are no match for hers! Soon, every piano maestro on earth will be Asian! Tiger Mom is the new imperial threat!

In all seriousness, I love how jokes can put things in perspective, and the following (after the break) are no exception:

• Read more