On April 2, we joined Stars & Rain at their 9th annual charity gala dinner at the Hilton Capital Airport in recognition of World Autism Day.  beijingkids has been a friend to the organization for many years now, and the organization has also been supported by Dulwich in the past.

Stars & Rain (Xin Xin Yu) chose the “Stars” portion of its name from the nickname, “children of stars”, used by Taiwanese to call their autistic children, and the “Rain” from Rainman (1988), the highly popular American movie.  The charity runs one of the most celebrated autism rehabilitation facilities in China at their Beijing Shunyi location, housing over 300 students, but considers its primary cause parent education and public awareness. Stars & Rain also trains teachers at over 300 facilities throughout the Mainland, and now offers vocational training to autistic teens as a means to prepare them for the future.

In order to fully appreciate what Stars & Rain, founded in 1993, (and other charities with similar causes) is doing, it’s important to understand two things: 1) there is very little education on “disabilities” or “disorders” in China,  so the majority of people don’t understand what autism is; and 2) the number of autistic children is growing, and will continue to grow as the new two-child policy was put in place (and children of a disabled child are now allowed to have a third child as a “replacement”).

First, let’s look at the statistics of the prevalence of autism in China:

• Approximately 1 percent of the Chinese population is autistic
• Or 10 million, of which about 2 million are children under 14 years of age (China Education Association)
• 1.1 in every 1,000 children under the age of 6 are autistic, totaling an estimated 111,000
• 77,000 children registered in rehabilitation centers nationwide
• 36,000 autistic children receive rehabilitation aid according to China’s Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF)
• RMB 432 million government investment in the rehabilitation for autistic children
• CDPF expects to establish a public medical aid system as the government prepares to invest more in the education and rehabilitation of autistic children

In February 2016, the Ministry of Education passed new policies pushing for the inclusion of disabled students in public education, where previously parents could only rely on private training centers and boarding schools (which tend to be more clinical, not to mention pricey).  This is in line with the United Nations 2016 goal of “Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity”, with the emphasis on “mainstreaming disability” to ensure equal rights. The Beijing government has invested a substantial amount of money, offering grants of about 500,000, to over 200 schools to build special education resource classrooms, hire or train special education teachers, and train all their staff on how to accommodate students with autism.

However, inclusion hits a wall when it tries to hire trained special education teachers, for special education programs and departments are lacking in the middle kingdom. Even when such programs exist–the College of Special Education at Beijing Union University, the first of its kind in China, has been around since the year 2000–the profession is not popular.  Teaching is already considered a thankless profession, but to navigate through the challenges of special needs students and individual education plans (IEPs) appears too much for most budding teachers.

The social stigma associated with autism is strong in China where the idea of honor, “face”, and shame are paramount to their communal existence.  Parents of autistic children are often blamed for their child’s state, and will abandon or hide their child at home to avoid the public shame of having committed a sin (karma) or made a mistake during their pregnancy (a common belief).  Educating parents on recognizing autism, what it is, and how to deal with it is Stars & Rain’s foremost concern. With such a social stigma, it’s not hard to see why Stars & Rain is also very concerned with public awareness—after all, one can build special education schools and classrooms, provide aid and scholarships, but if the parents won’t accept help out of fear of humiliation, then the children still cannot be helped.

For more information on Stars & Rain, visit their website. If you’d like to learn more about how Stars & Rain was founded, watch the Jet Li movie, Ocean Heaven (2010), which is loosely based on the lives of the founder, Tian Huiping, and her son Yang Tao, but from a father’s perspective (Jet Li).

Resources
10 Years of Progress: What We’ve Learned About Autism
10 Things People with Autism Want You to Know
Sesame Street Resources
Children of the Stars (2007) – Documentary featuring Stars & Rain

Sources: Sen Magazine, Autism Speaks, Cortical Chauvinism, China Daily, Sina.com, Echinacities.com

Photo: Courtesy of Emma Xu

As we step into summer with temperatures soaring, head to the Beijing Riviera wine tasting evening to relax on the compound’s newly-opened terrace. Soon, summer will also bring football with the World Cup; in Shunyi, The Garage will be screening the games. If you’re still looking for summer camps, consider Flips & Kicks Plus at Daystar.

Beijing Riviera Wine Tasting Evening
On June 7 from 6-8pm, Beijing Riviera will host another of wine tasting evening led by sommeliers from 1941. Attendees will taste wines from 1941’s own vineyard in Beijing and a selection of imported French wines. There will be a sampling and discussion of five to eight reds and whites. The event will take place in the newly-refurbished and extended bar. Beijing Riviera For more information, call 8450 6888 or email brcc@bjriviera.com.

Flips & Kicks 2014 Summer Camp
This year’s Flips & Kicks Plus summer camp features a medley of gymnastics and other sports. On each day of the camp, one session will be dedicated to gymnastics training. For the rest of the time, the kids will have the chance to try a variety of other sports, including fencing, dance, karate, and ball sports. The camp’s location this summer is Daystar Academy.

Prices per block:

• RMB 1,800 half day (9am-noon)
• RMB 3,400 both blocks
• RMB 2,800 full day (9am-2.30pm)
• RMB 5,400 both blocks

Dates:

• Block 1: June 30-July 4
• Block 2: July 7-July 11

Call Kai at 158 1068 6744 to book a spot. For more info, visit
www.flipsandkicksplus.com.

2014 World Cup
Make sure you don’t miss out on all the action from this year’s World Cup in Brazil. Head over to The Garage Bar and Grill between June 13 and July 12. Whilst you’re there, enjoy a cool beer and something good to eat, with a great choice of burgers, steaks, ribs and chicken.

Jenny Wang Extension
Jenny Wang at Pinnacle Plaza has extended its floor space with a new butcher and deli section. This expansion means they can offer a larger range of fresh meats, including imported Australian beef, local meats, a variety of sausages, more cold cuts, and cheese.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Anywhere from last Thursday evening through the weekend, Americans and non-Americans alike celebrated a traditional Thanksgiving holiday with a big meal. Some made their own feast at home and others went out to a variety of restaurants with holiday menus. It’s a special holiday for Americans, full of history and with warm feelings of family, friends, and giving thanks, so it’s great to be able to mark the occasion no matter where we happen to live.

But sometimes, the best laid plans don’t quite pan out…

This year my family decided to dine in, ordering from a local restaurant to be delivered at 6:30pm. But 6:30 came and went. Then 6:45. My girls were getting hungry and cranky, and finally by 7pm I called to inquire. “You mean it hasn’t been delivered yet?” was the response, followed by a prompt apology and promise to have dinners delivered shortly. Around 30 minutes later, the delivery man came to our house and I watched him take out four dinners of food sideways. All of our meals were a mushed mess, there was no dressing for our salad, and we all had the wrong pie. It was a disappointing finish to our “traditional” evening.

However!

My girls and I tried again over the weekend, this time going to the 360° Restaurant at Hilton Capital Airport, where they have weekend brunch buffets — this one with a special Thanksgiving display of goodies.

It’s hard not to be impressed with the incredible assortment of food stations – from fresh seafood, to a noodle bar, with salads, fruits, bread/cheeses and an incredible dessert section, plus so much more! You can go up as many times as your stomach can handle and never tire of the selection and taste. For traditional Thanksgiving fare, there was roasted turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and many pumpkin flavored dishes.

The staff is incredibly attentive and you never wait for drinks, a clean plate or anything. While you can sit around literally for hours enjoying the food, you don’t ever feel rushed or crowded in the vast dining space. Kids can enjoy the wonderful play room down the hall (supervised) – young ones might like the ball pit or giant building blocks; older kids can play Wii or spin around on the rotating tree swing.

The thing is, 360° is NEARBY. It’s a great weekend brunch location, close enough to enjoy without having to head to the city. We sometimes forget airport location options for dining, but this was a sweet reminder that there are real possibilities in that area.

Prices for the Sunday buffet brunch: with juice or soft drinks, RMB 298; with wine, beer or soft drinks, RMB 338; and with free flowing champagne, RMB 368. Kids 6-12 cost RMB 149 and children 5 and under are free.

Holiday or not, 360° is very much worth the visit, and you’ll likely be back again and again. It certainly more than made up for our disappointing Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, something we Americans are quite grateful for!

Note: 360° will feature Christmas Festive Brunches on Sunday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 25 from 11:30am-3pm. Traditional Christmas specials include turkey, roasted honey glazed ham, Christmas pudding flamed with brandy, mince pies and more. Prices for the holiday buffet are slightly higher: RMB 338 with juice and soft drinks; RMB 398 with free flowing beer, wine and champagne. Call 6458 8888 ext. 8001 for reservations.

Photos provided by Hilton Capital Airport.