Last week internationally renowned author Andrew Killeen wowed pupils at Yew Chung International School (YCIS) with an unforgettable workshop –

I’m not going to get away with this, am I?  You can see my name at the top of the blog. OK, it was me. So this is a report of an author visit from the author’s point of view.

Since my fiction is mostly aimed at adults I’d written a new story to share with the children: “The girl who turned her brother into a balloon.” This is the tale of Lydia Biscuit and her annoying little brother Bernard, who became so annoying that she accidentally turned him into – well, I think you get the idea. Hilarity would ensue, or so I hoped.

It’s always unnerving to reveal new material for the first time, and when your audience is a roomful of expectant 7 and 8 year old kids, the temptation to bolt for the door is strong. But I took a deep breath, and began by asking them if anyone had an annoying little brother or sister. Hands shot up everywhere. Some were even prepared to admit to being annoying little brothers and sisters. The usual complaints emerged: snitching, hair pulling, making maddening and repetitive noises…

So the subject matter was a hot issue for Year 3 (grade 4). But would they find it funny? The first time I did Bernard’s annoying little dance it was met with stunned silence. I think they were perhaps unprepared for the sight of a grownup ready to make quite such a fool of himself in public. As the story went on though, the laughter came, to my enormous relief; otherwise it would have been the longest fifteen minutes of my life.

After Bernard had been turned back into a boy and brought safely home, we talked about what makes a story, and what makes characters interesting. The children turned out to know more about narrative structure than most of the adult groups I’ve worked with, and terms like “story arc”, “crisis” and “hero’s journey” were thrown around with abandon. The Q&A brought a range of questions from the familiar (“when did you start writing?”, “where do you get your ideas from?”) to the startlingly direct (“how much do you get paid for a book?”)

After repeating the performance with four other groups, I was exhausted. (I don’t know how teachers do it all day, every day. Hats off to them.) However it was gratifying to have children tell me how much they enjoyed the story, that they’d been inspired to write their own stories, even asking for my autograph.

The acid test though came with my own children’s response. Noah gave me a typically laid-back “thumbs up”, but Joseph, a sterner critic, was unusually huggy. Was he clinging to me out of embarrassment? It turned out that he’d heard two kids on the playground talking about how cool I was.

I hugged him back. It seemed unlikely this would ever happen again. We silently agreed to make the most of it.

 Photo: Rodney Hope

At the request of the British government, Prince William-the second in line to the throne- will be making his way to the capital in early March 2015 as part of the three cities tour of Toyko, Shanghai and Beijing. His pregnant wife will not be joining him on this trip as she will be nearing the 36 weeks mark at that time, which doctors recommend that pregnant women don’t fly according to The Telegraph.

The young royal’s visit might touch on illegal wildlife trade such as ivory trade of which is his favorite cause. However, his full agenda is yet to be released. This invitation comes in the wake of the visit by Premier Li Keqiang in June, when he met the Queen at Windsor Castle.

His father, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and in line to the throne has not stepped foot in China since 1997 when a leaked diary entry strained the diplomatic relationship according to The Telegraph and it has not been getting any better since:

Such a delicate mission – in an era when the Queen no longer carries out long-haul trips – would usually be undertaken by the Prince of Wales, but a tour by Prince Charles is out of the question after his leaked diary entry describing Chinese leaders as “appalling old waxworks” during his visit to Hong Kong in 1997.

The Prince, who has not been to China since, has also angered Communist Party leaders in Beijing through his close relationship with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of the disputed territory of Tibet.

 There might be events to be held at the British Embassy therefore it’s time to get cosy with all your British friends as an invite might have a plus two.

Photo: Tsaiproject (flickr)

If you missed out on meeting National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer (HoF) Joe Montana last year then this year don’t miss out on meeting with yet another 49ers HoF as he tours the city. Who is it? None other than Jerry Rice, yes, Rice will be at the International School of Beijing on Saturday November 15, for a meet and greet with the wider Beijing community as this is a public event followed by a cocktail reception at the Kerry Hotel. Then at the Beihai University grounds on Sunday, November 16 1-8pm for the NFL China Home Field City Finals.

On Thursday November 18, Rice will be at the US Embassy Press Event for the International Education Week to talk about this university days, the struggles and the triumphs.

Then heads down to the southern city of Shanghai to be the special guest at the University Bowl VI on November 22-23.

Rice is considered on the greatest NFL players to ever play (American) football who played 20 seasons as a wide receiver with different teams. The longest stint in his career was with the 49ers and was teammates with last year’s special guest star-Montana. He will be on site having meet-and-greets with the fans and leading on-field clinics.

This is a chance to get a signed autograph with him and probably give that to one of the few sports friends for Christmas or just sell it to raise money for the Christmas gift giving fund (I have one as coming from a large family this needs to be saved over the year).

As the NFL season continues to shape up for the playoffs, Rice’s visit is aimed at making the sport more popular in China. Each season something new is added to the Home Field such as a Tour Bus that had people given the opportunity to buy authentic NFL merchandize.

Photos: Erik Daniel Frost, Anthony Quintano (flickr)

Hear ye, hear ye, beijingkids wants to kick start your new school year with a splash at the ‘Back to School Summer Pool Party’ on August 10^th from 10am till 2.30pm. Come enjoy the Westin’s exquisite indoor pool along with a Seasonal Tastes lunch buffet from noon till 2.30pm and other fun activities we’ve line up.

The ticket prices for beijingkids club members are RMB 250 for adults and children over 13 years, RMB 150 for children between the ages of 3 and 12 and RMB 50 for children under the age of 3. For non-club members the prices are; RMB 300 for adults and children over 13 years, RMB 200 for children aged between 3 and 12 and RMB 50 for children under the age of 3 years.

The ticket prices include access to the pool, a lunch buffet with one complimentary family portrait from our photo booth and loads of fun activities. Only advanced tickets will be available, therefore get in touch with us at events@beijing-kids.com or call Vicki at 5820 7700 ext 853.

This annual event also means that summer is wrapping up but that doesn’t necessary mean it has to be dull.

Advisory: The Westin Beijing Chaoyang’s pool is a lap pool, and does not have a shallow end.

Photo by Sui

A set of new visa categories were announced on Monday, with one in particular capturing our attention, the S visa. This visa will allow family members of foreign expatriates working in China to come visit for both short or long durations. Spouses, young children, parents and parents-in-law will all qualify for the visa when the regulations take effect in September. S1 visas will allow a stay of more than six months, while S2 visas will be for shorter visits but there are no details about the S2 visa applications requirements announced.

• F — For travelers who arrive for exchanges and visits (previously included business visitors).
• M — For travelers on trade and business missions.
• Q — For overseas Chinese traveling for family reunions, including Q1 and Q2.
• R — For foreign workers whose skills are urgently needed by China.
• S — For foreigners who come for family reunions, including S1 and S2.
• L — For general visitors (previously included the functions of the new S visa).

• C — For international flight crews.
• D — For permanent residents.
• G — For transit passengers.
• J — For journalists, including J1 and J2.
• X — For students, including X1 and X2.
• Z — For foreign workers.