18 | Friday, September 11, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Recent trip to Qingdao filled with beer, buddies and beauty
As a person who loves to travel been put under control in China, research, I discovered that Qingdao dinner together. The next day, they at first, as the crowd was very large, the stunning beauty of the environ from country to country, the COV and since leaving China is illad was a popular seaside destination, picked me up at my hotel and took and because my Chinese isn’t very ment around Laoshan was the best ID19 pandemic has been heart vised due to the difficulties I would so I decided to check it out. me to the Qingdao Beer Museum, good, I didn’t know exactly what to part of my visit there. breaking. face trying to get back in, I figured, I booked a threeday stay at the where I learned a lot about the his do at first. With advice from my new Three days is not a long time, but I had planned var why not take the time to see more of Jinjiang Metropolo Hotel near tory of what is arguably the most friends and some ingenuity, I fig I certainly enjoyed the time I had in ious trips abroad this China? Qingdao University and contacted popular beer in China. The highlight ured out what to do and decided to Qingdao. The food was very good, year that have all I’ve already written about my one of my colleagues who is based of that visit was that I got a few beer get a ticket for the shuttle bus that especially the seafood (which been ruined by the lovely trip to Tianjin back in June. I there to see if I could meet with her. bottles with my face on the labels! would take me from the ticket cen shouldn’t be surprising for a coastal villainous virus. I’m have since taken a second domestic This turned out to be a great deci They took me to lunch, and then ter to the Taiqing Temple. town), the beer museum and Laos hoping next year, trip, this time to Qingdao, Shandong sion, as she really went the extra we did a bit of sightseeing. It was What a ride! The views from the han were great, but the best part Jamal with the impending province. mile to help make my stay enjoya during this time that I saw the sea bus were absolutely breathtaking, was the companionship. Branford release of a vaccine, My cousin gave me the idea. Dur ble. and just how beautiful the city is. with the mountains on one side of I’m very thankful to my col Second that things may ing a video call a few weeks ago, he When I arrived by highspeed The beaches we saw were not me and the sea on the other. I don’t leagues there who befriended me Thoughts improve a bit, at asked me if I had been to the beach train at Qingdao North Station, I sparsely crowded; indeed, there know why, but there’s something and showed me a great time. I will least in Asia. in China. Admittedly, I had not. I discovered that she had sent a were plenty of people out on the about the combination of moun certainly be back! In the meantime, I’ve chosen to had not even seen the sea since I friend to pick me up. He brought me sand and in the water. tains and sea that give me a great turn this oppressive period into arrived here last year. to a restaurant, and once she arrived On my last day, I traveled alone to sense of peace. The temple grounds Contact the writer at opportunity. Since the virus has After doing some internet with another colleague, we all had Laoshan. It was a bit chaotic for me were lovely, and I enjoyed them, but [email protected] Candid camera: Numbers game Village teacher helps children achieve their sporting dreams
CHANGSHA — “Lower your body into a squat, place your hands on the floor, put your feet Rural children are back in a plank position and jump forward ...” more energetic and In the playground of Baisha Cen they enjoy running tral Primary School in Central Chi na’s Hunan province, 63yearold and jumping ... they Tang Wenhan repeats a set of high are really passionate intensity exercises to more than 40 pupils. about sports and can Tang, who retired two years ago, face much had taught physical education for 34 years in primary and middle adversity.” schools in rural areas. Tang Wenhan, retired Apart from teaching, Tang is physical education teacher also a wellknown local “talent scout” who seeks out and trains many young athletes in Hunan’s school,” says Tang. “I understand Xinning county of Shaoyang city. that the training conditions I can For more than 30 years, youth provide are not sufficient to train talents — including athletes with children to become professional disabilities — picked up by Tang athletes,” he adds. have won championships in pro For more than 30 years, Tang vincial, national, Asian, and even has been sending an average of global competitions. four or five students to the city Tang is also recognized as a each year for vocational training. “world champion’s first teacher” “Our rural children have been for initiating village children into helping their families with farm the world of sports. work from a young age, so they are Beads of sweat slide down Tang’s very diligent.” dark, firm skin. He wipes the sweat Tang also notes that some “left from his cheek and talks about his behind” children in rural areas Students at the Hequan primary school in Hengdong county, Hengyang, Hunan province, play during a Online postretirement arrangements. have nowhere to go after school. break between classes on Wednesday. The village school of 52 years used to have just one teacher for Scan the QR code for For him, being retired does not “They can come to me for exercise more than 10 students. However, a new teacher arrived on Sept 3. ZHAO ZHONGZHI / XINHUA subscription or to get a mean the end, but rather allows at no cost.” copy of today’s paper. him more time to help rural chil He also helps disabled children dren achieve their sporting to play sports. “They are as pas dreams. sionate about sports as all of us,” Tang’s training venue for the Tang says enthusiastically. “Being children is in his former home, in a disabled does not mean they can’t room measuring less than 30 achieve their dreams; instead they Tianjin signs Italian Style Town deal square meters. Wooden rafters can enjoy a full life, in spite of their and chipped walls show the disability.” house’s age, and the rings and He added that for some people By YANG CHENG in Tianjin a quality villa area for leading per hemp rope hanging from the ceil with disabilities, sports can bright [email protected] sonnel in China, including more ing have also helped many athletes en their lives. than 10 renowned waterresource to develop their skills. Tang’s students have gone on to The administrative committee of experts in China, the country’s top “Get in line!” Tang asks his stu become athletes in judo, weight the Italian Style Town, an area, as reformer and educator Liang dents to line up for their warmup. lifting, gymnastics, track and field, the name suggests, with more Qichao (18731929), leading dram “Rural children are more energetic table tennis, badminton and other than 100 Italianstyle villas built atist Cao Yu (19101996) and atom and they enjoy running and jump disciplines after enrolling at spe in the early 1990s in the North ic scientists, just to name a few. ing. Sometimes it is difficult to cial academies. China city of Tianjin, recently Liang wrote a book recording control them,” he comments. They have won many champion inked an agreement with the the three outstanding founders of “However, they are really passion ships at different levels, but have urban planning consultant Italy, during his study tour in Italy ate about sports and can face yet to win an Olympic gold medal. authority from the Campania in the early 1900s while he indi much adversity.” “Seeing my students win the region in Italy, to renovate the his cated that his thought was deeply Tang often visits kindergartens Olympic gold medal is my fondest torical town. influenced by Italian thinker and elementary schools in the wish and my lifetime goal,” says Some urban renovation oppor Camillo Benso Conte Cavour. county to find more sportsloving Tang. “Having the kids train so tunities in the city also lured One of Cao’s dramas, Yuanye, or and talented children. hard, I think it is only a matter of interest from other Italian The Wilderness, was broadcast at He asks the children to learn the time.” experts. the 38th Venice International standing long jump and the sprint. Tang’s former student He Hong Alessandro Panchi, secretary Film Festival in 1981, and was “This way, their energy, jumping mei progressed to become world general of the Roma Architect honored as outstanding film by ability and physical coordination judo champion, and says she plans Organization, expressed that the the Italian Film Art Association. can be evaluated.” to open a judo gym in Xinning organization is home to 1,800 Ital Chinese novel collection, Liaoz Once talented prospects are county to help train more children. ian architects, who are also will hai Zhiyi, Strange Stories From a identified, Tang then contacts their “For so many years, Tang has ing to join hands with the city’s Chinese Studio, with 99 short parents. been engaged in sports teaching in urban planning renovation. bizarre stories, was translated by “If the parents allow their chil village. Now, I want to be like my Franco Amadei, Italian cultural Ludovico Nicola di Giura, an Ital dren to participate in training, I teacher and contribute to Chinese counselor, says: “Italy, with its ian doctor living in the area and will help them exercise in their sport,” He says. strong reputation in design and was published by a Milan publish spare time and recommend them art, has a rich history in urban er in 1926. to coaches at the urban sports XINHUA planning and urban design with The ties between Tianjin and Tianjin. This year marks the 50th Italy even strengthened recently, anniversary of the establishment the history expert Wang says. of diplomatic relations between The Marco Polo Square and six China and Italy, and the pandemic villas which were named after six has not hampered the cooperation goddesses are landmarks in the between the two countries.” area. During the seventh Tianjin The center of the square has a Design Week in June, many Ital fountain with a statue of a god ian designers sent video messa dess representing peace. ges, expressing their hope to come In 2003, the Tianjin govern to Tianjin after the pandemic as Top: Tourists enjoy the moment by a beautifully decorated wall at ment renovated the area and soon as possible. the Italian Style Town in Tianjin in May. TONG YU / CHINA NEWS SERVICE rebuilt the fountain. Echoing him, Wang Zhenliang, Above: The town’s historic architecture draws visitors and it is a “In the near future, more reno a renowned history expert in popular meeting place. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY vation recalling the history will be Tianjin and a professor with Tian undertaken,” says Li Yunfei, jin Normal University, says he is founder of the Tianjin Design now writing a book highlighting the Italian Style Town. the urban planning and construc Week, who has his permanent the coastal city’s connections with Wang says that “in 1902, the tion for the area. In 1914, the first office located in the area and also Italy and some impressive stories area with 514,000 square meters modern tarmac road was built by the chief architect of a design com Students practice judo at a sports school in Zhangjiajie, Hunan from local celebrities, politicians became the Italian concession Italy’’. pany which is engaged in the reno province, in May. Most of the students are from rural areas and and artists, which happened in and some Italian officials joined The area has since then become vation of the area. they train after regular class hours. XUE YUGE / XINHUA