A day of culture

It was a busy day. After our visit to the Lama Temple we visited Hanban. Hanban/Confucius Institute is one of the sponsors of our trip. We were able to explore interactive exhibits that gave us a better sense of Chinese culture. There was display of traditional musical instruments, paper cutting of our Chinese zodiac, information about Chinese characters, and examples of teaching materials. There were also a number of displays including a terra cotta soldier and traditional costumes.

In the afternoon we went to the Beijing Foreign Studies University and listened to a lecture from Dr. Zhou who studies comparative education. He provided an overview of the Chinese education system and drew comparisons between the Chinese and American system.

In the evening we attended a special welcoming banquet. The banquet included he 420 educators from the US who are attending the Bridge Delegation. There were also dignitaries from the provincial ministries of education and the deputy ambassador to China from the US. During the banquet we were treated to traditional Chinese dance and music performed by students. It was a great event.

Tomorrow we are traveling to the province where we have been assigned. We are going to Heijilong Province and it's capital Harbin. The province is located in the northeast corner of China. We will be visiting schools and have the opportunity to meet with Chinese principals and educators.