Hello Okatie 5th Grade!

August 19, 2008 in Bing in Beijing by Melissa | 2 comments

Hello Okatie Elementary - from Beijing, China!

I’ve received some comments and emails from Okatie Elementary School in South Carolina. Hello low country!

I want to share with the fifth grade class some of the things that I’ve learned about China since being here. Now, this is information that I’ve been told from locals or that I deduced for myself during this trip – so your first homework assignment after reading this post might be to check my facts for accuracy!

Here we go:

  • China is located in the Eastern hemisphere and is about the same geographic size as the United States.
  • China is in a different time zone than Okatie – the time in China is 12 hours ahead of the East Coast of the USA. So, when it’s Noon in South Carolina, the time is midnight in Beijing.
  • China has 1.5 billion people and is the most heavily populated country in the world. About 20% of the world’s population lives in China.
  • If you lived in China, you probably wouldn’t have any brothers or sisters. China has so many people that its government tries to limit the population growth. They do this by restricting parents to having one child per family. There are some exceptions, though. For example, if you live on a farm then you are able to have up to 3 kids – but only if the first two children are girls.
    English Alphabet

    English Alphabet

    Chinese Characters

    Chinese Characters

  • Mandarin Chinese is the official language in Beijing. Instead of using an alphabet like we use, the Chinese writing system is made up of characters. Each character corresponds to one spoken syllable. A majority of words are poly-syllabic, meaning that they are made up of more than one syllable, so they require two or more characters to write. For example, the Chinese equivalent of “hello” contains two syllables and takes two characters to write: 你好
  • To be able to read a newspaper, you need to know about 4,000 Chinese characters.
  • Kids attend public school for free until they are about 13 years old. Then, they find work or pay to go to a private school. When Chinese kids are old enough for college, they take an entrance exam that determines where they go to school and what they will study. In most cases, the Chinese don’t get to choose what they study in college – the government assigns them an area of study based on their test scores and strengths.
My first Chinese meal in China... I can't remember, but I think it's chicken. It also had mushrooms in it and broccoli.

My first Chinese meal in China... I can't remember, but I think it's chicken. It also had mushrooms in it and broccoli.

  • Chinese food typically consists of a meat or fish, vegetables and rice. Each person at the table has their own bowl of rice and the rest of the meal is served “family style” – that is, in platters or plates that are shared by everyone at the table. Each person eats directly off the platter using chopsticks. The rice is eaten last, in case you’re still hungry after the meat and vegetables are gone. Or, you can hold the bowl under your chin to catch anything you might drop from the chopsticks.
  • They do have McDonald’s in China! McDonald’s and KFC are both very popular. The menus are similar to what we have in the United States, but there are some differences. For example, McDonald’s sells corn as a side item and chicken wings instead of chicken nuggets.
  • China has a very, very long history. There are records of Chinese civilization from the year 2070 BCE. Periods of Chinese history are often described by dynasty or emperor. A dynasty is an era of time that was ruled by people in the same family. Dynasties were ruled by emperors.
  • The Chinese are credited with many inventions. The “Four Great Inventions of China” are paper, the compass, gunpowder and printing. Other Chinese inventions include coffins, bells, rowing oars, silk, bristle toothbrushes, football, fractions, fireworks, kites, playing cards, toilet paper, chopsticks and, ironically, the fork.
  • The Chinese culture and language are very contextual – meaning that there is lots of symbolism. The Chinese people associate animals and parts of nature with good and bad luck, and it’s common to see statues outside of buildings to help protect the businesses and the people inside. The number 4 is rarely used because it is pronounced similarly to the word for “death.” My apartment in Beijing is on floor 3A, which is actually the fourth floor but it would be unlucky to say so.

  • There is so much to learn about China and the Chinese culture – I am learning every day that I am here! If you have questions, leave a comment or send me an email. I will do my best to answer your questions.

    Have a great school year!

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    2 comments

    1. John Kimbler on August 19, 2008 at 4:25 pm

      Melissa,
      That was very nice of you to take the time to write the kids.
      Now get back out there and walk past superstars and millionaires. Maybe you can make up a sign that says” I don’t know who you are but may I have your autograph?” :)

    2. Aunt Monica on August 20, 2008 at 2:34 am

      How very sweet of you!

      Did you tell the kids about your famous aunt and uncle who live near Okatie’???
      Seriously, we are only about an hour from there! —

      “It’s a small world afterall….” !!!

      Monica

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