This evening I was invited to be on the judging panel of an English competition organised by Michael at the Quzhou Second High School. The school system here is different to Australia in a number of ways. After primary school, students attend “junior middle school” for 3 years which is roughly equivalent to the first 3 years of high school in Australia.
The final exams then determine which high schools students can attend, for the next 3 years. It’s very competitive as this will also have an effect on which college or university they may qualify for at the end of high school. High schools and tertiary institutions, and the subjects that you can study there are completely determined by examination scores. For example at Quzhou Technical College we have residential students from as far away as Hangzhou and Wunzhou (over 200 kms) who did not qualify for colleges in those larger cities. Second High School has the best students in Quzhou, and both the desire and pressure to succeed is high.
There was to be 5 native English speakers on the competition judging panel and so before the event there was a banquet diner – it is China after all. The dinner was sumptuous, and extensive, with plates heaped upon each other. The two main features were crab and dog. Yes dog!
I was surprised by the very animated discussion about this dish, especially amongst the dog-owning participants. Chinese people do eat almost anything which is part of their cultural heritage, but some also find disturbing the number of animals slaughtered in western countries just to feed pets – eg. sheep, cattle and kangaroos in Australia. So, setting aside any of my own feelings/preconceptions/prejudices, I tried some of the dog stew. It was not bad, tasted a bit like very strong beef, but not something I’d be in a hurry to order myself.
The final exams then determine which high schools students can attend, for the next 3 years. It’s very competitive as this will also have an effect on which college or university they may qualify for at the end of high school. High schools and tertiary institutions, and the subjects that you can study there are completely determined by examination scores. For example at Quzhou Technical College we have residential students from as far away as Hangzhou and Wunzhou (over 200 kms) who did not qualify for colleges in those larger cities. Second High School has the best students in Quzhou, and both the desire and pressure to succeed is high.
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| Pre-competition banquet. Host Michael in the grey coat |
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| Dog stew as part of the banquet |
I was surprised by the very animated discussion about this dish, especially amongst the dog-owning participants. Chinese people do eat almost anything which is part of their cultural heritage, but some also find disturbing the number of animals slaughtered in western countries just to feed pets – eg. sheep, cattle and kangaroos in Australia. So, setting aside any of my own feelings/preconceptions/prejudices, I tried some of the dog stew. It was not bad, tasted a bit like very strong beef, but not something I’d be in a hurry to order myself.
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| Some of the prize winners with judges in the back row |
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| The packed auditorium |
My enjoyment was tempered a little however. We sat in the front row, in just the right place to receive the full benefit of the icy December wind blowing through the open side doors of the auditorium. Fresh air is seen as health-giving here, and closing windows and doors seems to be a rare occurrence.
Some 2 hours later, we headed off to a local eatery for a beer, but of course you can’t just sit and have a beer. So this became banquet round 2, although at a reduced level, and soon the eating was on again at a table covered with plates of food. I can’t keep up!
Some 2 hours later, we headed off to a local eatery for a beer, but of course you can’t just sit and have a beer. So this became banquet round 2, although at a reduced level, and soon the eating was on again at a table covered with plates of food. I can’t keep up!
