Forums > Living in Kunming > Gao Kao Weekend Gao Kao results are out today. Some are happy while most others are disappointed. 12 years of schooling summed up in one exam. Very few will retake the Gao Kao (less than 1%) to improve their score. Most will helplessly accept their score and base their entire future on this single Gao Kao score.
Now the students must choose a major and a school within the next 2-3 weeks.
Unfortunately, most English teachers are not aware of how important English is on the Gao Kao. English is 1 of 4 parts of the Gao Kao (both Arts + Science) for a total of 150 points. English has the same value as Chinese and Math. Total score for Gao Kao is 750.
In Yunnan, 80% of students who take the Gao Kao score less than 500. To get into a 1st level univ, a student needs at least 540 on the Gao Kao.
Students who score less than 500 on the Gao Kao are unable to pass the Civil Servant exam as the standards for Civil Service have also gone up significantly.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Real GK Meetup Thursday, June 23 at 1700. We had another successful and positive meeting last night.
Among the participants were Long-Dragon, Ricsnap, Tallamerican, JanJal and myself. Michael2015 and Alexz, we missed you guys last night.
Based on inquiries from prior participants, we are planning to have a meeting which includes wives or significant others. Once we get enough people who are interested we can better prepare for this event and our better halves can also meet and interact with each other.
At times, wives can feel isolated as being married to a laowai is not always easy - Haha! It will be good for spouses to relate and share expereinces with one another and perhaps even begin a support group among themselves.
From a military background, wives always played an important role and they always had a support group to help each other, especially for younger spouses who did not know how to deal with absent military husbands. In the case of Kunming, some spouses are not local and may feel alone without their families or they may need a shoulder to lean on to share concerns from a female perspective.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Real GK Meetup Anyone else wants to join? We are set for this week in the north.
Video: Kunming driver crosses pedestrian bridge
发布者I was looking for this article a few weeks ago.
A first-timer's view of Lijiang
发布者I take the bus right in front of the train station for 1 yuan.
Around Town: Zhaozong Reservoir
发布者english.cri.cn/12394/2015/08/17/3801s892031.htm
Great article - Suit and counter suit!
Around Town: Wanda Twin Towers
发布者I went to the construction site of the Wanda Towers in march 2013 to photograph a tiny temple - Tian Zi Miao in what was then called Tan Jia Ying Village. The tiny temple remained as construction proceeded and miraculously it survives to this day or at least until June 2015 when I was there.
I have to give the developers credit for not destroying the tiny temple. Lets hope it remains.
The temple is directly behind the towers near the corner of Qian Xing Road + Lu Yin Ave.
Bullfighting culture in rural China
发布者I have seen bullfights in Japan but still have not seen any in China. Must put it into my itinerary.