I just read an article from the Wall Street Journal that a friend sent to me titled "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" that addresses differences in parenting/educational approaches in China vs. in 'the West.' Between the article and the extensive commentary that it incited, it offered some very interesting food for thought.

Article: online.wsj.com/[...]

In the true spirit of a forum, I don't want to outright attack or praise anyone or anything, but just wanted to post this article to try and and instigate some good discussion. This article was written by a Chinese mother in the US, and I personally see some radically different results from the 'Chinese parenting approach' here in China vs. in 'the West.'

There are a lot of interesting points that merit consideration (and admittedly, these are generalizations)~ promotion of individuality vs the almost mechanical emphasis on (educational, work) 'achievement,' promotion of creativity and independent thought vs. rote memorization and an emphasis on excelling at certain percribed skills (often math, piano/violin, English), the idea of children being the future and parents having a responsibility towards their children vs. the idea that children owe their lives to their parents and owe it to their parents to achieve and make them happy. Why do Chinese students often excel academically but rarely are the creative minds behind the world's largest, innovative companies/industries. (eg. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc.) And this is just a spattering of underlying concepts and principles that merit discussion.

As a lot of us foreigners here are teachers and work constantly with Chinese students, we might have an interesting perspective from which to analyze the differences in the approaches to parenting and education that we knew as youth vs. what we see here.

does anyone know how much an extension is for an american passport holder? everyone keeps telling me its only 160, but then i also heard tell that americans pay over 800yuan! anyone know if this is true, or exactly how much it is for americans? thanks!

I went to the market yesterday in search of practically everything, having just moved into an empty apartment. I was able to find used appliances, but all of the furniture that I saw was new. Is there a part of the market that sells used furniture that I just missed? Or do they only have used electronics?
Thanks!

Uprock Bar and Paraglide Yunnan are teaming up to offer you a chance to win a free paragliding trip!

On Friday, Nov. 20th Uprock is adding a twist to the already hoppin' Friday night party...cross-dressing!

Guys: put on your sexiest dress and most flattering makeup!
Ladies: Paint on a mustache and put on a snappy suit! get creative!

During the evening we will be hosting a costume contest (will be held at 1am or later); top prize wins a free day trip to go paragliding with Paraglide Yunnan, runners up will receive alcohol and cash prizes.

DJs Jairkon and Chengcheng will be bringing you the dance tunes and stunning footage of previous paragliding adventures will be playing all night.

Entry is 10yuan, but FREE for anyone in costume!!

Come join the fun and you might walk away with a free paragliding trip!

contact: 15808815075

To all of Kunming's artists~
I'm hunting for artists and art enthusiasts who would be interested in working together to build an art collective in kunming, both an actual studio space as well as an arts community devoted to promoting arts in kunming.

I am looking to set up a studio from which I can do my painting, drawing and glass working, and am looking for other artists interested in sharing a studio space.

Beyond just setting up studio space, I would like to organize a broader artists collective that is is devoted to developing the kunming art scene. i would like to eventually offer classes and workshops, organize events and shows, put out small-scale art-related publications, and the like.

this is just a rough outline of what I want to do, if you want to know more about the project i have in mind, or if you have any suggestions, ideas, or recommendations, please let me know!
if anyone is interested, please throw your ideas out on this forum or contact me directly. I'll be back in kunming at the end of sept. and will be beginning work on this project immediately.
-alyssa j.
houzi86@gmail.com