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.
Weishan, Yunnan: Birthplace of an ancient kingdom
Posted byWeishan has got to be one of the most original places left in Yunnan. Not commercialized and people are kind and not out for money.
Jianchuan was also the same but now that the highway runs right through it has already changed. Same for Shaxi and Shuang Lang in Dali.
Visit Weishan while you can. Great place to go and just hang out and relax, Wei Bao Shan is 11 km away. I like it because you can see all the temples by walking in a circle without having to backtrack. Much better than Shi Bao Shan in JianChuan, Dali.
Lugu Lake airport officially opens for business
Posted byThe new airport is roughly 25 kilometers south of the lakeshore - Those nasty taxi drivers are sure going to make a killing. Of course, they will NOT use the meter.
Yunnan border zone slated to cost 200 billion yuan
Posted byThe train sure does sound like a good idea - In that time, a branch railway along the recently opened Kunming-Hekou line will be extended 500 kilometers south to the border town of Mohan (磨憨) in Mengla County. When finished, the railway will pass from Yuxi through Pu'er, Jinghong and Mohan
Yunnan ramps up shale gas production
Posted byen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yibin
Sichuan's Changning County (长宁县) is located in Yibin at the confluence of the Min and Yangtze Rivers.
Fracking comes to Southwest China
Posted byUnfortunately, the map provided with the locations of fracking is very small and I can not make out the names of the locations. However, one can see that they are in the SE of Sichuan.
I will take some time later to make out the exact locations and provide the names of the prefectures and counties they are located in.
For those who are not aware, this is the juncture of the Min and Yangtze Rivers. Above Yibin, the Yangtze is also known as the Jinsha River. Below Yibin, the Yangtze is known in Chinese as the Chang Jiang or "Long River."