Just Curious.....

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AMonk

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Just Curious.....
« on: June 09, 2007, 11:22:17 PM »
Here (in the West) schools and offices have a two-day weekend off, Saturday and Sunday.  In Iran (a distinctly Islamic nation), they have Thursdays and Saturdays.  Does China observe a weekend?  What days?
Moderation....in most things...

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phets72

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2007, 11:24:45 PM »
Nil, nadda - seven day week, no weekends.

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2007, 11:25:06 PM »
Schools,(most) are closed Sat and Sunday. Banks (most) are closed Sat and Sun.  Everyone else works all the time. bibibibibi
Be kind to dragons for thou are crunchy when roasted and taste good with brie.

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phets72

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2007, 12:01:34 AM »
Up North, school are all week except Sundays.  They go to school seven days during exams.  Banks open seven days.

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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2007, 01:34:31 AM »
I think the most consistent day off here is Sunday.
Lots and lots of folks working 6-day weeks here.
Lots and lots of folks working 7-day  weeks here...  aoaoaoaoao

For many Chinese people, employers hold them in near-servitude. Documents are kept on file that people need to get a job. If the employee causes a problem, or the employer doesn't want them to move on, these documents are simply held. Employers have veto power over marriages, having children...all kinds of "personal" decisions. Add that to the fact that for every job here there's a big pile of people hoping to get it, and you get an extremely ugly employment picture.
So: Work all weekend, too? No extra pay? Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!  hhhhhhhhhh
"Vicodin and dumplings...it's a great combination!" (Anthony Bourdain, in Harbin)

"Here in China we aren't just teaching...
we're building the corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads of tomorrow!" (Raoul F. Duke)

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AMonk

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Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2007, 08:45:41 AM »
 
Most high school students here go to school every day......from 6am till 9:30-10pm they are at school. 

OUCH!!! Makes the Western students' complaints look wimpy and wussy and weak!
Moderation....in most things...

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moon over parma

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2007, 01:12:50 AM »
Many of the students here who are on the soccer or basketball teams have terrible grades and the school doesn't even blink. 

This applies to American pubic schools (and universities): Jocks get a pass, regardless of their performance.

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BamBam

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Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2007, 03:18:09 AM »
Agreed.  Income and accolade earning athletes in American schools are rarely pressed to perform in the classroom.  This attitude is widely accepted and begins at a young age, because a successful football or basketball program brings in a lot of money to schools, and it gives the community a lot of joy.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of these athletically talented kids eventually find themselves not quite good enough to make the professional ranks and end up without an education (except on paper), and they are immediately forgotten and discarded by the fans and boosters that facilitated their academic fraud. 
Those that think they can, and those that think they can\'t are both right.

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moon over parma

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2007, 06:35:29 AM »
Does China still scour primary schools and hand-picks athletically gifted children for specialized schools? For example, Yao Ming was basically bred to be a top ball player. Jet Li Lien-jie and Zhao Wen-shou were hand-picked by the central government at very young ages to go off to Beijing and study ornamental Wu Shu, etc. Does this happen as much as it used to?

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Vegemite

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2007, 04:00:43 PM »
Does China still scour primary schools and hand-picks athletically gifted children for specialized schools? For example, Yao Ming was basically bred to be a top ball player. Jet Li Lien-jie and Zhao Wen-shou were hand-picked by the central government at very young ages to go off to Beijing and study ornamental Wu Shu, etc. Does this happen as much as it used to?

I don't know if it still happens to such an extent.

But don't many countries do this to a certain extent? Even in NZ, if you're particularly good at something you might get an offer to attend a particular school even if you're not academically bright. I had one student, not that gifted academically but a great rugby player - he got to go to one of the top schools in the country just on the basis of his sport skills. No why would they have approached him for his academic skills.

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The Clan

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Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2007, 05:33:09 PM »
In the U.S. it against the law to recruit students who excell in sports to a public high school. Colleges of course can but in high school it is strictly forbiden...so of course this happens all the time. Students families move to be in the boundries that will allow their son to play for the best team in the state and hope they will be seen by college recruiters. Of course in America we are similar to Nero Rome lusting after food, drink, and entertainment.  bibibibibi
GO BIG - OR GO HOME!!

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moon over parma

Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2007, 12:45:36 AM »
I don't think it's neccissarily learning challenged kids who get recruited. Jet Li is an elloquent cat, in spite of only receiving serious, physical education from the age of 8-17. In China's case one thing is certain: it's the atheltically gifted. The difference between old school (pre 1990) China and the U. S. is that there were Central government agents who scoured the country for such people. In the U. S., it's more about word-of-mouth and reading about people via news. Even then, it's rare that children (i. e. pre-teens) are targeted. The child athletes were kind of groomed on their own (Christy Yamaguchi, Tiger Woods, etc. - all spring to mind. Their parents took an active interest in giving them the best they could when they were young).

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Lotus Eater

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Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #12 on: June 15, 2007, 12:51:28 AM »
I have taught students here, sorry that is totally untrue, I have had students here who were on my class list that I NEVER saw.  When I did the occasional roll call to figure out who was who, and asked where these students were, the answer was "They are sports students".  They were top athletes - gymnasts, swimmers etc.  Come exam time, they handed in amazing good papers and with such sophisticated language - but not always on the topic set, just what looked interesting on the internet and was in English.  ahahahahah But they weren't in the mainstream courses, they were usually enrolled as Japanese majors or in some other 'lesser' area.

I failed them, but didn't ask any other questions.

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Lotus Eater

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Re: Just Curious.....
« Reply #13 on: June 15, 2007, 12:55:32 AM »
I have taught students here, sorry that is totally untrue, I have had students here who were on my class list that I NEVER saw.  When I did the occasional roll call to figure out who was who, and asked where these students were, the answer was "They are sports students".  They were top athletes - gymnasts, swimmers etc.  Come exam time, they handed in amazing good papers and with such sophisticated language - but not always on the topic set, just what looked interesting on the internet and was in English.  ahahahahah But they weren't in the mainstream courses, they were usually enrolled as Japanese majors or in some other 'lesser' area.

I failed them, but didn't ask any other questions.