Teachers' Day

Tuesday, September 9. Teachers' Day (officially tomorrow, September 10th) is a very big deal in China. There is a centuries-old tradition in this country of honoring teachers, which stems in part from Confucius being held in such high esteem. So this is what our singing practice has been in preparation for. Tonight, the school is celebrating Teachers' Day.

After their last class period today, every student in the school picks up his or her chair and carries it outside to the paved portion of the playing fields. There are white chalk outlines on the pavement to show where each class is to sit. As we are walking out to our Pre-Performance rehearsal, students are flying past us carrying chairs! There is a stage set up at one end with a giant and very colorful backdrop that says, in Chinese characters, something like "Let teaching be a happy profession and let the students enjoy their studies and have success."

We practice lining up, walking on and off the stage, and spend a great deal of time getting our position on stage JUST RIGHT so everyone can be seen. I feel like I'm in rehearsal for a Broadway show! Once everyone (the "directors") are happy, we are released (at about 6 p.m.) to return 45 minutes later, after having dinner and changing clothes.

It is almost dark at 6:45 p.m. but I try to take a few photos anyway. I take one of the crowd from the stage, some Junior girls playing a traditional instrument called the gu zheng, a group of Senior 2 students who will be reciting a poem, some little girls decked out in wonderful red costumes (they do the "Olympic" dance described below) and some of Mr. Zhang with his wife and daughter who have come to the performance. The teachers are seated together in a special section.

First, of course, this being China, we have fireworks. They are launched from just behind the stage area, very close to where everyone is sitting. In fact, all of us end up with cinders in our hair!

Then we sing the National Anthem. At least I can hum along, having learned it in Chinese class during orientation, and can chime in on the repeated words. There are a lot of speeches and, as might be expected, the troops get restless. It is very hot, it's crowded, and the speeches are not very interesting to most of the students, I'm sure. And of course they're all in Chinese so we understand nothing except what Mr. Zhang translates for us. I'm amazed at how good Mr. Zhang's daughter is. She will be not be two until November, but she sits through this whole thing quietly in her mother's lap. (The only time she cries is during the fireworks. They are just too loud and too close.)

Finally, it's time for the performances (10 in all, ranging from dancing to singing to recitation). Tiffany and David film quite a bit of it with their video camera but unfortunately we can't find someone to operate their camera while we are performing. We also missed photographing or filming what we think is the best "act" of the evening: a troupe of young girls doing the "Olympic" dance. They are quite something. But they are next to last, and as we are last to perform, we are lining up "off stage" while they are performing.

So finally our big moment comes. We walk out on stage with our music folders held properly in our left hands. The spotlight is going back and forth across our group. The students are laughing, we think, to see the "foreign teachers" on stage. But I think we do ourselves proud. Even during the "solo" part of the very hard song. And then we sing my favorite: Tuan jie jiu shi li liang (Unity is Power)! I am totally into this song. :) And then it's over and we file off stage.

As we are walking back to our seats, the younger students are all reaching out to touch David, Tiffany and me. I've never felt like such a celebrity! Just call me Princess Diana or Jacqueline Kennedy! These kids are just so cute.

Finally, the whole shebang is over at about 9 p.m.. Most of the students can go back to their rooms for a rest and some free time, except the poor Senior 3 students who have to go to study hall. These are the students preparing for the national university exam this year. Everyone is so tired from being out in the heat all evening, and these students will now have to go to un-air-conditioned classrooms to try to study. So hard.

We stroll back to our blissfully air-conditioned apartments. This is the one thing without which my life here would be unbearable. If I couldn't keep my apartment reasonably comfortable (I think it's usually about 85 degrees but the humidity is lower), I probably would have left by now. I can deal with the cold showers and other minor inconveniences, but the a/c is critical! :)