====CHINESE SCHOOL====BBC4====

[RTKangaMummy]

TONIGHT

Documentary
Chinese School Tuesday 08 April
9:00pm - 10:00pm
BBC4
1/5 - The Year of the Golden Pig
The first of this five-part series about life in a high, middle and primary school in Xiuning, eastern China, is simple but entrancing, painting both the broader picture of curriculum strictures and the tiny details of classroom life. We follow 17-year-old university hopeful Wu Yu Fei through her sapping 6am-10.15pm day, pop-mad Liu Xiang as the 16-year-old crumbles under exam burdens, and young Gan Ping, who's awarded a skipping rope for hard work. The discipline that underlies the schools won't surprise you, but the respect that it engenders might. And it's the micro-dramas that stay in the memory: your heart will go out to the little lad who falls foul of an eraser inspection, and fights in vain to hold back the tears when he's made to parade the shabby sweater of shame before his classmates. Still, we're reminded that it's a small world after all when a headmistress chides her charges with the command "Stop running!"

RT reviewer - Mark Braxton
VIDEO Plus+: 3835363
Subtitled, Widescreen, Audio-described

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yes looking forward to it!

thanks for reminder

you're welcome

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now

Ooh I will watch this - might be a talking point at my interview for teacher training course tomorrow.

Thanks RTKanga!

you're welcome

good luck for tommorrow

Is this meant to be on now? My ch4 is going on about an edwardian/victorian diet! x

I thought you said ch4-I REALLY need a digibox! x

I thought it was very interesting. Although i was nearly in tears at that little boy and his holey eraser. His little face when they said he had to keep that jumper on just broke my heart

i nearly cried when the little girl's grandad was late picking her up too.

brilliant series can't wait for next week.

imagine being at school from 6 until 10pm though !

Really interesting programme - the cultural difference is just HUUUUGE isn't it!!?

I liked the head teacher at the primary school Gan Ping was so happy with her skipping rope

I thought it was an excellent programme

I agree with about the little boy with his eraser - but like I said to DH perhaps if some of those ideas of respect and looking after people and objects were in the rest of the world {ie in UK & USA} we would be better off

ie the respect the children show to their families and other children and their school were very impressive

They are so poor in money terms but not in the care of each other etc.

the one child policy really puts alot of pressure on them too doesn't it.

though i was nearly sobbing when the teenager was crying and said, 'i wish i could just stop time but it keeps flowing like water'.

hope they show this series in my ds(14)'s school.

part two of this tonight too!

sorry SE it is a repeat of Tuesday one

BUT all those who missed it please watch it

I thought the programme was fascinating.

Although I didn't like the way they made an example of the little boy with the holey eraser, I thought the head mistress really cared for the children and I thought it was very sweet when she took the little girl to buy the skipping rope. I got the impression that it was supposed to be 'fun' when they did the eraser/holey jumper lesson, but I was a bit worried about the way the children had to report on each other - wonder how much this goes on amongst adults? I can't really decide what was going on. It seemed to be a big fuss to make about a rubber, but then I suppose having respect for your belongings and not expecting a new rubber to materialise from nowhere isn't a bad thing.

They seemed to be having fun growing their vegetables and there were a lot of smiles.

I was impressed at the older children's concentration, but I am a bit skeptical about how much they learnt by sitting in a classroom reciting their text books on mass. They may have felt they were working, but could they remember anything at the end of it?

Will definitely be watching next episode.

I think the little boy with the erasar/jumper was sad but also I think that if children in UK/USA were taught to respect others and objects like they are in this charity school ~ we would have a more resopectful society

Also the children cleaning the school before the holiday with smiles on their faces was also teaching them to care for their surroundings for the good of all of them.

watch this guys

deffo brill

I saw last nights and thought how good it was. I really liked that the high school teacher was trying to help all of his pupils, although the expectation on Wu to succeed must have been huge. Really glad that she did so well

I thought the communist party info was quite informative too, especially when that woman told the kids that 'they will never have total freedom' !

Looking forward to next week.