by Website Editor, 17 August 2013 (updated 28 October 2013)

A little bit of China came to West Lothian at the end of last term, as around 120 S2 pupils at Armadale Academy took part in a special "China Day”. In a packed programme, they tried out tai chai, practiced Chinese characters, learnt about Chinese arithmetic, played ping pong, explored the geography of China and the one child policy, and even tested their chopstick skills ! And to simulate some aspects of a Chinese school day, they swopped their normal school uniforms for tracksuits and worked in classes that were, well, a little larger than usual.

SCA members Councillor Jim Dixon, who represents the Armadale ward, and Jean Ye helped out during the “China Day”. Jean provided an introduction to a few Chinese words, and the children were soon saying “wo xihuan ji mian tiao” and “wo yao ji rou tang” to each other – food is always a good place to start ! They were also helped by Connie Yeung, who brought her tai chi skills to the morning assembly.

The photos below show scenes from the China Day, courtesy of Armadale Academy

After the event, one pupil commented, “the main differences between a typical day in a Chinese school and a typical day at Armadale Academy are the uniform, pupils staying in the one classroom and longer school days".

This was all part of the school's ongoing China focus around its new partnership with Tianjin TEDA No. 1 Middle School. A group of 12 Armadale S6 pupils, accompanied by two members of staff and Jean Ye, will be travelling out to China in October 2013 for what promises to be a fascinating trip to Tianjin. They will “home stay” with Chinese families and spend several days at the TEDA school. On the 10 day trip, they will also visit Beijing and see the sights, including the Great Wall and the Summer Palace (for a report of this trip, see here).

And even before this, a group of 15 Chinese pupils from TEDA will be coming to Armadale at the end of August 2013 for a similar exchange visit. The two groups of young people are already in email contact, getting to know each other, practising English and Mandarin, and preparing to meet very soon.

These contacts follow a visit to Tianjin in October 2012 by Armadale Headteacher Campbell Hornell and several colleagues, and a visit to Armadale in May 2013 by a group of teachers from the TEDA school and local officials. In addition, the school held Chinese New Year events in 2012 and 2013.

Social Studies Principal Teacher Jen Young said, “the feedback from the pupils has been very positive”, adding “I am confident they now have a better understanding of a typical Chinese school day”. Jean Ye commented, “the children were great and I was really impressed by how quickly they picked up the Chinese language !” She added, “the event was the first building block for younger pupils with a true taste of Chinese language learning and appreciation of Chinese customs, which is critical as they will be the future beneficiaries of growing international links with China's and her growing influence in the world stage”. Councillor Jim Dixon said, “the China Day was a unique experience for all involved in this Scotland/China programme".

Commenting on the success of the “China Day”, Campbell Hornell said, “our S2 China Day proved to be a great success. The feedback from our pupils clearly showed they had increased their knowledge of China and a typical day in a Chinese school. Our partnership with TEDA No 1 School is an important part of our curriculum and this day was a small part in our programme to raise the awareness and understanding our pupils have of Chinese culture and society".

We will keep readers of this website up to date with developments in this initiative. See here for a report of the school's trip to China in October 2013.