For whatever reason I seem to be rather popular in Anqing with the media.
I have been interviewed by Radio Anhui News Service and have appeared a couple of times on the local Anqing television station. In fact I even sang a song on one occasion to help promote a singing competition - something like Canadian Idol.
My tune selection was that great Cole Porter standard “I’ve got you under my skin".
My most recent contact with the media resulted in a full page spread in the Anqing weekly newspaper, complete with photos. It all began rather innocently when my Chinese teacher and friend Zhang An asked me if I would like to give a talk to some students on the importance of “Green”. This was to relate to Tree Planting Day in China (March 12). She explained that the local newspaper had a competition underway for budding journalists who were adept in English. The finalists would be invited to a special event on the day to pose questions to an English speaking foreigner (me) about the importance of “Green” to our environment. There were over 300 entries and only 25 were selected to participate.
I gave a short talk all about “Green”, mentioning St. Patrick's Day and Chinese green tea. The students followed up with some excellent questions, most dealing with how we can better protect our environment. One girl asked “How can we make our city a better place to live?". I suggested that a good and simple way to start was by providing more litter boxes, especially along the major routes. This would encourage people not to throw their garbage on the streets. I added that I was very impressed with the city's efforts to provide more green spaces.
After the Q and A session we played a couple of vocabulary games. Most were middle school students but their command of English was excellent and they enjoyed the activity. All the participants received a prize from the newspaper's editor and those with the best questions were awarded a lovely Chinese dictionary. I also got one from the editor which will be a wonderful memory of the day.
I look forward to more media adventures. It’s a great way to connect with Chinese people.
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