Chinese Bridge Delegation: Remnin University and the Concluding Ceremony

Today is our last full day in Beijing, and we visited Remnin University where we had a full day conference and province summaries. First we got a tour of the University, and then we headed to a seminar on the Chinese Education system and the challenges and goals for education in China. It was really interesting to hear what they see as their challenges, such as educating more of the rural parts of China and increasing the literacy rate of adults.

After lunch, we heard reports from each of the 6 province groups. The delegation was split into 6 and each group went to a different province in China for the few days (I was in the Henan group, which was the BEST one.) Every group had a completely different experience and saw many different cultural sights and schools. My favorite story was of the group that visited a school during its physical education class. The school exited its 2000 students in 5 minutes for physical education class. All 2000 students went to the fields and lined up in rows within 5 minutes - that is just incredible.

The conference ended at 5 and we had a few minutes to change and head to the closing ceremony that was held in the banquet hall at the Beijing Hotel. We listened to speeches about the week and our experiences, as well as about the importance of continuing the partnership between Chinese and American schools. We were given the challenge that the next time we go to China that we are all able to speak more Chinese, and that will certainly be a goal of mine!