CHINESE SCHOOL

1. CHINESE SCHOOL

2. Questions:1. What is the difference between rural and urban areas?2. What are some of the differences between Australian schools and Chinese schools?3. What are your reactions in seeing a Chinese school environment?

3. Chinese School SeriesThe Year of the Golden Pig Pt 1 The lives of a group of families, teachers and children in the small town of Xiuning in China.  This episode focuses on preparing for the highly competitive exams. The Year of the Golden Pig, starts as mocks begin for the world's most dreaded exam; the Gao Kao. Pass with flying colours and your future's bright; fail and you're a peasant for life. 17-year-old star student Wu Yufei bears a heavy burden – her school expects her to finish top of the entire province of more than half a million students. Her mother gives up work purely to cook and care for her daughter in this crucial year. All the little children at the local charity primary school are boarders selected from the poor mountain villages surrounding town. Leaving families behind is tough, but it gives them a shot at a better life. Recruitment time approaches, but who will the headmistress pick this term? The town's Middle School students are going on a school trip. With exams looming, one of them invokes an old Chinese saying, "Only happiness learned from suffering is true happiness." But when the class bursts into singing the latest pop hit, for a few minutes at least, the pressure is off and they're like teenagers the world over.

4. Chinese School SeriesThe Heat is On! Pt 1 Explores themes of exam pressure, the one child policy, new entrepreneurialism, pollution and the legacy of the rule of Chairman Mao. The second episode of Chinese School explores themes of exam pressure, the one child policy, new entrepreneurialism, pollution and the legacy of the rule of Chairman Mao. In a country where it's rare to have a sibling, the pressure on school-age children is immense - and never more so than at exam time. It's May and the heat of summer is setting in. The senior students face the all-important Gao Kao exams. Their results can mean the difference between poverty and prosperity for their entire extended family. For star pupil Wu Yufei the stakes are extremely high. Her school – Xiuning Senior School - expects her to come in the top ten in the entire province, taking on over half a million students. Meanwhile at Ping Min Primary School eight-year-old Cheng Chao is looking forward to becoming a Young Communist Pioneer. We meet Wu Lin, whose concern about the future of her country sees her researching the polluted river near her school while striving to win an English speech contest in the process.  Son of migrant worker parents Wang Jianwen is over the moon when a broken arm leads to a surprise from the city. Wang Lingqi is too cool for school and is more interested in hanging out with his girlfriend, but he knows if he doesn't knuckle down he'll end up working in his dad’s motorcycle component factory, missing out on fulfilling his dream: to be a designer in the city.

5. Part 5 Chinese School SeriesHard Beginnings Pt 1 -25mins It's the start of a new academic year, both for 7-year-olds starting boarding school and 18-year-olds starting university. It's the start of a new academic year.  For 18-year-old Wu Yufei, a new life awaits at one of the most prestigious universities in China. But before she can start her studies Wu Yufei must endure 17 days of compulsory military training.  It's also a hard beginning for the infants at Ping Ming Primary School. Each child has been hand-picked to receive free education at the charity-run boarding school. But learning to live without your parents when you're only seven years old isn't easy.  And for the students enrolling at the county's best school, the new term represents the start of a rigorous daily schedule which starts at 5.30 a.m. and doesn't finish until 9.40 p.m. as they prepare for the pressures of the National College Entrance Exam.

6. Part 6 Chinese School SeriesOlympic Fever Pt 2 The excitement of the Olympics takes hold in the schools of Xiuning county. The excitement of the Olympics is taking hold of Xiuning county.China's first ever Olympic Games are on the horizon. Xiuning county may be 1000 miles from Beijing, but that hasn't stopped Olympic fever reaching its schools. It's autumn, and with the heat of summer and exams behind them, it's time for the students to hit the sports field. With 3400 students, Haiyang Middle school is the largest school in the county. For the deputy head teacher, sports day is a mammoth undertaking, while School Radio DJ ZhaYujie sees it as the highlight of the year. She takes to the stage to support her friends as they tackle the track & field events. At Ping Min primary school they're holding their first ever sports day. Young champion Dai Deli is the fastest runner in school and is determined to take gold, but, as always, there are lessons to be learned all round.

7. Chinese School SeriesLoved Ones Pt 1 In the last episode of the series, the whole town is gripped with the excitement of the Spring Festival which sees the passing of a new year; as the Year of the Pig turns to the Year of the Rat. In the last episode of the series, the whole town is gripped with the excitement of the Spring Festival which sees the passing of a new year; as the Year of the Pig turns to the Year of the Rat.It’s a month of preparations as fireworks are bought, dumplings cooked, decorations hung, and Liu Xiang’s family even kill their pig to roast the meat. Super-student Wu Yufei comes home from university for the first time and Haiyang Middle School hold a celebratory talent contest. School radio broadcaster ZhaYujie temporally misses the fun, as for her the New Year brings a different adventure. She goes to Beijing to study broadcasting - but comes up against an unforeseen problem. The Mandarin she speaks at home is considered parochial and ugly in the capital and she struggles to learn the correct pronunciation.Back in Xiuning, preparations for the festival are all but complete, with many eagerly awaiting the return of relatives from jobs in the cities. More often than not, it is the only time in the year when the family can be together.But this year the people of Anhui and southern China are faced with another problem. Treacherous snow and ice storms and the worst weather in 50 years sink the province into a deep freeze and travel becomes impossible.