The Chinese Culture Club

The Chinese Culture Club
The Chinese Culture Club started last November. Activities so far have included learning Chinese Paper Cutting and a Chinese Fan Dance. Students have showed great interests in both of the activities and some excellent work have been produced. Many girls have shown great interest in the Paper Cutting activity, Billie Webster in 8.3 is particularly keen and has been constantly producing high standard pieces of work. Her parents are very supportive and even have bought her her own knives so that she can practice at home. She frequently asks me for some extra work to take home and to finish during weekends. She has progressed rapidly and her completed pieces are delicate and fine. They have been displayed in the school and everybody loves them. This activity has bolstered her confidence in every other subject she studies, especially in Science, which I also teach her. She also showed her interests in Chinese language and has made me a card in Chinese words. Some other Year 10 girls who are practising Chinese Paper Cutting have also expressed themselves to me their wish to visit China one day. In order to celebrate Chinese New Year in Townley Grammar School for Girls, a group of enthusiastic and dedicated girls spent three weeks learning a Chinese Fan Dance with me. It was a new experience to them and they truly loved it. They were very committed to this activity and even practised at home to make sure that they posed correctly. The girls also learnt the story and the history of the music they dance with so that they were able to perform with passion. The Girls performed their dance to all years during assemblies in the week before half term. Thanks go to their parents for their understanding and support in helping to make the show such a success. It helped to raise awareness of Chinese culture within the school, encouraging the girls to take a wider view as global citizens. In the near future, Chinese language and history will be introduced to students and I believe it will be both necessary and beneficial. The Chinese Culture Club has enriched the activities within the school within the context of our prestigious International School Award. Mrs J Yang-Williams The Butterfly Loves – a Chinese folk tale Finally I wish to introduce the story of the Dance to the readers. The name of the Chinese Fan dance is called The Butterfly Lovers. It is a 17th Century Chinese story about a couple and their forbidden love. In ancient timesgirls couldn't go to school no matter how rich their families were. Only boys could go to school.Miss Zhu, the only daughter of a rich provincial lord disguises as a boy in order to go into higher education,where she meets a scholar, Mr. Liang. He is talented and hard-working, but poor; nevertheless soon she falls in love with him. Not long after, she is ordered to return home because her parents decide to marry her into a rich family. It is then that she confesses to Mr. Liang of her love for him. In spite of her declaration, Miss Zhu is forced home to wait for the day of her marriage with the rich man, whilst Mr. Liang goes to the capital city to sit his exams. Later, Mr. Liang receives a post as a provincial officer and goes to Miss Zhu’s family to propose marriage, but is harshly turned down because of his poor family background. Mr. Liang dies in the misery for his love for Miss Zhu and Miss Zhu is still made to follow the engagement her parents made for her. On the day when she is sent to the wedding ceremony, her carriage passes by Mr. Liang's tomb. She goes down from her carriage to pay her tribute to him, a request she made to her parents. As she knelt in from of his tomb, the tomb opens and she steps in... Miss Zhu disappears and onlookers only see two butterflies flying out of the tomb. It was said that they were Mr. Liang and Miss Zhu, freed from the bounds of tradition. The legend is often regarded as the Chinese equivalent to Romeo and Juliet.

The Chinese Culture Club

The Chinese Culture Club started last November. Activities so far have included learning Chinese Paper Cutting and a Chinese Fan Dance. Students have showed great interests in both of the activities and some excellent work have been produced.

Many girls have shown great interest in the Paper Cutting activity, Billie Webster in 8.3 is particularly keen and has been constantly producing high standard pieces of work. Her parents are very supportive and even have bought her her own knives so that she can practice at home. She frequently asks me for some extra work to take home and to finish during weekends. She has progressed rapidly and her completed pieces are delicate and fine. They have been displayed in the school and everybody loves them. This activity has bolstered her confidence in every other subject she studies, especially in Science, which I also teach her. She also showed her interests in Chinese language and has made me a card in Chinese words. Some other Year 10 girls who are practising Chinese Paper Cutting have also expressed themselves to me their wish to visit China one day.

In order to celebrate Chinese New Year in Townley Grammar School for Girls, a group of enthusiastic and dedicated girls spent three weeks learning a Chinese Fan Dance with me. It was a new experience to them and they truly loved it. They were very committed to this activity and even practised at home to make sure that they posed correctly. The girls also learnt the story and the history of the music they dance with so that they were able to perform with passion. The Girls performed their dance to all years during assemblies in the week before half term. Thanks go to their parents for their understanding and support in helping to make the show such a success. It helped to raise awareness of Chinese culture within the school, encouraging the girls to take a wider view as global citizens.

In the near future, Chinese language and history will be introduced to students and I believe it will be both necessary and beneficial. The Chinese Culture Club has enriched the activities within the school within the context of our prestigious International School Award.

Mrs J Yang-Williams

The Butterfly Loves – a Chinese folk tale

Finally I wish to introduce the story of the Dance to the readers. The name of the Chinese Fan dance is called The Butterfly Lovers. It is a 17th Century Chinese story about a couple and their forbidden love.

In ancient timesgirls couldn't go to school no matter how rich their families were. Only boys could go to school.Miss Zhu, the only daughter of a rich provincial lord disguises as a boy in order to go into higher education,where she meets a scholar, Mr. Liang. He is talented and hard-working, but poor; nevertheless soon she falls in love with him.

Not long after, she is ordered to return home because her parents decide to marry her into a rich family. It is then that she confesses to Mr. Liang of her love for him. In spite of her declaration, Miss Zhu is forced home to wait for the day of her marriage with the rich man, whilst Mr. Liang goes to the capital city to sit his exams. Later, Mr. Liang receives a post as a provincial officer and goes to Miss Zhu’s family to propose marriage, but is harshly turned down because of his poor family background. Mr. Liang dies in the misery for his love for Miss Zhu and Miss Zhu is still made to follow the engagement her parents made for her. On the day when she is sent to the wedding ceremony, her carriage passes by Mr. Liang's tomb. She goes down from her carriage to pay her tribute to him, a request she made to her parents. As she knelt in from of his tomb, the tomb opens and she steps in... Miss Zhu disappears and onlookers only see two butterflies flying out of the tomb. It was said that they were Mr. Liang and Miss Zhu, freed from the bounds of tradition.

The legend is often regarded as the Chinese equivalent to Romeo and Juliet.