An introduction to China: Which accounts to follow
An introduction to China
Keen to learn more about China before carrying out your internship? We have picked out some of the best social media accounts and websites for learning about China, its language, culture and travel destinations! We have also chosen a couple of city-specific accounts if you are struggling to choose which city to do an internship in or want to find out more about the destination you have picked.
Learning Chinese
Looking for fun and easy ways to learn Chinese – take a look at the accounts below!
han_characters
The Instagram account han_characters makes Chinese characters easier to remember by creating drawings of them. Each post shows a single character as a picture and explains the different words that that character features in with example sentences. Not only does this make learning Chinese easier, especially if you have a picture memory, it also helps you to understand the meaning of single characters which helps in learning multi-character words. Your time on social media can be made productive by learning Chinese just scrolling through Instagram!
Check out their Instagram here
The Chairman’s Bao
The Chairman’s Bao has abridged news articles in Chinese which you can filter according to HSK level. The website and app have a built-in dictionary and keywords and grammar points are listed at the end of every article. You can read sample articles for free, but to access all their language resources you have to pay a monthly subscription fee. However, the blog section is free and offers good tips and advice for learning Chinese, as well as articles about Chinese culture and news.
Check out the website here or download the app here
Travel in China
Want some inspiration of where to travel to China? Follow these accounts to see some incredible photography of China’s gorgeous landscapes, historic sites and cityscapes.
loves_china
This account collates photos from around China and provides a description of the location, including an explanation about the place’s history and geography.
Check out their Instagram here
nathan_ackley
Nathan Ackley is a photographer based in Shanghai and Taiwan and the majority of his photos document these two places. He captures the buzzing cosmopolitan life in Shanghai, as well as beautiful temples and traditional buildings.
Check out his Instagram here
theotherchina
The account provides awe-inspiring photographs of life in rural China with short extracts explaining their background. It is summarised by their bio: “you know the city, now get to know the country – see how China’s other half lives”.
Check out their Instagram here
News about China
Sixthtone
Sixthtone offers news and investigatory stories about China which you may not find in the mainstream news. The stories are split into five sections, based on the Chinese language’s five tones: rising tones, half tones, deep tones, broad tones and vivid tones. Each offers a different perspective on news and life in contemporary China. Sixthtone’s articles, photography and videos cover a wide scope of issues including social trends, economic development and life in rural areas. The weekly summary of China’s Week in Photos provides an insight into the hugely varied events and developments going on in China.
Check out their website here, Instagram here or Facebook here
China Daily
Follow China Daily if you want to keep up-to-date with national news and understand a Chinese perspective on international news stories.
Scan the QR code below to follow their WeChat account
Cultural differences
Tinyeyescomics
This Instagram account uses pictures to convey the cultural differences between China and the West which are based on the illustrator’s experience of being a Chinese person living in the West. They may help prepare you for some of the cultural differences you will experience in China and resonate with you if you have spent time in China before!
Check out their Instagram here
Chengdu
Chengdu Expat
Chengdu Expat’s WeChat and Facebook account lists recent news and upcoming events in Chengdu. Look here for all the best business, cultural and nightlife events, as well as some discounts and deals. The Instagram account also features a variety of pictures showcasing life in Chengdu which will give you an idea of what you might see, do and eat while you’re here!
Check out their Instagram here, Facebook here or follow them on WeChat: Chengdu Expat.
sheleads
sheleads is an international network for professional females in Chengdu and offers a mentorship programme and listing of events which focus on female empowerment and feature women. In 2019, they organised a Female Week and launched a podcast.
Follow them on Wechat: sheleads
Zhuhai
discoverzhuhai
discoverzhuhai showcases the local sites of Zhuhai and the surrounding region.
Check out their Instagram here
zhuhaieater
This new account started by an InternChina intern shows the vast range of delicious food available in Zhuhai with their locations listed. With zhuhaieater’s help, you will never go hungry in Zhuhai again!
Check out their Instagram here
Qingdao
RedStar
This account targeted at expats lists upcoming events in Qingdao and information about the city.
Check out their Instagram here or follow them on WeChat: redstarqd
Visit.qingdao
The official tourist account for Qingdao offers snapshots of its scenery throughout the seasons.
Check out their Instagram here
Dalian
Unfortunately, Dalian is currently lacking any English language accounts but check out InternChina’s blog section about Dalian to learn more about previous interns’ experience here and maybe you will be inspired to start an account during your placement!
Get in touch:
Art and Culture Zhuhai – Books and Buildings, a review of Beishan Hall
Beishan Hall
Over the highway from the extravagant Huafa Mall and new town’s glass palaces lie the backstreets of old Beishan district, where wooden doors creak and electrical cables drape between buildings like bunting. Hipster noodle bars, cafes and even a tattoo shop seemingly add modern charm to the oldest district in central Zhuhai. Beishan Hall, a cultural institution, stands monumentally affront the labyrinth of streets. Its decaying grey walls mark the transition from new to old, from westernized to gentrified traditional.
The hall’s courtyard is framed with red lanterns and bonsai trees, while the rooms hold lavish costumes, books and art. Over summer especially, the institution boasts a program of shows, concerts and even a yearly Jazz festival launched in 2010. Consequently, Beishan Hall has become somewhat of a cultural center, with music institutes and art centers set up nearby.
On a regular weekend, however, the hall’s art cafe is available to escape both the weather and reality. Along with good quality fresh coffee you can flip through the thick, grainy pages of their exquisite book collection to a soundtrack of calming Chinese music. Adorning the shelves are translations of classics such as Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ or Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’, if your level of Chinese doesn’t quite stretch that far, however, beautiful art books – and a peculiarly high number of photographs of Bob Dylan – are also available. Beishan Hall is therefor a perfect way to spend a slow Sunday morning.
What happened when Zhuhai let two American Allstars loose on the IC Instagram!
As much an opportunity for us to be nosy as for our interns to gain marketing experience, we gave up the reins of our Instagram to see what what would happen with interns in charge for 1 whole week.
Best friends Anthony and Norah jumped at the chance to show off their insta worthy photo skills. They are in Zhuhai on an extensive language and cultural exchange program from International Business and Mandarin at Bryant University, Rhode Island. Offering homestays and campus living alongside internships and University study, the program provides full immersion into Chinese culture. The Instagram take over therefore allows us an insight into what the two get up to when they’re not enjoying downtime with their Chinese family or perfecting their accents in the dorms.
Although at home Norah enjoys flying planes while Anthony has a flair for Spanish and salsa, in Zhuhai they get to take part in InternChina activities like ‘wingshun’ or cooking. The pair are also looking forward to taking Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai by storm as part of the program.
A weeks worth of palm trees, ice cream and waffles later, here’s how Norah and Anthony got on.
Follow @internchina @Pointedthought (Anthony) and @Norahh39 on Instagram today!
Weekend Trip to Xiamen
Hi, my name is Steeve and I am currently undertaking a one month internship in Zhuhai organised for me by InternChina.
Within my first day of arriving in Zhuhai I was approached with the offer to join the other interns on an InternChina organised trip to Xiamen, naturally I was slightly sceptical due to the long 10 hour bus journey. However, I reluctantly joined knowing that this may be my only chance to experience the cultural history of China. Once the journey to Xiamen began, I am very pleased to say that I was completely wrong to second-guess the trip. Although the journey was long it was barely arduous. Driving through beautiful scenery and breathtaking mountainous backdrops really made the long journey a lot easier.
Before arriving at Xiamen the bus stopped for a toilet break, during this 15 minute break I was pleasantly surprised at the warmth and welcome from the locals. They sat us down and served us traditional Chinese tea. Although my understanding of Mandarin is not the best the language of welcome is universal and this village optimised it.
InternChina – VillagesDuring our time in Xiamen we were fortunate to experience the variety of different environments the city has to offer, ranging from religious temples, to island tours. On the second day of the trip, we went to an area just outside of Xiamen which consisted of seven villages dating as old as 700 years; Yunshuiyao, Tianloukeng Tulou Cluster, Taxia Village, Huaiyuanlou, Hekeng Tulou Cluster, Yuchanglou, Heguilou and last but not least Yunshuiyao. With beautiful scenery rich in culture and breathtaking streams and water features. We got to see traditional tea making as well as traditional rice wine making. We even got the chance to meet some of the villagers, the pride they showed in their culture was awe-inspiring.
InternChina – tianluokengWhile in Xiamen we also had the opportunity to visit a famous island just off the coast of the city, the main attraction of the island is the sunlight rock. Do not let the name fool you as it was more than just a rock we saw!!
We were also fortunate enough to visit the Piano Museum where we got to see some of the greatest collections of classical pianos played by composers such as Igor Fyodorovich Starvinsky.
The nightlife in Xiamen was quite vibrant and cosmopolitan with friendly people; those who could speak English would always say hello to you and make conversation which helped us feel so welcome.
I’d like to be 1st to thank all the staff at intern China for arranging such a wonderful trip. It felt less like being taken around by talk guides and more like a road trip with close family and friends. And I would like to encourage any in turn to grab the opportunity with both hands.
InternChina – XiamenIf you would like the opportunity to explore China, all while doing an internship apply now
InternChina in association with HWAO Consulting would like to invite our partners to an exclusive business talk with Henrik Larsen. This will be a fantastic opportunity for your HR to sample a training delivery by HWAO Consulting and Henrik.
Date: 30th June 2016 (6月30日)
Time: 2pm (下午2点)
Address: An Guang Century Mansion, Floor 5, 2099 Feng Huang North Road, Xiangzhou, Zhuhai (珠海市香洲区凤凰北路2099号安广世纪大厦五楼)
Registration: RSVP to paul.bailey@internchina.com by Tuesday 28th June 2016 – please include name and job title of attendees in the e-mail. Spaces are limited.
(周二6月28日之前，请回复到paul.bailey@internchina.com。 名额有限。)
NB: The talk will be delivered in English.
Mr Henrik Larsen will deliver an insightful presentation on comparisons between Chinese and Western culture reflecting on the cultural differences encountered in the business world. Participants will be invited to join the discussion and share their own opinions and observations that they may have encountered during their own careers.
Mr Henrik Larsen, the principal coach and consultant at HWAO Consulting, has a background in banking, IT, manufacturing, R&D and high-tech electronics. Besides his initial financial education, Henrik also has an engineering degree and IEP from INSEAD as well as being a graduate of the Hong Kong ProgressU, Professional Corporate Coach Certification Program (PCCCP). With experience across three continents, including 18 years of management experience in China, he has a comprehensive understanding of working in cross culture environments. Mr Larsen’s entrepreneurship has led him to co-founding Danish Chamber of Commerce South China and the FISC General Manager forum in Zhuhai City.
HWAO Consul
ting, founded in 2012, is a boutique management consulting provider working with individuals and corporations who desire to better understand and improve their position in China, through business consultancy, board work, workshops and training, and executive, team and expat coaching. HWAO Consulting values harmony, customer orientation, ethics, result orientation and continuous improvement, all of which are reflected in the company’s branding. The Chinese character和 (hé) used in both peace and harmony, combined with a bullseye represents HWAO Consulting’s philosophy; ‘Harmony With An Objective’.
The scope of work that HWAO Consulting undertakes is quite wide, benefiting the client and allowing them to support all the Steps of Change (discovery, assessment, implementation, re-assessment, education, influencing, persuading, facilitating, coaching, and finally auditing or assessing the result). The three main lines of services are Consultancy, Training Workshops and Coaching.
For more information please click here or scan QR code:
Sign-Up for the HWAO Consulting newsletter:
After living in Zhuhai for about 4 months, it seems about time to speak about the after-work possibilities. No matter if you just want to sip a cocktail, have a quiet wine or want to dance to wild electronic tunes, our beautiful city can offer you all of the above!
Bar Street
Location: South, Jida/Gongbei
Being a newbie in the city you cannot miss out on Zhuhai’s 300 meter long bar street 酒吧街 «Jiǔbājiē». As soon as it gets dark, bar street lights up. Here businessmen, yuppies and tourists rub shoulders to enjoy a drink or two, play dice or on occasion rock-paper-scissors at one of the more upscale clubs or dozen open-air bars. If you want to have a taste of the local beer, go for a Haizhu.
88 (Ba Ba)
- Being the first bar at the corner of bar street it is also the most popular bar in the city. Don’t be shy and join the locals to play a round of dice! The drinks are generally quite expensive there but don’t worry, we also have a solution for that: get yourself a can of beer at one of the shops across the street and enjoy it on one of the benches in front of the bar. 88 is open until 5am 7 days a week.
Cohiba (Xi Yang Hui)
- For a more quiet beer have a seat in the outdoor area of Cohiba or listen to the live singers inside the bar. It can also be a nice break from the electronic sounds of 88. A beer costs roughly ¥20-30.
La Bohemia (桂缘), 珠海市水湾路酒吧街
- La Bohemia is the first bar on bar street if coming from the North East. Its Latin dance parties on Friday nights are very popular. It is a great place to enjoy Portuguese or Mediterranean food and it also offers a large selection of cocktails and wines.
Casa Pepe
- This is also a nice place to go if you fancy a quiet wine and some fine dining.
1520 Bar
- 1520 is one block down from 88 towards the ocean. This bar is similar to 88 but has karaoke/ KTV rooms upstairs.
Midtown
Location: North of the City Centre, Lanpu
Midtown富华里«fu4 hua2 li3» is the place to go if you want a night out with a more western atmosphere. Here we recommend A-Club and specifically their outside beer-garden area.
Huafa
Location: South-East, Huafa Century City
In this very new and modern district of Zhuhai live most of Zhuhai’s expats. Bars and clubs we recommend you to go to are: The Factory, M2 and MiuMiu.
Whilst they have live music every Friday, The Factory is still a good place to meet friends to chat and drink, with delicious western food, live music and a round of pool. If you prefer to dance to modern electric sounds like there’s no tomorrow then make the short trip from here to M2 or MiuMiu.
With a little bit of luck, you can also spot one or two fancy cars, and even a hello-kitty version of a Ferrari boasting both Zhuhai and Macau license plates:
Jida Beach
Location: East Coast, Jida
When the weather is good, which in Zhuhai it often is, at the bars along Jida beach you can enjoy a perfect view over the ocean. The bars are reasonably priced considering their location and have a range of alcoholic beverages and juices on offer. For low-budget travellers we strongly recommend a few “beach beers” which you can get from one of the many small shops around.
Very close to Jida Beach you can find London Lounge, which is a very popular bar amongst expats. Their Chinese as well as Western staff are always ready to crack a joke and also the Open-Mic sessions every second Thursday are worth checking out!
If you also want to experience Zhuhai and get a tour around the city, apply now!
48 hours in Zhuhai
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to explore more of China, or perhaps you’re just about to spend your weekend in Zhuhai? Then you have just found the perfect 48 hour guide for our beautiful coastal city.
But first, let me give you some general information about Zhuhai:
The city is located in the southwest of China’s Pearl River delta and is still southern China’s best kept secret. Its development from a small fishing village to a Special Economic Zone – SEZ – happened as recently as the 1970’s.
Zhuhai has been voted the most liveable and romantic city thanks to its clean air, geographic location and warm climate. The locals are very helpful and even though the language can be tricky you’ll always find a way to communicate. The lingua franca is Mandarin.
Lastly, life is generally pretty cheap and laid-back – especially when comparing it to other Chinese cities. With the bus only costing 2-3 RMB to most locations across the city and an average taxi ride costing 15 RMB, public transport is very reasonable and convenient.
If you want to read more about Zhuhai, click here.
SEE
Fishergirl
Location: East coast
- The Fishergirl is the city’s icon and is based on a legend of an angels descended to earth who turned herself into a fisher girl after falling in love with the beauty of the land and in order to prove her love to a young fisher man called Hai Peng.
- You can get there by bus No. 9, 99 or the sightseeing bus.
New Yuan Ming Palace at Night
Location: North of the city centre, Lampu
- Make sure not to miss the 圆明新园 (Yuánmíngxīnyuán)
- It is a partial replica of the Beijing Summer palace covering 1.39 square km and – if you ask me – worth visiting the most in the evening when there are many beautiful lights lit up, impressive stage shows and more activity in general.
- It hosts a museum and a 80,000 square meters lake.
- TIP: If you make it there before the sunset, you can take a few stairs up at the Northern side of the park until you reach a viewing platform from where you can look out over the south of Zhuhai and see across the border to Macau. Make sure you get down again before dark as there is no external light around the stairs (speaking from experience here).
- The park closes at 11pm.
- To get there take bus 1, 25, 30, or 60.
Wetmarket at 5am (for early-birds)
Location: North-east, Xiangzhou
- Around 5 in the morning the Wet Market is a photographer’s paradise when the fishermen bring in all the fresh fish – ranging from winkles to sharks.
- If you want to read more, check out this blog.
DO
Lover’s road
Location: Along the east coast
- Right by the Fishergirl and all along the coast from the south to the north is the 情侣路 «Qínglǚlù».
- While having a leisurely stroll on Lover’s Road you can catch a glimpse of the Fisher Girl and the amazing skyline of Macau.
Hike to the Fishergirl’s husband
Location: central-east, Jinshan Park in Jida
- If you want to work off Zhuhai’s delicious food, walk up 2000 steps in the wonderful Jinshan Park to reach the famous Fishergirl’s husband (takes about 1 hour).
- Once you have reached the top, you can enjoy an amazing view over Zhuhai.
- Alternatively and for a small fee you can take a chairlift up the mountain and the alpine toboggan down.
Underground market
Location: South (next to the Macau border), Gongbei
If it is your first time in China, you shouldn’t miss out on the labyrinth of underground stores bordering Macau. Here you can satisfy your craving for shopping, but don’t forget to bargain down 50-70% of the original price. Before heading back to daylight, you should try the delicious soup dumplings 龙袍汤包 «long2 pao2 tang1 bao1» at: 拱北口岸地下广场为食街B1310号
EAT
Zhuhai is famous for its delicious and fresh seafood, but you’ll find mouth-watering food from all over China at the various food stalls and restaurants all over the city. Here our recommendations for breakfast, lunch and dinner:
Breakfast:
肠粉 «chang2 fen3»
For breakfast we recommend to try the traditional Changfen, which is served with for instance (BBQ) pork or beef. In the morning you will find food stalls offering the Cantonese speciality all over Zhuhai.
包子 «bao1 zi3»
Baozi are a very common breakfast in China. For the meat-lovers we recommend 肉包 «rou4 bao1» and for the veggie-fans 菜包 «cai4 bao1», a cabbage baozi. Similar to the Changfen you can find it throughout the whole city.
Holiday Inn
Location: south east, Jida.
If you want to spend a little more on your breakfast, you can go to the Holiday Inn hotel. Breakfast for none hotel guests is ¥60 and the buffet offers Western, Japanese and Chinese dishes
Lunch:
May Flower Dim Sum Restaurant
吉大皇朝五月花大酒楼 (Ji2 da4 huang2 chao2 wu3 yue4 hua1 da4 jiu2 lou2)
Location: East, Jida
At this restaurant you can either enjoy a delicious breakfast, brunch or lunch. It is very close to the Fishergirl so we recommend combining the two! A must try: Dim Sums 飲茶 « yum cha ». To get there take bus 9, 25 or tell the taxi driver to bring you to: Wu2 Yue4 hua1 Da2 Jiu3 Lou2.
Address: 珠海香洲区情侣中路49号日东广场3楼（海滨泳场附近）
Lanzhou Noodles
兰州拉面餐厅（lan2 zhou1 la1 mian4 can1 ting1）
We often refer to it as Muslim Noodles as they are traditionally handmade and Muslim owned. It is a cheap and filling snack found everywhere in the city.
Dinner:
Hunan Restaurant
珠海湖南人小龙虾美食广场 « Zhu1 Hai3 Xiao3 Long2 Xia1 Mei3 Shi2 Guang2 Chang3 »
Location: Central East, Jida
This patriotic Chinese restaurant is a great place for dinner and an absolute must-see whilst you’re in China! The fiery waiters in military uniforms will serve you a range of delicious, spicy Hunan cuisine:
Must-try:
- «Hong2 shao1 rou4» 红烧肉 (fatty pork – Chairman Mao’s favorite dish)
- «Gan1 guo1 tu3 dou4 pian4» 干锅土豆片 (potato dry pot)
- «Yao1 guo3 ji1 ding1» 腰果鸡丁 (chicken with cashew)
- «Shuang1 she4 duo4 jiao1 yu2 tou2» 双色剁椒鱼头 (red & green pepper fish head)
Address:吉大海滨南路9号loft时代商务园
Waizai Seafood Street
珠海香洲区湾仔海鲜街 «wan1 zai3 hai3 xian1 jie1»
This is THE place to go in Zhuhai for seafood-lovers. For a very low price you’ll find all kinds of crabs, oysters, prawns and fish. And if you’re feeling fancy, have a Doomen Peerly Crab (not for low-budget travellers!).
After you have bought your fresh seafood you choose one of the restaurants on the opposite the food stalls, which will be happy to prepare your dinner for you! To read more, check out the Wanzai Seafood Street blog.
Drink & Party
No matter if you just want to sip a cocktail, have a quiet wine or want to dance to wild electronic tunes, Zhuhai can offer you all of the above!
Bar Street
Location: South, Jida
Being a newbie in the city you cannot miss out on Zhuhai’s 300 meter long bar street 酒吧街 «Jiǔbājiē». As soon as it gets dark, bar street lights up. Here businessmen, yuppies and tourist enjoy a drink or two, play dice or on occasion rock-paper-scissors at one of the more upscale clubs or dozen open-air bars: 88 (Ba Ba), Cohiba (Xi Yang Hui), La Bohemia (桂缘), 珠海市水湾路酒吧街, Casa Pepe, 1520 Bar and a lot more.
Other nice areas in the city to have a drink are Midtown 富华里«fu4 hua2 li3», Huafa 华发商都 «hua2 fa1 shang1 du1» and Jida Beach! If you want to have a taste of the local beer go for a Haizhu.
To find out more about Zhuhai’s nightlife, click here.
SLEEP
To find a place to stay for a reasonable price we recommend to have a look on ctrip. Here we already prepared a link with filters for you! J Be aware that some hotels are for Chinese only. Most budget travellers find their way to one of the cheaper hotels (¥160-¥230) located in the Gongbei district as it very central. If that is still out of your price range have a look at hotels in Xiangzhou, Tangjia or Jinding (Tangjia and Jinding are in the very north of Zhuhai). Prices here range from ¥80 to ¥120
Other activities to consider:
- World’s biggest Aquarium Themepark – Chimelong (only if more than 48hrs in ZH)
- A trip to the Jintai Temple in Doumen and the Imperial Hot Springs.
- One of Zhuhai’s many islands.
If you would like to see Zhuhai from another perspective, apply for an internship now!
Come Together 一起来吧 2015
Last Saturday, on September 12th from 3pm – 11pm, the 4th annual Come Together Charity Music Festival was held at the Beishan Theatre in Zhuhai. Come Together is an event organised and managed by the CT Community (CTC) and its Partners.
All members of CTC, as well as the volunteers on Saturday without whom it would have been impossible to make an event as such happen, are like-minded fellows who care about giving something back to the community, helping out, and making a difference.
The ultimate goal is to bring people together from all cultures and walks of life to celebrate music and raise money for great charities with 100% transparency.
There are no words to describe how awesome this day was! Being assigned the role of the Raffle Ticket Sales Manager, it was an honour to be part of such a great charity event.
The village around Beishan Hall is simply beautiful and it gives an insight in the “old town” of Zhuhai andhow the now 1,6 million people city must have looked 30 years ago.
The venue was divided into four zones: an indoor Main Stage with amazing live bands from Macau, Hong Kong and Zhuhai, an outdoor garden area to relax, a Food and Beverage area with delicious international and local food and, new for 2015, an Outdoor Children’s Area with all sorts of games and activities for Children organised by international schools in Zhuhai.
The doors of Beishan Theatre opened at 15:00. Shortly after, the first live band, Kewl Jam was warming up the audience. Also, kids had the chance to show their talent to the visitors. Mary gavea really impressive live performance on the piano which was followed by an adorable children’s dance.
Half way through the programme, ZAS (the Zhuhai Autism Society) was proving that a handicap is no drawback when it comes to musical talent. 13 Families affected by autism performed “Boundless Love” in the medium of sign language and chorus as well as “A World Filled With Love”. But that was not all, a drum solo – Laski March, by Enquan and Zhensheng – fascinated the crowd.
Also the bands The Spit Shine Spurs, The Sun Yat Sens, The Vibe, Tommy Chung and @One were rocking the stage and got rewarded with great applause.
Towards the end, a so called “Sexy Dance” left the public breathless and the winners of the raffle as well as the auction were announced.
Last but not least, every one was rocking to the headliners The High Rollers, who’s lead singer affectionately known as, Billy Da Kid, paid for the event’s sound setup in full for the event. The band literally brought all people together and while playing crowd favourites such as let it be, imagine, hey Jude, and Rock My Baby they invited the volunteers on the stage and everyone was dancing together and looking back on an amazing day.
The CT Community has its very own Non-Profit Charity Organisation, Zhuhai Western and Chinese Love & Music Exchange Centre.The Come Together Charity Music Festival primarily raised funds for 2 great local charities:
CPAZ (Charity Promotion Association of Zhuhai) 珠海市爱心促进会, which promotes social activism and public welfare through a range of projects and aims to provide compassionate assistance to vulnerable sectors of society.
ZAS (Zhuhai Autism Society) 珠海市自闭症协, which is a non-profit organization set up by the parents of autistic children under the auspices of the Zhuhai Civil Affairs Bureau to offer the appropriate education and help the children and young adults gain the skills they will need to have fulfilling lives on a personal but also professional level.
Everyone’s hard work paid off and once again thanks to all the wonderful people helping out!!
For more information on the CT Community, please visit their webpage.
Thumbs Up for our Jinwan Volunteers
By Hayley Gibson and Alicia Wan – 21/08/15
Last week we were offered the opportunity to volunteer at Jinwan School in Zhuhai. The two of us, along with Magda and Pippa decided this would be a great opportunity to get involved with the community, so we took a day off work to help out. On the Friday, we were all picked up from our apartments in the morning and driven to the school which was around 45 minutes away.
After a brief introduction, we were then asked to talk to the children and ask them questions in English, they then had to stand up and respond, allowing them to practise the English they have been learning. Thanks to Magda who got the ball rolling with questions, we eventually became more comfortable and so did the children.
The group then split in half, we took one half of the group, and Magda and Pippa took the other. This section of the class was aimed at teaching the children how to direct tourists. We taught them how to say basic directions such as left and right in English, and decided that the best way to teach was to play games and be interactive with the children. They loved it, and so did we!
The lesson went fairly quickly as it was only 2 hours and at the end we had the opportunity for a photo or 2, which ended up being more like 100 selfies with the children!
After class, Wesley, who is in charge of the volunteers, said that he would be taking us to lunch at his restaurant. This was a great surprise as we thought we would be heading straight home. The food was delicious and it was a great gesture to say thank you.
After lunch Wesley then announced that we would go to his farm to see where the food had come from. Again this was unexpected and a great addition to what had already been a great day!
Overall we had an amazing time volunteering. The teachers were friendly and the children were fun to work with. It was an invaluable experience and we hope to have another opportunity like this again in the future!
An adventurous Hike to a Waterfall
On a Sunday, two days after my arrival in Zhuhai, I joined a day trip organized by one of the other IC office interns. I was told it was going to be a one hour bus drive and a one hour hike until we would reach a waterfall where we could go for a swim. By that time I did not know how amazing this trip was going to be.
At 10:00 in the morning we got on the bus to a town called 金星村, which is close to a mountain called 黄茅田 (or here the Google maps address: Sheng Dao, Taishan Shi, Jiangmen Shi, Guangdong Sheng).
We were a group of twenty enthusiastic interns who could not wait to see this supposedly beautiful waterfall. So we got off the bus, put sunscreen on, and started hiking.
After five to ten minutes of walking, the hiking track became quite adventurous. We strode through little streams, jumped from one stone to another, walked through bushes and had to be careful while walking along some pretty steep hillsides… oh and not to forget about all the Chinese paparazzi who came along and wanted to take selfies with us!
It was very hot and humid that day. Accordingly, we were melting in the sun until we finally reached the swimming hole. Within seconds, all of us jumped into the water to cool off. At last we then knew that the hike was totally worth it. The view from the top was stunning and we stayed for the whole afternoon.
And after that… well… we had to go all the way back to the town where the bus had been waiting for us. It turned out the way down was even more challenging than the way up. We had such a good time and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know the interns in Zhuhai. Even though I still had a jetlag, I’m very glad I joined the group that day..
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