This sounds like a statement of the obvious. Who wouldn’t look forward to staying away from work for seven days? But the upcoming National Day holiday does bear some added significance. It has been nine months since people had the last seven-day holiday - the Spring Festival - because the May Day Golden Week in between was cancelled. In addition, there is the danger of losing the National Day Golden Week.

Tsinghua University Professor Cai Jiming, head of the "Project Panel for the Reforming of Holidays", said recently that the National Day Golden Week should also be cancelled "if the conditions are ripe with regard to paid vacations". The panel is believed to be the mastermind behind the government’s decision to shorten the seven-day May Day holiday to three days and add three more public holidays related to three other days on the Chinese lunar calendar.

Cai’s words evoked a wave of public criticism. All the surveys conducted by China’s major Internet portal websites indicated that more than 80 percent of netizens opposed the suggestion. They accused the professor of depriving them of the precious holidays while enjoying two long vacations himself every year.

Cai has defended his idea by blaming the Golden Weeks for causing overcrowding on public transport and at tourist venues. People’s need for longer holidays, he said, can be met by popularizing the practice of paid vacations.

Professor Cai must have been to Western countries, or at least learned a lot about them, and envied them for their vacation system. I also admire the practice but I doubt it will be practiced in China without obstruction.

Now, so-called paid vacations in their true sense are seldom seen in China. Even though some companies and government organizations do have a paid vacation schedule, it is often ignored. Employees usually "voluntarily" give up the vacation because they find it difficult to get someone to fill in for them they are on holiday.

With the Golden Week system, however, Chinese employees are guaranteed three long vacations every year as they are compulsory by law. These days are a precious time for employees who work away from their hometowns because they can take the time to visit their kith and kin. In fact, most holidaymakers, the majority of whom are students and rural migrant workers, use the three Golden Weeks to visit their families and relatives.

Even for those who use the holidays for tourism, paid vacations are an inferior alternative. People usually hope to spend holidays with their loved ones; how can they ensure that they can succeed in asking for leave from their respective workplaces simultaneously?

The cancellation of the May Day week has deprived Chinese people of an important opportunity for a family reunions. It is understandable why people are so angry with the "experts" who have now selected the National Day week as their next target for "holiday reform".

The experts may claim that that they only called for the scrapping of these holidays "when the conditions are ripe with regard to paid vacations". However, ordinary people will ask them: "Were the conditions ripe when you cancelled the May Day Golden Week?"

E-mail: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/24/2008 page8)

A while ago when Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, I wrote a blog to explain why it was unlikely for him to pick the latter as his running mate. I used “handsome” to describe him, and one of the responses was “What? Do you consider Obama handsome?”

Sure, I think he is a good-looking guy. But soon I was drowned out in the debate as more and more people joined my challenger and questioned my aesthetic wisdom.

So, I tried to think from the perspective of an ordinary Chinese netizen, without the knowledge of Obama’s eloquence, poise or his insight on race relations. He may not be as eye-catching as Denzel Washington, but he can certainly score pretty high on the point of physical attractiveness.

Surprisingly, many disagreed with me, and their thinking process was very interesting. For example, I thought slim was good in this era of body image consciousness, but many Chinese netizens seem to have got their standards of beauty of black Americans from telecasts of NBA games. One said it took him a while to recognize “black beauty” and now that Obama does not look like a typical NBA player it is hard for him to be categorized as physically appealing.

In fact, so many respondents cited NBA as their biggest exposure that it is not a stretch to say people like Kobe Bryant have become the benchmark for China’s youths to size up black males. Where does that leave Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Hollywood’s efforts in shaping global perception of black Americans? Obviously, not half as effective as the ubiquitous basketball player as far as China’s vast basketball fan base is concerned, and they have not even experienced the magic of Michael Jordan.

Chinese and blacks seem to occupy two ends of the aesthetic spectrum. A lot of trends started by blacks, such as hip-hop, reached China via middlemen like white American and Korean singers, losing much of the authenticity in the process. Even then, it is somewhat jarring to see a Chinese youth, with soft-toned skins and smaller features, don the XXL-sized attire of striking colors, which compliments a black teenager so naturally.

On the other hand, martial arts flicks reach the black demographic through mainstream channels like Blockbuster rental and mass-appeal products such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It is not an exaggeration to say that the middle ground is firmly in the hands of Middle America, whose aesthetic values serve as a filter for exchange between non-white ethnicities and races. For example, unless for a function of ethnic diversity, a black would not wear an African tribal dress, nor would a Chinese put on a Tang-style costume. Most likely, they would both sport a business suit because it is the sartorial middle ground. If they do appear with their traditional garb, the outfit will be judged against the suit.

For a Chinese without constant contact with or exposure to black Americans, Obama’s look can only be extrapolated and evaluated by being imagined as a white person. It simply cannot be done. I have come upon a diary of a young Chinese journalist who did a comparison of Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright, and it was condescendingly unfair. I guess the only black ladies familiar to a regular guy on a Beijing street are Whitney Houston or Halle Berry.

It has dawned on me that movie star beauty is an inaccurate barometer for a whole race. It may distort perception. The best way to get rid of misunderstanding and prejudice is to know as many people as possible of the race or ethnicity previously unknown to you. By then you’ll be able to see Obama - not as another Denzel Washington or Kobe Bryant - but as a charismatic politician that he is.

E-mail: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/23/2008 page10)

The focus here is primarily on writing essays concerning literature. You may have many great ideas and be a very intuitive and fine reader of literature, but no-one will ever know if you cannot express your ideas properly and your communicative skills are not developed. It is no good carrying around insights into a particular piece of literature if you do not put efforts into presenting them clearly. Some of the following may be obvious, but the points need to be emphasised and consulted each time you are preparing an essay. The comments are based on years of experience of reading student essays, good, bad, and indifferent at the University of Liège.

An essay should not be merely a list. Too many in the past have been a list of notes, or a series of sub-headings followed by a list of dashes (-) or stars (*) accompanied by one or two words and/or quotations from the literary text with no explanation of what they are doing there. Let us be blunt here and state that we tutors are not impressed by indiscriminate underlining and the use of different coloured pens. Sub-headings written in magenta, underlined in ochre, followed by a list of quotations in vermilion are pointless. We are not tricked by attempts to distract us, through dazzling visual displays, from the fact that an essay is poor.

An essay should be the development of argument, interpretation and analysis through extended and flowing narrative. To do this you need to work at the level of the sentence, of course, but also, very importantly, you need to work at the level of the paragraph. The paragraph is a coherent passage of logically connected sentences usually concentrating on no more than one or two ideas relevant to your argument. Do not use very short and unconnected staccato sentences. It takes experience and practice to develop a sense of when a new paragraph is needed and when it has been finished. Examine the introduction to this booklet and this guide to get some sense of how paragraphs, or ‘idea units‘ as they have also been called, can be developed and constructed, and how their ‘natural’ beginnings and ends appear. The first sentence of the paragraph should generally be a ’strong’ one, used to signal or indicate the idea to be discussed within the paragraph. Think of a ‘topic sentence’, as it has also been called, which will highlight the main areas examined in a particular paragraph. Connecting and signposting words and phrases should be learnt, used, practised and developed (examples are ‘furthermore’, ‘moreover’, ‘in addition’, ‘to qualify the above’, ‘however’, ‘in order to’, ‘in this connection’, ‘having established that’ etc.). The argument should develop through the language you use and therefore in a short essay sub-headings are unnecessary.

Several stages are involved in essay preparation, choosing which points are to be considered, deciding how you will deal with them, and the actual writing. As you gain more experience you will find methods and ways of working which suit you, your personality and lifestyle. Generally, however, the process will involve the following. You should examine carefully the statements made in the essay question, making sure you understand each word and what is being asked, as misreading and misunderstanding at this stage can be fatal. Essay questions can be very general, very specific and sometimes deliberately provocative, and an understanding of them is essential. Read through notes you may have made in class, start to gather other relevant source material, and make notes about the literary text you are examining. Ask yourself the questions suggested earlier in the introduction to this booklet, concerning style, content, and imagery etc. Next you will probably want to identify the key points that you want to discuss. There may be many points you find generally interesting, but ask yourself if they are relevant to the essay in question. To do this it can be useful to try to think of a title for your essay. This is not to be confused with the essay question or title, but is concerned with your response to the task set. What title would best give the reader an overview of your approach and analysis, and highlight the main points you examine and the conclusions you reach? (Suggestions concerning conclusions will be given later). You should not assume that an essay has to include and cover all the possible points an interpretation may offer up. A short, well organised and structured essay focusing on some of the main points is far better than an over-long and unwieldy attempt to say a little about everything. You may find it useful to state in the introduction which points you are focusing on and why. Keep your reader informed of the development of your argument. Let her or him know which direction is being taken and the reasons why. Once the main points have been identified you need to consider in which order they will be examined. Students often do not make the most of the good ideas they have because they get lost if the argument does not develop coherently. Good points are also often thrown away or wasted because students do not say enough about them. Make sure the relevance of each point to the main argument is clearly stated and demonstrated. You should dwell and linger on the points: often this requires no more than two or three extra sentences, particularly if your writing is concise and focused.

A good essay takes time to prepare and write, so start to think about it and do the groundwork well ahead of the essay deadline (even in timed conditions, such as exams, it is important to take the time to organise and structure the essay before starting to write). You will probably find that you need to work out your ideas on paper before writing the essay, and are encouraged to prepare an outline of the essay: a point by point series of key words, phrases and ideas. This will help you to organise the structure and to recognise what is relevant and irrelevant to the essay as a whole. Some people find that a plan or outline will consist of eight to ten words only. Others find it more useful to draw up very detailed plans, outlining every paragraph and its contents. Again you will discover which method works for you as you go along. Some students find it easier to think and plan the essay point by point before beginning to write, whilst others find that after some initial preparation, reading, organisation and thinking they can only develop their ideas through writing. Both these approaches take time, if the essays are to be done well. It should be stressed here that the first plan does not have to be binding and may change as the work begins and develops. The main point here is that essays involve a certain amount of planning and preparation even before the actual writing begins. Having emphasised that essays are hard work and take time it should also be stressed that it can be very stimulating and rewarding to work through a number of ideas in depth and detail. Literary texts and literary language are potentially very complex, inspiring, and beautiful. The ideas and images often demand careful thought and attention.

Computers are essential in terms of using the time you spend on an essay efficiently and productively. As stated earlier, good essay writing demands time spent on every stage of the process: reading and research, making an outline, ordering and structuring your ideas, writing and changing various drafts, and final editing and presentation. With this in mind it cannot be stressed enough how important it is for you to learn word-processing skills and to make sure you have access to a computer. Use the university resources. Admittedly the space available is limited at times but this is no excuse not to learn the skills, if you do not already possess them, and to find out where there are available computer terminals. Of course if you use university resources it is even more important to start your essay early in order to avoid the last minute rush as most students, not only from this department, search for terminals in a panic on the Friday before a Monday deadline. It is appreciated that students are very busy and do have a lot of work, but it is a mistake to claim, as some students have been heard, that they are too busy to learn word-processing skills. Ultimately word-processing will save you a lot of time. It is far easier to add and delete material, and to restructure and reorganise essays by moving material around, on a computer than if you are writing by hand. Software has become really user-friendly; ‘Word’, for instance, will tell you what to do in explicit English or French, and typing skills can be learned whilst typing.

Your essay will be the representation of an argument on a given subject or subjects. It will include only points which are relevant to the subject, so be careful to get rid of material that is not directly relevant. Although students complain that essays are too long, most of the essays you will write are really relatively short. Part of the skill of writing is to write concisely and economically, without wasting material or ‘padding’ the work with irrelevant diversions and repetition. Once the points have been chosen they should be presented logically and coherently, so do not leap about from point to point. Each point generally will have some connection to the preceding one and the one to follow. If you do leave one area of the essay to move into another, but intend later to go back to the point you have left and show, for example, how the points may be connected or related, then it can be useful to say so by ’signposting’, e.g. ‘this point will be picked up later’, ‘this point will be returned to later, after taking into consideration …’. After each draft of the essay check that each point is presented in a logical and coherent order. Read each draft carefully and critically. Is there a significant idea you have not included in the essay? Do you need to expand some of the points you have chosen to write about? Are some of the points, after due consideration, not really relevant? Have you been too long-winded or repetitive? If so, cut out and/or reduce some of the text. Does your argument need to be clearer, and do the links between some of the main points need more emphasis? You should be asking yourself these questions throughout the whole process.

A particularly distressing weakness in the past, but hopefully not the future, has been the absence of serious discussion of imagery and literary language. Some students have merely stated that the author uses imagery, illustrated this with an example, and then moved on to the next point on the list. If you discuss images, metaphors and other literary devices, then say how and why they are being used in the piece of fiction, and maybe if you think the imagery works or not. If you do not say how and why an image is being used then don’t mention it. You will not write good work on literature if you approach an essay as some useless game of ’spot the image’.

Throughout your years at the University of Liège you will be writing essays on literature which will inevitably include numerous quotations, either from the literature you are working on or from secondary sources, be they books or articles on historical context, literary criticism or other relevant areas. These quotations can obviously add much to the texture and quality of your work, but they are often handled very badly by students. Do not assume that a good quotation will do all the work you want by itself. Poor essays are often merely a patchwork of quotations stitched together by the briefest of comments, and it is a mistake to leave quotations hanging in mid-air, as it were, without comment or explanation. Quotations need to be framed. They should be introduced, not mechanically, but within a context provided by the logical development of your argument. (See Example 1 at the end of this guide). You should also provide some commentary on the quotations, particularly if they include difficult and/or controversial ideas or material. This is often likely to be the case as there is really little point in including ‘bland’ quotations in your essay. You may want to gloss, explain, qualify or modify the quoted words, or you may have included quotations whose assumptions or arguments you strongly disagree with. The latter case can be useful, if handled well. Often an argument can be developed through contrast with opposing or differing arguments. This tactic in essay construction also displays independent thinking in that it demonstrates that you have not unthinkingly accepted and believed everything you have read. One final point on quotations: do not plagiarise. Using other people’s work without saying so is a serious crime. Tutors have read widely on the subjects you will be writing on and are very likely to recognise when you are plagiarising. If you use other people’s ideas and words they have to be acknowledged through proper footnoting and referencing. (See Example 2 at the end of this guide).

Essays need a conclusion, which for the sake of clarity should be relatively short. It is generally best not to include new ideas or new material in your concluding comments, particularly since many people think that a conclusion should be a summary of the prior arguments. You may, however, point to alternative conclusions or arguments, or briefly suggest areas of interest that have not been dealt with directly by the essay. People often get the wrong idea about conclusions and believe that this is the place to state firm convictions, and that a conclusion has to make a stand and come down on the side of one argument or another. This can be the case but it is not necessarily so. If an essay title comes in the form of a question, for example ‘Is James Joyce seeking to distance himself from traditional forms of Irish culture?’, and you cannot decide, do not think that this is a problem. It is as much a sign of intelligence to state that you cannot decide as it is to sift through the evidence and decide one way or the other. Think about why you cannot decide. Perhaps the evidence is conflicting. Perhaps the literary text and its use of imagery is ambiguous, or even contradictory; as is often the case. If you cannot decide, then say so, outlining why you cannot decide. Alternatively, you may partly agree or partly disagree with the statements or questions raised by the title, or by questions raised directly in responding to the title. If so, say so. A forced conclusion to an essay can be as bad as the essay having no concluding remarks at all.

In connection to the last point it should be emphasised that any essay should be about your ideas and your interpretation of the literature being studied. Of course your ideas may, and indeed should, develop through discussions with friends, fellow students, tutors and through the consultation of books and articles, but it is your ideas which should form the basis of the essay. Whilst you will use material that is not your own, it is the way that you use, add to, adapt and modify this material that makes the argument your own and original. Your own voice should be heard. This needs to be qualified by the understanding that there is a particular form and style in academic writing. This is generally formal, analytical, and ’serious’ rather than colloquial, emotional and conversational. Your voice and your ideas need to be heard, but be careful of cultivating an overly idiosyncratic, ‘individual’ style. Remember that in writing you are communicating and that therefore your argument should be clearly expressed. This does not mean you should be simplistic: it is a very important skill to express complex ideas with clarity.

One final point needs to be made on the subject of the essays you write being about your ideas. Some of you may find this an extraordinary statement but it is a bad idea to tailor and construct your essay around what you believe your tutor or the head of the course thinks about the text, and what you think she or he wants to hear. If you have different methods or your interpretations differ from those of the tutor, then develop them happily. Remember that essay writing is all about presenting an argument and using evidence from the text and elsewhere to back up your statements, and if you do this well you will be given credit for it whether or not the tutor agrees with the overall argument. It is not particularly interesting for tutors to read in essays only what they have said in class, particularly if this is reproduced in a flat, unconvincing, and unconvinced manner. Of course you may agree and be persuaded by arguments and interpretations outlined in class but if you do not believe the arguments you reproduce in the essay it will be obvious and the tutor will wonder why you bothered to include them. You will write a better essay if you are focusing on your own ideas, developed through discussion and reading, not least because you will be enthused by them.

Eventually your ideas will be thought through, outlines planned and re-planned, main points developed, written down on paper, then rewritten, and finally given to your tutor. Nevertheless your work on the essay has not yet finished. Once the essay has been graded and returned it is very important that you do not merely look at the grade you have received before putting it at the bottom of your files. Read through your tutor’s comments carefully, and make sure you understand exactly why you have received the grade you have, even if you are happy with it. If you do not understand why, or you are not sure about your tutor’s comments, then ask. If it is not possible to ask during class or you would prefer to talk privately go to your tutor during office hours, or make an appointment if these clash with other classes. Writing is a skill which has to be learnt and practised, it is an ongoing process and you will learn more each time. Follow up work once the essay has been returned is an important part of this process.

Example 1: Using Quotations

The extract below, from a paper on Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, shows how quotations can be used. Because the paper quotes from the novel extensively, page numbers are found within the main body of the text, in parentheses, after complete bibliographical details have been provided in a footnote to the first quotation. Quotations from secondary sources are referenced by footnotes. Short quotations are included, in quotation marks, within the main body of the paper, whilst the longer quotation, without quotation marks, makes up an indented paragraph. Note that even when the writing by the author of the paper is combined with quotations from the novel and secondary sources the sentences are still grammatically correct and coherent.

Jean Brodie is convinced of the rightness of her own power, and uses it in a frightening manner: ‘Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life’.¹ This is Miss Brodie’s adoption of the Jesuit formula, but, whereas they claim the child for God, she moulds the child for her own ends. ‘You are mine,’ she says, ‘… of my stamp and cut …’ (129). When Sandy, her most perceptive pupil, sees the ‘Brodie set’ ‘as a body with Miss Brodie for the head’ (36), there is, as David Lodge points out, a biblical parallel with the Church as the body of Christ.² God is Miss Jean Brodie’s rival, and this is demonstrated in a literal way when one of her girls, Eunice, grows religious and is preparing herself for confirmation. She becomes increasingly independent of Miss Brodie’s influence and decides to go on the Modern side in the Senior school although Jean Brodie makes clear her own preference for the Classical. Eunice refuses to continue her role as the group’s jester, or to go with them to the ballet. Cunningly, her tutor tries to regain control by playing on her religious convictions:

All that term she tried to inspire Eunice to become at least a pioneer missionary in some deadly and dangerous zone of the earth, for it was intolerable to Miss Brodie that any of her girls should grow up not largely dedicated to some vocation. ‘You will end up as a Girl Guide leader in a suburb like Corstorphine’, she said warningly to Eunice, who was in fact secretly attracted to this idea and who lived in Corstorphine. (81)

Miss Brodie has different plans for Rose; she is to be a ‘great lover’ (146), and her tutor audaciously absolves her from the sins this will entail: ’she is above the moral code, it does not apply to her’ (146). This dismissal of possible retribution distorts the girls’ judgement of Miss Brodie’s actions.

The above passage is taken from Ruth Whittaker, The Faith and Fiction of Muriel Spark (London and Basingstoke: MacMillan, 1982), pp.106-7.

Example 2: Laying out a bibliography

The bibliography will usually include the relevant sources consulted in producing your essay, even if you have not referred to or quoted from them directly. The order is alphabetical and determined by the authors’ names. Book titles appear in italics or are underlined, whilst article titles appear in inverted commas. When referring to books you should include the author’s name, place of publication, the publisher, and the date when the book was published. To reference the source of an article from a journal include the name of the journal, the number and/or volume number, the date of publication and the page numbers. There are several styles for laying out a bibliography, but the same elements appear in each, and you must be consistent. Consult the handbooks to be found in the libraries for further details.

This is a model used by many British universities and publishers.

Bibliography

Dahlgren, Pete, Television and the Public Sphere (London: Sage Publishers, 1995)
Dubois, Ellen, ‘Antipodean Feminism’, New Left Review, no.206, July/August 1994, 127-33
Fussel, Paul, The Great War and Modern Memory (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975)
Gledhill, Christine, ‘Melodrama’, in The Cinema Book, ed. Pam Cook (London: BFI, 1985), pp.73-84
Lodge, David, ‘The Uses and Abuses of Omniscience: Method and Meaning in Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie‘ in David Lodge, The Novelist at the Crossroads and Other Essays on Fiction and Criticism (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1971), pp.119-44
Pettifer, James, The Greeks (London: Penguin, 1993)

This is the model recommended by the Modern Languages Association (MLA) and is used by most American universities and publishers.

Bibliography

Dahlgren, Pete. Television and the Public Sphere. London: Sage Publishers, 1995.
Dubois, Ellen. “Antipodean Feminism.” New Left Review 206 (July/August 1994): 127-33
Fussel, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975.
Gledhill, Christine. “Melodrama” in The Cinema Book. Ed. Pam Cook. London: BFI, 1985. 73-84
Lodge, David. “The Uses and Abuses of Omniscience: Method and Meaning in Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” in David Lodge The Novelist at the Crossroads and Other Essays on Fiction and Criticism. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1971. 119-44
Pettifer, James. The Greeks. London: Penguin, 1993.

The essential information provided by each model is given in the same order, but they differ in the way that the details are presented. Whichever model you choose or are instructed to use ensure that you stay consistent to it.

Consult reference works for further advice. These books are on the open shelves:
· John Clanchy and Brigid Ballard, How to Write Essays (Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1992)
· Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (New York: MLA, 1995)

______________________________________

1 Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (London: Macmillan, 1961), p.7. All further references are to this edition and given in the text.

2 David Lodge, ‘The Uses and Abuses of Omniscience: Method and Meaning in Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie‘, in David Lodge, The Novelist at the Crossroads and Other Essays on Fiction and Criticism (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1971), pp.119-44.

All of a sudden, of course, it’s three days from now. I’ve been to the Opening Ceremony rehearsals and so I feel it’s actually here. So therefore, let me share with you some Olympic notes to gear you up for the occasion.

First of all, 更快、更高、更强 is not a Chinese invention. The somewhat petty idea of 夺取金牌，为国争光 (Winning gold to make your country proud) is (I wonder if someone ever tells all athletes that by representing China, they are making their country proud, winning or losing. But then again, this is perhaps telling too much and besides, looking past the perks of mega-bucks that comes with winning today is perhaps not so healthy after all – at any rate, it is more difficult of accomplishment than winning the medals). The idea of更快、更高、更强 is not. It is, instead, a transliteration of the universal Olympic motto of Faster, Higher, Stronger (Citius, Altius, Fortius in Latin).

Here are some Olympic notes I’ve collected for share, event by event:

ARCHERY

Ancient Chinese poem:

When the archer shoots just for fun he has all his skill.

But when he shoots for score he finds his hands trembling, his breath uneasy.

And when he shoots for a grand prize he becomes mad and blind.

His skill did not diminish.

The vision of the prize changed him.

ATHLETICS

Jesse Owens (1913-80), black American:

Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.

BADMINTION

Tip:

So many Chinese play this sport that it’s perhaps useful to offer something practical. When you hit (or rather mishit) the shuttle with the frame of the racket, it’s called a wood shot because in the olden days the badminton racket was made of wood.

It’s a legal shot.

BASEBALL

Woody Allen, comedian:

When we played softball (a junior version of baseball), I’d steal second base, feel guilty and go back.

BASKETBALL

Michael Jordan:

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed… I’ve failed over and over and over again… And that is why I succeed.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Perhaps this is reassuring to the small man/woman who wants to play the two-a-side sandy version of volleyball:

You don’t have to be tall or as fast as other sports. You just have to have the skills (Misty May-Treanor, American, 2004 Olympic champion).

BOXING

Muhammad Ali:

I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.

CANOE (KAYAK)

Yes, this is an Olympic sport:

A whalebone and driftwood frame, with a sea-lion skin stretched tautly over it and waterproofed with whale fat, hardly suggests a budding Olympic sport. Yet the kayaks that meant life to the Inuits in the Arctic for centuries have become the racing kayaks of the modern world - even if the building materials have changed.

The link was 19th century British barrister John MacGregor. He studied the ancient kayaks, designed a similar boat and disappeared into the rivers and lakes of Europe’s wilderness to become a noted travel writer of his time. When others copied his boat, he founded the Royal Canoe Club, and canoe regattas began a year later in 1866.

Canoe/kayak, consisting solely of the sprint, was a demonstration competition at the 1924 Olympic Games before gaining full-medal status in 1936.

(Credit: IOC)

CYCLING

Diane Ackerman, American writer, naturalist:

When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day’s sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay’s call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else’s heart.

DIVING

Guo Jingjing, on winning more medals on home soil:

“I feel no particular pressure because I will only be competing with myself.”

EQUESTRIAN

Pat Perelli, American advocate of natural horsemanship:

“If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong.”

FENCING

Moliere:

“The essence of fencing is to give, but by no means to receive.

FOOTBALL (SOCCER)

Bill Shankly, Scottish:

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.

GYMNASTICS ARTISTIC

Plato:

Let us describe the education of men. What then is the education to be? Perhaps we could hardly find a better experience of the past which expresses the body than gymnastics. I believe, in gymnastic, for the body and music for the mind.

GYMNASTICS RHYTHMIC

Differentiation:

Artistic (艺术) gymnastics (体操) is not what we call艺术体操. Rhythmic (韵律) gymnastics is. Rhythmic gymnastics, an Olympic item since 1984, was also once (during the mid-20th century) called “modern gymnastics.”

To be continued.

Liu Xiang is under enormous pressure.

He is expected to deliver China’s only gold-medal in the track and field event in the coming Beijing Olympics. He won at the Athens Games four years ago, and held the 110m hurdles record until Cuban athlete Dayron Robles broke that record by 0.01 seconds.

Since June, Robles has won seven championships out of eight. Liu, on the other hand, was suffering from a sore hamstring.

Things do not look good for China’s biggest athletic star. If he does not win gold, 1.3 billion people will be disappointed. As one commentator said, even a silver or bronze will not be good enough.

China is expected to win quite a few gold medals, especially in table tennis, gymnastics, etc. But a gold in the 110m hurdles is bigger than any of them. It shatters the stereotype that Asians are intrinsically weaker in track and field events.

This reminds me of Zhu Jianhua, another star athlete from Shanghai. Before the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the high jumper repeatedly won world championships, setting three world records within a short period. Then, when it mattered, he took home only bronze.

I still remember the day of his astounding defeat. The year 1984 was a time China did not have much live transmission of sports events or many television sets. Dozens of students crammed into a single dorm with a TV, and CCTV, not yet dexterous with talking heads or commercial breaks, kept us waiting for Zhu Jianhua.

He only cleared 2.31 m - disappointing for someone whose record was 2.39 m.

If we had Internet then, the virtual spitting from across the nation would have drowned him.

I fear the same fate might befall Liu.

A random browse of media commentaries turned up statements like: “If he doesn’t snatch the Beijing Olympics gold, all his previous successes will come to nothing.” I hope those who have access to him do not give him this kind of “encouragement”. The last thing Liu needs right now is more pressure.

In a sense, both the public and officialdom in China are like the archetypal parents. They pin all their hopes on a few promising children. You will see a pattern if you study parents who prepare their children for the annual national college entrance exam. They cook for their kids, make their beds, buy them expensive placebos disguised as omnipotent health supplements, even rent them rooms in luxury hotels so that they can concentrate on their studies.

The only thing they are stingy with is to give the kids a break - mentally.

I have seen so many parents trying to hammer home the importance of diligence that I am surprised the suicide rate of high-schoolers is not higher. That is why I feel Han Han the young writer has set a good example by defying parental expectations and refusing to go to college. Someone needs to tell the parents that good intentions alone may not constitute parental guidance.

Many in China do not seem to realize that pressure in the form of pep talks work to only a certain extent and for certain people. Beyond that, adverse effects start to kick in. Kids are by nature rebellious, and too much pressure will only intensify their defiance.

Athletes like Liu do not need admonition of any kind. They know too well what their performance means. What they need is an approximation or even a semblance of normalcy.

Do not turn Liu into another Zhu. Do not make the terrible mistake of pressuring him till he buckles. Cheer him if he wins; comfort him if he loses. Whatever the result, he is our pride.

Email: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/26/2008 page4)

A reader recently sent me a question asking for some assistance regarding ‘impromptu speeches’. For many standing up and speaking in front of a group is a little disconcerting. Add into this the ‘impromptu’ element, where the speaker is given very little time to prepare and then even great speakers may ’shake at the knees’. A good way to approach this task is to first understand what it means if you can do it well.

If you are successful at giving an ‘impromptu speech’ it signifies

� you are competent in the language

� you are confident addressing people who may be strangers

� you present your ideas clearly

� you can connect with and engage the listener

So let’s assume you have the first trait and are competent in the language.

The next aspect, confidence to address people who may be strangers, this is more challenging and particularly if it is a job interview situation, it can be tough. I don’t think there is any simple solution to this apart from a realization that says, “I am important, what I have to say is useful and interesting and my ideas are just as worthwhile as anyone else’s”. At the end of the day � life goes on. Your success and pathway in life will meet many challenges; this impromptu speech is just one of those. Look at it as an opportunity, get excited, feel inspired and remember to smile because it can and should be fun.

The third point, present your ideas clearly, is very important to remember. Often when we stand up and talk to a group our heart beat goes faster, our breathing rate increases and our mind races. What comes out of our mouths sometimes can be too fast or too ‘out of this world’ to appeal to the listener who is not experiencing the same ‘adrenaline rush’ as you. So calm down, focus on your main points and plan your time.

Assuming that you will be given a little bit of preparation time before you have to get up and speak, it therefore is vital that you plan your speech, just like an essay, ideally introduction, 3 main points supported by examples and a conclusion. It is a formula and may sound boring, but we are not expecting instant J.F. Kennedy’s or Dr Martin Luther King’s � we just want a believable,well-rounded speech that holds the listener’s attention and suggests if given more time, then you could really do an excellent job. So remember the K.I.S.S. formula and keep it simple stupid!

The last point - connect with and engage the listener, is really where you can make yourself memorable and appear distinct from all the other competitors. Ideally you will have some understanding of who the people you are talking to are. This will require a bit of time on your behalf, to actually sit down and think, who are these people, what do they want, what would they be interested in hearing, what are they tired of listening to etc.

To really get to the heart of people takes time and sensitivity so as soon as you walk into that room you are identifying from body language, clothing, voice tone etc, who is the boss, who is second in charge, whose opinion matters most, who may be important to influence etc. Understand your audience as much as possible. What do they really want from you � perhaps most of all it is trust � they need to be able to trust you so if you get the job and they ask you to speak up in front of a group � they know you can do it, it isn’t a problem.

But also there is a whole lot of other baggage that comes with this. Are you able to sell the whole organization by your style and manner? Do you fit into their corporate image or is there too much dissonance? Ideally you have been into their workplace before. You have surfed extensively their website and when you present yourself at the impromptu speech it is in a style and way that is just as though you already work there. You fit in.

So � for anyone who is a little bit nervous about giving an impromptu speech just remember - it is a life long skill that only gets better with time. The sooner you get started on this, the sooner more success will come to you and the sooner more doors will open. When you feel better about yourself people start looking at you differently.

You have a right to be heard so believe in yourself. Believe in yourself in the same way people who really love you, and know you, believe in you. They want you to succeed so remember them when you stand up. Visualize their spirit, image and love before your speech.

Remember anything that is a challenge is useful for us in the long term.

Useful Vocabulary

Disconcerting adj. disturbing, upsetting, off putting e.g. He had a disconcerting habit that saw him always put his finger up his nose and then into his mouth

‘Shake at the knees’ = to be nervous, e.g. When she came up to me and tried to kiss me I shook at the knees.

Out of this world = not realistic or based in reality, a bit far fetched, e.g. Listening to your reasoning makes me feel it is a bit too “out of this world” to really be a good idea.

‘Adrenaline rush’ = a shot of energy, adrenaline is the hormone that makes your heart beat faster, e.g. When I jumped out of the airplane and parachuted I experienced an amazing adrenaline rush.

Well � rounded adjective = to be balanced, complete, unified, no parts missing, e.g. She was a well- rounded character always happy and cheerful but also hardworking and very serious.

Baggage, noun = in this context baggage refers to the extra material that is brought to a situation, the wider context that needs to be appreciated, e.g. After serving in the war the soldier brought back a lot more baggage than just his green uniform, i.e. he was mentally disturbed, often violent etc.

Dissonance, noun = Lack of agreement, consistency, or harmony; conflict, e.g. When the two of them came together there was an obvious dissonance that was difficult to ignore.

Yan writes:

Once I failed in working out my questions, I turned to you. This time, no exception.

Please tell me why the link verb “be” is used in its root form in the following sentence � “After all, all living creatures live by feeding on something, whether it BE plant or animal, dead or alive, and it is only by chance that such a fate is avoided.”

And in another sentence � “Happiness: All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble; work is alone noble: BE that here said and asserted once more. And in the like manner, too, all dignity is painful.”

It seems that you do not answer grammatical questions, as I found, the ones you do mostly are those that have a deep cultural background, and very difficult for normal people. But, today is my birthday; can you answer my questions as a gift for me? Thanks a lot! Hope it is my turn to get your answers this time. And I think many people also have the same questions. I’ve asked a few people for help, including the English teacher who is from Ireland teaching my daughter at Kid Castle, but he had no idea either.

Looking forward to your reply, hopefully soon.

My comments:

Happy birthday.

So you see I have nothing against birthdays. You’re not the first one to take the “blackmail” route, though, tossing up birthday celebrations to dare me: “Dare you put a damper on my good mood by not answering my question!”

Laughs apart, let it also be said here that I don’t want to leave the impression that I cave in to “blackmails” (do you see my legs shaking?) because if I leave such an impression, I’ll be inundated with letters with “today’s our second wedding anniversary” and such like. In other words, I do not want this to lead to a competition, in which case someone soon will claim to celebrate a birthday twice (or thrice) in the same calendar year (I’ve seen it happen actually) if their first (or second) birthday-letter fails to gather a reply.

Joking aside, let’s get to the question, which is a good one. It is a good question, but you’ve perhaps asked it in the wrong manner. Instead of asking why “be” is left in its original stark form, you should’ve asked: “why can’t I just accept it as the way it is and let it be?”

That way, you see, I can turn the whole problem back to you. (~_~)

You see, I myself have long stopped questioning why the English speak the way they do. The English are not normal, to borrow your word (I know you meant ordinary). The English are a very peculiar people. And I’m sure our friend, your kid’s Irish teacher, will agree with me on this one. I understand, by the way, why our Irish friend has no time for English grammar � The Irish have a grudge to settle with the English for all the terrible things the English had done to them throughout history (ask our Irish friend for details). That’s not to say the Irish can’t master the English language if they care for it. James Joyce is Irish, as are Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Frank McCourt, naming but a few authors that I’ve actually read.

The point?

Do not question English grammar. Accept it. Don’t force making sense of it. Uses come first. Grammar comes later. Only after a certain number of people say such and such for a certain number of years does it get recorded by grammarians, who can do nothing but record it, be it something that makes sense to them or not. It’s a pity, therefore, that years later, people like the Chinese learners study the language backwards, that is, grammar first (and therefore find the whole thing nonsensical to the point of apocryphal).

Now let’s be fair to the English people and their lovely language. We Chinese are a very peculiar people (and I’m sure our Irish friend will agree with me on this one), too. Our language doesn’t always make sense either. Take the word “brokeback”, for instance. According to the Global Language Monitor (Will the Beijing Olympics Finally Eradicate Chinglish? July 31, 2008):

Recently, the Ministry of Education (MOE) accepted some 171 neologisms into the Chinese language. Words were considered only after they passed the scrutiny of a dozen scholars associated with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Institute of Linguistics. These included a new ideogram for ‘brokeback,’ a word popularized from the banned movie Brokeback Mountain to indicate ‘gay’.

You will find brokeback in few English-language dictionaries, but it already has been accepted into the Chinese.

Ah well, so much for talking sense. Let’s get back to the real question why “be” is left in its root form in some cases and if so, can we see some more examples?

To my limited knowledge, “be” is let be out of custom, convenience, economy rather than conspiracy � Certainly English grammar is not the way it is to bewilder the Chinese (and I’m sure your Irish friend will agree with me one more time). In the first example, “whether it BE plant or animal” is more commonly put as “be it plant or animal”, saving one more word (whether) and meaning “no matter if it is a plant or an animal”. In the second example, “BE that here said” is the same as “let that be said here”.

Other examples, again to my limited knowledge, are “be that as it may” and “far be it from me”. Both expressions are usually used to open a new sentence while addressing something said earlier in a conversation.

“Be that as it may” means “That as it may be”, “That may be so, but”, or in other words, even though your accept something as true, it does not change a situation. Example (Longman Dictionary):

“James has been under a lot of pressure at work recently.”

“Be that as it may, he ought to spend time with his family.”

“Far be it from me”, on the other hand, dates all the way back to the Bible (King James Version):

Samuel 20:20:

And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

Followed by “to say” or “to do something”, “Far be if from me” means “It’s certainly not for me to say this or do that, but (I say this or do that anyway)”. You say it to disassociate yourself from something, expressing reluctance when, say, you’re going to give someone advice. Here’s my example:

Far be it from me to tell you this, Yan, as I’m no grammarian, but I really think you should just accept English grammar as it is.

And let it BE.

Happy birthday and many happy returns.

The other week I received a question from a reader who was interested in becoming a qualified English Teacher. The problem for this college student was whether “learning English on the internet and on TV” was enough � and if not “what else should / could” be done?

It’s true. Real opportunities for mixing with native English language speakers are few and far between. This is the situation for most English students in China yet many make it to an intermediate or above level � enabling them to be good and effective English language teachers � so what is the key?

Is “learning English on the internet and on TV enough?”

Personally I would have to say it isn’t. Ideally, when it comes to language practice comprehensive exposure to reading, writing, listening and speaking occurs. Within this ‘learning English on the internet and on tv’ can cover most bases but one needs to be proactive rather than passive.

With the addition of new technologies such as Skype that allows for voice chatting, and popular programs like QQ, there are opportunities now, which don’t have to cost money, that enable Chinese English language learners to practice with native speakers from all over the world.

With the growing popularity of Chinese as a Foreign Language many foreigners are interested in starting up language exchanges online. Once you find a partner and you are able to start practice chatting away, perhaps for 30 minutes first in English and then 30 minutes in Chinese, you are getting good ‘one to one’ conversation practice.

There are private companies that facilitate this service, such as Idapted, based near Wudaokou, who in addition provide qualified language instructors to chat with over the net, backed up with particular courses be they IELTS or TOEFL based. Of course this comes with a fee though it does provide a more focused exchange.

I knew one Chinese fellow who in his early 20’s was a self study student. He had excellent English and he told me the way he progressed came about by watching movies with the English subtitles turned on. With a pen and pad he would write down any of the language he was unfamiliar with, particularly slang, which makes up a large part of modern spoken English. Later he would go on to practice and learn it. Through this he also adopted a fairly strong Hollywood accent in his speaking and of course his listening was very good too.

Now according to the British Council where Chinese English students are falling down is in their writing composition. Can this be addressed by focusing solely on the internet? Personally I don’t think so unless you have a very patient and considerate ally who gives you writing assignments and corrects your work and constantly goes over your errors.

One thing I have noticed is that over time too much chatting on qq or msn can lead to excessive spelling mistakes and an over emphasis on lazy grammar. Once asked to produce well crafted academic reports or essays then such errors quickly become obvious. So in this case, it will take more than just chatting online to improve your writing skills.

Finally, to the student who wrote me the letter - I’d like to offer encouragement. I believe language is for life and there is no quick short cut. If you are to go onto a career as a Chinese English language teacher then take comfort that through daily work practice your English will be improving steadily over time. Ideally it won’t be too long before you too are then given an opportunity to work, study or travel abroad.

PS China Daily’s Language Tips also provide a forum for language learners at http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forumsub.php?gid=4

There is a group of people in this country who regard themselves as the “elites of society”. They take themselves to be the most advanced part of society in China’s progress toward modernity. They always try to distinguish themselves from the public by saying something special. Their most favorite tactic is to publish an opinion that challenges the masses’ common sense. They are best at exaggerating a situation to produce a sensational effect.

A recent event gave them such a chance.

Fan Meizhong, a middle school teacher in Sichuan, ran away from a soon-to-collapse classroom when the earthquake struck, leaving his students behind. His act provoked widespread criticism on the Internet and in the media. Most critics remarked that he had violated the professional ethics of a teacher though his involuntary dodging of danger was understandable as a human being.

Meanwhile, quite a number of people expressed their sympathy for Fan. They placed more emphasis on the need to forgive the weaker side of human nature. They surely have reasons to hold this opinion. And it is reassuring to hear a different voice in the unanimous criticism against Fan, for it represents an effort to create a democratic atmosphere in the circle of critics.

Some people, however, went too far in defying the public sentiment. They challenged the mainstream opinion by accusing it of “moral autocracy”. One of them published a commentary titled “Can we become more noble by defaming Fan”?

The commentator, who gave his surname as Cao, said the critical remarks on the Internet forums “generally demonstrated an excessively excited sentiment of moral trial”. He debunked the online criticism as a “moral campaign the pseudo moralists and young radicals have waged in order to erect a chastity arch (to honor themselves)”.

These words show that Cao was targeting at the whole community of Fan’s critics.

He based his argument on the assumption that everybody has the same “weakness” in his/her innermost soul as Fan displayed. Therefore, he said, people should not blame Fan but should instead regard him as an excusable pal and “reflect on the human weakness together with Fan”. He urged Fan’s critics to “approach him rather than abandon him; understand him rather than wantonly vilify him”.

Cao was wrong in his argument at least on three points. First, not everybody will behave the same way Fan did, as suggested by Cao. This has been proved by thousands of people who bravely saved others in the quake risking their own lives.

Second, the fact that most people have the same human weakness does not mean that they are not eligible to criticize Fan. People condemned him out of their understanding of what is morally right and wrong. Do they need to do something heroic before they start criticizing Fan?

Third, Fan’s critics did not blame him for being afraid of death but for ignoring his students’ safety and claiming that he would even abandon his mother in the same situation.

An ugly behavior was made known to the public and the public expressed their disapproval, or even anger, at the behavior. This is only too natural. What traces of “autocracy” can one find in the critical remarks? It is true that some of the critics used harsh words in denouncing Fan. But such unwanted expressions are understandable, given Fan’s shameless showing off of his behavior. They are far from “brandishing a moral club” to “kill” Fan, as Cao alleged them to be in his commentary.

Like other “social elites”, Cao “imagines himself as a safeguard of justice” - to quote Cao’s own words in his criticism of Fan’s critics - and tries to teach the public a lesson about democracy and human rights. Regrettably, the public do not want to hear their garrulous preaching; they have seen through the hypocrites.

E-mail: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/18/2008 page8)