FAMILY

PHYSICIAN FACTORY

P38

Living Room Horoscopes

READING CORNER

Book recommendations from That’s editorial team.

Peter’s Chair

By Ezra Jack Keats Ages 3-7

This book tells the story of a young boy coming to terms with the transition to brotherdom and the realization that he will need to share his space, both literally and figuratively. As he watches the furniture in his house being painted pink, he fears that his favorite chair will be the next victim. This is a great book that explores the feelings a child might have when welcoming a younger sibling into their home.

Tuck Everlasting

By Natalie Babbitt Ages 10 and up

Winnie Foster is a ten-year-old girl who yearns to discover what’s outside the fence of her home. Exploring her family’s small forest one day, she comes across Jesse Tuck and the fresh-water spring that, after he and his family drank from it, turned them immortal. This story explores the unexpected travesties of eternal life as well as a wide swathe of relatable character arcs.

CLASS CLOWN Takeaway Tantrum

A video emerged online of a security guard at Wuhan Institute of Engineering and Technology throwing a temper tantrum about takeaway food being left outside the gate which he was monitoring.

In the video, the security guard can be seen picking up a number of deliveries that were neatly placed on the ground near the campus entrance and hurling them several meters away.

At the time of the incident, the school was under strict epidemic prevention and control measures and students had been discouraged from leaving the campus or ordering takeaways.

The security guard tried to rationalize his behavior by saying that the takeaway looked bad and smelled unpleasant if uncollected. Despite campus security’s justification for the outburst, the university agreed to compensate the students for the mangled meals.

ECO HOME

Autumn Ambience

Autumn is a time that represents fond memories of family gatherings and warm reunions for many around the world, but that atmosphere can be elusive for those living far from loved ones. Moreover, we’ve never heard the crackling of a fireplace on the 34th floor of a Chinese high rise.

For a safe alternative to find that nostalgic ambience, why not bring home an electric LED fire. Just add water and plug in this toaster-sized device to let a curtain of steam rise over your glowing plastic embers and ignite the fire in your loins.

This romantic reading lamp will soothe the soul of any homesick laowai hailing from north of the 40th parallel.

Physician Factory

Investigating the Viability of Becoming a Doctor in China

By Joshua Cawthorpe

China has established itself as a popular choice for doctors, aspiring and practicing, to pursue and expand their medical education. The country has a growing number of world class medical institutions as well as state-of-the-art technologies and preferable admission policies.

One of the main attractive qualities is the combined Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) undergraduate degree. The program is considered a fast-track way to doctordom as it only takes five years in China compared to other countries with longer programs and other undergraduate prerequisites. Another reason for many is the lower tuition cost and reasonable cost of living, especially when compared to medical universities in the US, Canada or Germany. The country also offers a multitude of scholarship opportunities for students from around the globe.

Unfortunately, acquiring an MBBS is by no means a shortcut to becoming a practicing doctor. Graduates are still required to pass a medical licensing exam in their home countries in order to practice medicine. The option to stay in China and pursue a higher level of medical degree can open career pathways but it also has another major benefit. China’s staggering 1.425 billion people ensures a constant supply of patients in all fields of medicine with all manner of rare and curious maladies.

This month, we spoke with two doctors to discuss their experience of medical education in the Middle Kingdom.

Dan Lawali graduated from Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey in his home country of Niger in 2018. He was fortunate enough to be granted a special scholarship to complete his master's degree through a bilateral government cooperation initiative between China and Niger.

“In my country we have a lack of ophthalmologists — I don’t think we even have 50. The main reason I chose medicine wasn’t about earning money or finding a better life, but rather I felt Niger has a need and I wanted to find a useful way to help my country. When I realized there was a shortage in this field and that some people needed to go out of the country to Morocco or Algeria for things like cataract surgery, I chose it as my specialization.“

He began eyeing China as a way to broaden his medical horizons in order to better serve his country in the future. His theory was that, due to the enormous size of the Chinese population and the abundance of myopia therein, he would gain a vast and valuable skillset to become an able and experienced ophthalmologist. “One of the things that lead me to China was that, even on television, I realized that everyone in China wears glasses.” Lawali laughs, adding, “as an ophthalmologist it’s good for me if everyone has eye problems.”

The prevalence of myopia across East and Southeast Asia is well documented. Some studies found as many as 80% of students to be myopic after 12 years of schooling. A common thread between East Asian countries is notably highpressure school systems. The enormous burden of homework for students, especially in early grades compared with other countries, results in very little time spent outside. Furthermore, abundant homework means excessive ‘near work’ — short focal distance reading and writing.

Time spent outdoors plays a measurable role in reducing myopia in young people. Research published on PubMed reveals that clinical trials in China demonstrated a 25-50% reduction in myopia observed over a three year period when students spent two hours doing daily outdoor physical activity. Tests done on mice suggest that exposure to sunlight releases dopamine in the retina which then inhibits axial elongation, the anatomical event which leads to myopia.

National Health Commission data reports that myopia among children is at nearly 54% and that figure climbs to 81% for high school students and 90% by university. By comparison,

Plentiful Patients

Kaiser Permanente data from the US suggested a nationwide prevalence of childhood myopia of just 36%. That average sits between 41% in urban areas and less than 16% in rural areas. According to South China Morning Post, China’s smaller cities have higher rates of myopia than larger cities — a predicament attributed to lacking resources for diagnosis and treatment in more remote areas.

In recent years, China has focused a number of public health policies on combatting myopia. These range from increased vision testing among students to mandating reduced screen time for youth and policies to limit after-school tutoring and it’s resultant additional ‘near work.’

The Ministry of Education and the National Health Commission have developed indicators to evaluate the performance of local governments in rolling out the Five-year Plan of Eye Health. Bold targets have also been set with a 2030 timeline to reduce the incidence of myopia among primary students to under 38% and curtail it in middle and high school to below 60% and 70%, respectively, as per the PRC State Council’s official website.

Lawali says he attends nearly 40 surgeries over the course of a weekend and this is exactly the exposure he expected from his training in a Chinese hospital. Lawali gets to experience the whole spectrum of ocular disease — from cataracts to late-stage infections and a number of examples that are so technical we won’t even try to transcribe them.

Dr. Vikalp Jadav Vadathya, who often goes by Dr. Neil, came to China in October 2007 to begin his MBBS. He was accepted into Norman Bethune Medical College at Jilin University which ranks among the top ten medical programs in China and the top 500 in the world. Coming from India, Vadathya admits that scholarship opportunities are very difficult to capture as all the top students are vying for sometimes just one position for an Indian student on scholarship. Vadathya tells That’s about his desire as a young man to leave India to study abroad, see the world and make something of his life. At the time, he knew that Australia, China and Russia were his best options for medical school. “Back then Australia had the ozone hole going on (originally discovered in the 1970s, NASA images from 2005 show the ozone hole covering 27 million square kilometers) so my mom was really scared about that. I knew that Russia would be very cold, so I chose China. Nobody told me that the place I was going to in China was also very cold,” he adds with a chuckle.

Knowing that China is a top choice for aspiring Indian doctors, we asked Vadathya why he didn’t want to stay in his home country for his schooling. “Medical universities in India are actually pretty good and doctors who graduate from them can go and work as doctors in other countries all around the world.

Foot in the Door

Jilin University ranks among China's top ten medical schools. Image via @校园咨询君/Weibo We have a saying in India that if you can finish your master’s degree at a university in India then you don’t have to worry about the MLE — the American medical licensing exam.”

The problem, Vadathya laments, is that medical university enrolment in India is governed largely by the ‘caste system.’ There are sometimes very few seats for a specific caste at any given university and the competition is fierce. According to Vadathya, undergraduate students need to work very hard for several years just for a chance at acceptance into India’s medical universities. “I felt that those years were very precious to me and medical knowledge is accessible anywhere in the world so why not leave and not waste that time.”

According to the BBC, India’s ‘caste system’ is one of the oldest surviving forms of systemic segregation in the modern world. It is derived from ancient Hindu law and consists of tiered categories based on ethnic background which weigh heavily on which jobs are available to each group.

Back in 2007, the MBBS was a longer program that combined the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and a subsequent master's program. He chose to specialize in Otolaryngology — the surgical specialty focused on the ears, nose and throat. All together the program took almost nine years and Vadathya graduated in 2016 in a graduating class of 580 students.

If Vadathya had only completed the MBBS in China then he would have to pass the Medical Council of India eligibility test. Then he would need to complete an internship program before starting to work in India or applying for an International Medical License. The system within China has evolved in recent years and Vadathya is currently guiding a number of doctoral students to complete their education in China as they can now do their internships at Chinese hospitals and apply for medical licenses directly, an option that wasn’t there in 2016. He adds, “I think this is our duty as seniors to help juniors and give them a better future.”

Chinese language courses are required for all MBBS students. Image via @Margueritacherry/ Weibo

Eyes On the Prize

Of more than 400 medical universities to choose from, only 45 offer the MBBS program fully in English. Furthermore, all English MBBS programs require Chinese language courses although some do not require students to pass the HSK exam to graduate.

Lawali is doing his residency training at Guangdong Province People’s Hospital and was required to complete the Chinese language requirements as part of his Masters degree.

“I’ve only been studying Chinese for about 8 months and so one obstacle is I am not yet able to fill out the surgery reports in Chinese. Normally you have to study Chinese for one year before you go to the hospital. Nonetheless, I started my residency at the hospital a few months earlier than expected because I suggested to my supervisor that the language skills I was acquiring would be learned faster when applied to the actual setting of a working hospital.”

Lawali describes how he dove into the hospital atmosphere with an eagerness to master the necessary skills of communication. He laughs as he remembers how he would take his phone to try and translate the patient records and understand everyone’s diagnosis and the steps being taken. However, as his speaking ability improved, he began strolling through the ward and asking the attending physicians and surgeons about each patient in each bed. After a few months of this, they began letting him get his hands dirty (so to speak) in the surgery theaters.

“My supervisor often says, ‘If I have Lawali as my assistant in surgery then I already feel like the surgery is successful.’ He knows I’m not able to write the surgical record but he knows I can explain the prognosis to the patient, the procedure of the surgery and how to do the post-surgery care.”

“As for the draping, sterilizing, anaesthesia and so on, I have already mastered these skills. I am able to get along really well with my coworkers which is very special as a foreigner in my situation. Trust is really important in the surgery room so I really took the time to be respectful and learn the way that all the nurses and surgeons expect things to be done.”

We ask Lawali if the need for doctors makes it easy for nonChinese graduates to find positions in healthcare. Despite the need for doctors, he says it’s not particularly common. He only knows a small handful of foreigners who work in Chinese hospitals and they, like him, worked very hard to impress their supervisors in order to carve out those opportunities.

Despite the shorter time commitment of a Chinese MBBS being a major attraction, it can prove to be a disadvantage when it comes time to finding a job. Lawali says he has friends who did the five-year MBBS program and returned to Niger and were subsequently unable to find work.

“It’s unfair,” decries Lawali. “In my country, you study medicine for seven or eight years. By the second year you start going to the hospital to learn nursing, draping, suturing, etc. By the third and fourth years you are in the hospital every day applying the things you have learned in real time. Near the end of the program every trainee will be sent for a six month stint in a rural area where there is a real shortage of doctors and you really have to do everything. Once you graduate then you will do an internship for another 12 years. This is why when people study in China or Cuba and come back, they are quite lost. When a country has a lack of doctors then it has to build doctors who can actually do the job they will be required to do.”

Lawali explains that the Chinese system leans on specialization. International students who go through the MBBS program in China and then go back to their country of origin might never have actually worked in a hospital, let alone an under-equipped bush hospital. It is through the second phase of medical education where students in China earn their stripes.

The initial phase of the MBBS program was similar for Vadathya back in 2007 as well. “The first six months were focused on learning Chinese and it was all very basic education. I took it upon myself to go and sit in on the senior level lectures so that I could start

learning the real skills of a doctor right away. As an international student, the professors don’t really know who you are until you go and talk to them. So I would go and listen to the senior lessons and ask questions, then go back to my first-year classes. They told us we couldn’t go into the hospital until the fourth year of our program and those hands-on classes would only be once or twice a month. I was able to go in my second year because I knew all of the doctors already.”

He laughs as he recounts that, once the doctors took a liking to him, he used to pack his things and sleep in the staff rooms of the hospital. “I wanted to see every surgery and I was very curious about learning practical knowledge.”

Despite his rigorous enthusiasm and high marks, the policies in his graduating year prevented him from staying in China. Even as recently as 2016, he tells us that foreigners were not yet allowed to work as doctors in China with the exception of private hospitals. The perceived lack of opportunity caused him to return to Delhi to begin working as a fully accredited doctor.

“When I was working in Delhi, I realized that there were a lot of Chinese people traveling to India for a variety of treatments. One of his patients was impressed by his professionalism and his demeanour and suggested that he come back to China to work for the organization in which he is now a General Manager.

Vadathya returned to China in 2018, the same year as Lawali, and worked as a doctor for one and a half years until his hard work was acknowledged and he was promoted to hospital director.

“I came to China as a doctor but then I got promoted to director and now I’m the general manager — but it’s not the same as being a doctor. When you’re a doctor, you’re tired and you have to work so many extra hours. But when a patient takes your hand and says 'thank you,' that feeling is different and it makes you feel so happy inside.”

Lawali repeatedly mentions how lucky he is to have found himself in such a supportive and welcoming work environment. He considers it a second home and says he nearly always goes in on the weekends as that’s when the most surgeries take place, despite those being his days off. His hospital often tells him that he should stay there as a resident surgeon when his program finishes next year. If he took the job he could bring his family to China and he knows that the technology he has access to allows him to help patients and perform surgeries in ways that will be beyond the capabilities of a hospital in Niger. Nonetheless, Lawali always planned on taking his knowledge home and, when asked how old his son is, he shifts uncomfortably and admits that he has never hugged his son. His wife was pregnant when he came to China to begin the program and, shortly thereafter, the pandemic made it impossible for him to return without losing his placement. “I miss my family and the atmosphere of my country. Even if I have a job at a really good hospital, I think I will need to go home.”

We asked Vadathya if he held any desire to return to India to be a doctor. “I am Indian and I love my country but China has shown me a new life and things I didn’t know I could become. As long as I have the opportunity to work in China, I will appreciate that opportunity.”

Lawali and Vadathya both paint a clear picture that the opportunities they captured came from adamant overachieving. Nevertheless, if you're committed to doing a master's degree in China as well, the Chinese MBBS seems both time and cost effective. Most importantly perhaps, the vastness of China's ageing populace means your likely to find a living sample of every ailment in your medical textbooks. Both doctors also exemplify the changing landscape of medicine in China and abundant opportunities therein.

The Hippocratic Oath

Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland

A perfect family-friendly staycation

If there is a more stunning hotel in China than the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, we are yet to stay in it. A bold work of architectural design, it is built into the cliffs of a decommissioned quarry, and has been hailed as one of the 10 modern architectural wonders of the world.

Located in Sheshan, around 45 minutes from downtown Shanghai, it also happens to be extremely family-friendly – perfect at a time when COVID-19 and school rules advise us not to leave the city limits.

First off is the sheer fun of the place; only two floors are above ground, the other 15 stories plunge 88 meters into the quarry, beneath a lake… and below. That’s right, there are underwater suites featuring in-room aquariums!

Book early if you want one of those, they get snapped up well in advance. Still, if you miss out on sleeping submersed, the above water rooms all enjoy a spectacular view of the quarry, and are designed to emphasize the waterfall and rock wall elements.

The quarry-view balcony becomes useful come nightfall, when each evening a stunning lightshow takes place, with lasers being shot through a huge water feature to create scenes to mesmerizing effect. I-Max eat your heart out – this show is worth the room rate on its own.

On the dining front, delight the kids by heading down to Mr. Fisher. A specialty seafood restaurant located one floor below water level, the dining room is enveloped in a sea of water creatures – from sharks to stingrays – swimming in a 10-metre-deep custom built aquarium. Head there at the weekend and you might even catch a glimpse of a mermaid!

If you want to dine above the watermark, Commune all-day dining transforms the notion of the buffet into an upscale experience, and features a separate children‘s play area. Cai Feng Lou Chinese Restaurant, meanwhile, creates exquisite specialties from Shanghai, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces and, while upscale, is more than welcoming to families.

You can get up close to all that water, too – kayaks are available to take out on the lake. The indoor swimming pool, meanwhile, features floor-to-ceiling windows offering a beautiful view of the quarry waterfall.

You can also scale the rock face on a custom made climbing wall. For those brave enough – and we’re proud to say we were – the glass-floor skywalk winds its way along the sheer cliffs above for a head-spinning thrill.

As well as the two theme parks right on the hotel's doorstep (Wonderland Park and Smurfs Park), nearby attractions include Sheshan National Forest Park, Chenshan Botanical Garden, Tianma Country Club, Guangfulin Park, Shanghai Sculpture Park, Shanghai Happy Valley and more!

More than enough to justify a second visit. And a third. And a… can we just move in, please?

Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, 5888 Chenhua Lu 辰 花路5888号, Songjiang District, Shanghai (6766 1888)

Johnny Kiu

General Manager of the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland

Interview by Ned Kelly

Originally from Hong Kong, Johnny Kiu has been working in the hospitality industry for over 36 years, starting his career at the iconic Regent Hong Kong, before gaining a rich experience of high-end hotel brands in Australia, Indonesia and now China. Having spent the last seven years in Shanghai, he joined the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland on July 1, a very meaningful day for all Hong Kong people.

What is it that makes the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, well, such a wonderland?

There are so many stories to tell. The hotel itself is full of miraculous architectural design; the hotel is regarded as one of the top 10 modern architectural wonders of the world.

Back in 2006, Mr. Hui, Chairman of Shimao, found an abandoned quarry pit and wondered if a hotel could be built there. His vision became reality in November, 2018.

We came across many challenges when building the hotel, many of which the team had never encountered before.

The hotel has broken with convention to create a building 88 meters below the horizon and overcome 64 technical problems, including 41 patents completed and 30 authorized, creating a miracle in the history of world architecture.

It took 12 years and RMB2.1 billion to complete this masterpiece.

Describe the nightly water show to someone who has not seen it.

The 15-minute water show takes place everday at 8pm, with a laser light performance and professional sound system on the cliff combining to create a magnificent visual and auditory sensation.

My daughter loved it – as well as the free candy in the room! What other touches do you have that make the hotel family friendly? The family market is one of our biggest markets during the summer holidays. We renovated a new kids club in February 2022 and this year paddle boarding and rock climbing are very popular – all the kids enjoy them.

We have a room package that gives you access to all of these all day long. It is one of our top selling products.

Go-karting and the Kids Mini Water Park are also two new elements we promoted this summer.

Could you tell us a little bit about the dining options on offer at the hotel?

Commune is an ultra-modern all-day dining restaurant, offering a ‘shared-space’ that transforms a buffet into an upscale experience.

Cai Feng Lou Chinese Restaurant boasts elegant decorations and uses the freshest of Songjiang's produce from our chef's selected sources. The culinary team here creates exquisite specialties from Shanghai, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.

Mr. Fisher Specialty Restaurant offers a variety of fresh and seasonal seafood dishes. Other specialties are made from top-quality ingredients from France, America, Japan and other nations across the world.

The Quarry Bar blends avant-garde creativity with awe-inspiring natural landscapes of the rock quarry. The Quarry Bar presents a space marked with industrial styling and artistic beauty. Our selection of premium Scotch and spirits can be enjoyed on the rocks with the bar’s stone shaped ‘quarry’ ice balls. There are also many cool attractions nearby the hotel – what are some of your favorites?

Sheshan National Forest Park, Happy Valley, Maya Water Park, Sheshan International Golf Club, Wonderland Area and the Smurfs Theme Park. The list is endless!

Finally, what can people expect from a stay at Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland?

Because our hotel has many stories to tell, you can expect a unique and unforgettable stay experience that you won't get from other hotels.

Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, 5888 Chenhua Lu 辰 花路5888号, Songjiang District, Shanghai (6766 1888)

LISTINGS

BEIJING

Beijing Kerry Residence

Whether you’re a single business executive or a busy family, Beijing Kerry’s fully- furnished 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments will feel just like home. As well as enjoying all the comforts of modern living – including a well-equipped kitchen, entertainment systems, high-speed broadband and much more – residents are just moments away from the Kerry Center’s shopping mall and sports facilities. The rest of the CBD is on your doorstep too. >1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华路1号 (8535 6888, www.beijingkerryresidence. com)

GTC RESIDENCE BEIJING

One of the top residences in Beijing, GTC Residence is located beside the third ring road within a 5 minute walk to subway line 5 and a 10 minute drive to Hou Hai . It is also within reach of the CBD, embassy area, Financial Street and other urban commercial, shopping and recreation areas. Fully equipped apartments with impeccable quality offer you a cozy living space and will meet all of your requirements in terms of room decoration, furniture, electric appliances and more. A unique sky garden with a practice golf course and barbecue area is a unique symbol of GTC Residence. > sales@gtcresidence.com, website: www. gtcresidence.com Tel:56756666

Oak Chateau Beijing

Oak Chateau Beijing has 236 stylish and contemporary fully serviced apartments from studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom and four bedroom suites available, measuring 64 to 260 square meters. There is a 24-hour guest reception and housekeeping is offered twice a week. Nestled within the landscaped gardens of the Ocean Express commercial and residential complex, Oak Chateau Beijing is close to the Third Embassy Area and shopping and dinning services at the Beijing Lufthansa Center. It is only 19 kilometers away from the Beijing Capital Airport. >北京市朝阳区东三环霞光里66号远洋新干线 D 座 邮编 100027 Block D, Ocean Express, 66 Xiaguang Li, Third East Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027, P.R.C Tel: (86-10) 84465888 Fax: (86-10) 84465999 Email oak.chateau@oakchateau.com Website: www.oakchateau.com

China World Apartments

The newly renovated China World Apartments consists of two high rise 30-storey residential blocks with a total of 412 units ranging from studio to Penthouses, sizes range from 42 to 455 square meters. All apartments have been carefully redesigned with modern interiors, comfortable furnishings, and several added amenities to improve the level of comfort and living experience. All rooms come with a centralized ventilation system, water filtration & softening to further improve overall home comfort. The new Lodge Club features a wide range of facilities such as a newly constructed swimming pool and wading pool, state of art gymnasium, sauna and steam rooms, children's play area, resident's lounge, multi-function rooms and more. China World Apartments is just minutes away from the Guo Mao subway station and provides easy access to a wide range of retail shops, restaurants, services and amenities at the China World Mall. >No 1 JianGuoMenWai Avenue Beijing 100004 >Email: apartments@cwtc.com Tel: (010) 65052686

HOTEL NEWS

SHANGHAI

Grand Kempinski Offers Opulent Spanish Flavors and Albero

Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai had its grand opening of the Albero Spanish restaurant on September 22. The menu features an array of traditional and innovative dishes using fresh ingredients that include seafood, making it an ideal venue for a family or a friendly gathering for lunch or dinner. Here, you can taste authentic Spanish delicacies: classic Spanish seafood rice, Iberian ham, various tapas and famous Basque desserts. Located on floor 2 of the hotel, the restaurant is just a stone’s throw away from the Huangpu River and in the heart of Shanghai’s bustling Lujiazui Financial District. The unique dining room is decorated in the style of an Andalusian red-tiled house.

The Only McLaren Artura Hybrid Supercar in China

This September, The Peninsula Shanghai welcomed motor car enthusiasts with a unique collaboration with McLaren Shanghai Puxi for a special guest experience. Until October 9, The Peninsula Shanghai is offering an exclusive and limited suite package for supercar enthusiasts wishing to experience the world of McLaren. The package includes a two hour city test drive of a McLaren GT with a McLaren driving coach, one hour of exclusive use of the McLaren driving simulator and an 80-minute spa treatment for two.

GUANGZHOU BEIJING

New Guangzhou Marriot Hotel Nansha Officially Opens

Marriott Hotels, the flagship brand of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands, announced on August 28 the opening of Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Nansha. The 265-room new hotel is strategically located in Nansha, the city’s only gateway to the sea and the geographical center of the Great Pearl River Delta region. Featuring a modern design that reflected local context, Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Nansha offers elevated culinary experiences, heartfelt services, and well-thought details at every turn to meet the needs of today’s leisure and business travelers. The exceptional location also puts the hotel in close proximity to Nansha’s distinctive natural wetlands and other places of interest, offering guests a myriad of enriching experiences. The Fisherman’s Wharf at Nansha’s 19th Sea Surge (or 19 Chung) is a popular place amongst residents of Guangzhou for purchasing seafood and enjoying mouth-savoring dishes and convenient cooking services at hole-in-the-wall eateries. Guests may also pay a visit to Nansha Tin Hau Palace, which was built to worship the Goddess of Sea.

Fangheng Eastern House Serviced Apartment Rings In MidAutumn Festival

Beijing Fangheng Group Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned state-owned enterprise under Beijing Fashion Holdings Co., Ltd. Fangheng Eastern House Serviced Apartment is a private brand apartment under Beijing Fangheng Group, this apartment is located in the area of Chaoyang Sanlitun, with a total of 93 apartments, ranging from luxurious one-bedroom to comfortable three-bedroom. Eastern House Serviced Apartment is an art place where modernity and history meet and a spiritual space that returns to the oriental artistic conception. Their team is wholeheartedly committed to giving customers the warmth of home with intimate and high-quality service. On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in order to thank everyone for their continuous great support for the apartment, Eastern House Serviced Apartment held a long-stay customers appreciation activity.

Rosewood Guangzhou Hosts Decadent Grand Opening

The grand opening ceremony of Guangdong Zhi Heng Law Firm Guangzhou Office was held at Rosewood Guangzhou in Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District on September 1st. Established in 1995 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Zhiheng Law Firm is one of the earliest partnership firms in China. Ms. Lin Huiyan, Executive Director of Guangdong Zhiheng (Guangzhou) Law Firm have a speech to Ms. Zheng Qian, Deputy Director of Justice Bureau Guangzhou Tianhe, Mr. Chen Jianbin, Vice President of Guangzhou Lawyers Association, and Mr. Chen Zuoke, Vice President of the New Social Class in Guangzhou Lawyer Industry Branch. Mr. Zhang Shanhua, Vice Secretary of Shenzhen Lawyers Association, and Ms. Chai Yongxia, Executive Director of Guangdong Zhiheng Law Firm attended via video link.

Laihui Coffee Opens On Shamian Island

Laihui Coffee is proud to bring its premium coffee and elegant atmosphere to the stylish promenades of Shamian Island. The Shamian Branch opened on September 9th with a banquet held at the Michelin-starred Jade River restaurant in the White Swan Hotel. The vision of Laihui is to create a space for imaginative minds to convene.

Avant Garde Event Begins at Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing

Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing invites you to experience the immersive theatre and dining combined culinary journey, starring Le Petit Chef. Le Petit Chef is a creation by the artists of Skullmapping, and was first launched in May 2015. This unique 3D mapping project became an instant internet sensation, racking up millions of views on different social media. From 23 Sep, Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing will bring diners to enjoy this unforgettable experience of delightful dining and sophisticated theatre. In this 5-course culinary adventure, Le Petit Chef together with culinary team from the hotel will showcase you a delicate journey of whimsical, engaging animation blending with enticing dishes.

A Culinary Journey by Chef Ping Launches at Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing

Culinary influences from many parts of the world feature in Chow Ngan Ping’s style, and his new Mandarin Grill menu showcases a stellar collection of some of his favourite dishes. The much-travelled chef learned from some of the most renowned maestros, adapting and amending recipes to develop his own distinctive style. The degustation menu is appropriately called A Culinary Journey and allows Chef Ping to demonstrate how his fusion of western techniques and prime local and imported ingredients has created sublime creations such as butter-poached Boston lobster, roasted pigeon with herbs and foie gras and, of course, charcoal-grilled Australian Wagyu beef. A starter named Garden illustrates how Chef Ping ingeniously blends China-grown tomatoes, Beijing-made yoghurt and Iberico ham using molecular techiques to produce a delicately-flavoured dish. “Cooking is like music, it’s an art,” says the Hong Kong-born chef “When you make art with your heart, you bring people happiness and people will be touched.” The special menu is available as five, or seven courses at Mandarin Grill.

SCHOOL NEWS

SHANGHAI

Dulwich Pudong Launches New Parent Academy

Dulwich Pudong has formally launched its new Parent Academy, further strengthening the partnership between the College and parent community. Research shows very clearly that optimal educational outcomes occur when parents are actively involved in their child’s education. The Parent Academy brings together a series of seminars and workshops into a curriculum which empowers parents to support their child’s learning journey from DUCKS to Senior School and beyond. The Parent Academy was launched by Head of College Garry Russell at the Welcome Back Coffee Morning on September 3 under the theme of ‘Unlocking Learning Together.’

Britannica Offer Array of After School Activities

Britannica International School Shanghai’s After School Activities has kicked off again in full force – they offer more than 140 ASAs, with each child able to pick four from a multitude of choices. From Robotics to Radio and Podcasting, Cooking Club to Calligraphy, Graphic Novel Writing to Gaelic Football, they ensure your child will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of co-curricular activities outside of the classroom. Britannica recognizes that encouraging, respecting and nurturing each student’s areas of interest outside of the curriculum plays an important role in their academic development. Scan the QR code to arrange a bespoke tour of Britannica International School Shanghai.

SSIS Celebrates 26 Years of Excellence

Every year on September 3, the day marks a significant milestone in the history of SSIS and its remarkable community. With the gathering of all students and staff, they celebrated SSIS’ 26th Birthday. During the celebration, teachers and student representatives shared their special SSIS memories. It was a special day of honoring the excellence that SSIS has fostered and the school spirit of striving for excellence every day.

DSS Launches New German Language Program

With the finishing touches of eye painting, the lions danced in high spirits, the principals of both campuses in Hongqiao and Yangpu announced the start of the new school year. Finally back to school, it was great to see all the children and students again! Starting this school year, German School Shanghai (DSS) launched a new program called “German as a Foreign Language (DaF)” to accommodate the children with no or limited German language knowledge to integrate into the German basic education system. The program is available for kindergarten children up to the fourth graders.

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations Held at BISS

The September full moon brought a special bit of magic to BISS Early Years this year. The Baby Cubs of the school got together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Students and teachers greeted each other wearing vibrant Han Fu garments. Each year group celebrated a bit differently: Pre-Nursery experimented and tasted traditional mooncakes with a mooncake tea party; Nursery pupils created moon-themed art and learned about the legend of the Moon Festival; and Reception students filled the halls with colorful lanterns.

Dulwich Puxi Becomes First School in China to Adopt Curiosity Approach Accreditation

Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi is proud to announce that they are the first school in China to embark on becoming an accredited ‘Curiosity Approach’ setting. With enabling environments, highly qualified and dedicated practitioners, curriculum and programs of learning, they can confidently say our Early Years provision is truly world-class. Yet they are keen to take this even further. This accreditation will afford the school the recognition it deserves for providing the highest quality of care for all children, whilst nurturing awe and wonder in early childhood; igniting creativity in both children and our educators. Interested parents can attend an upcoming Open Morning to learn more.

Wellington Shanghai Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival With Music

At Wellington College International Shanghai, Mid-Autumn Festival was a fun-filled day of learning. The music department put on guzheng performances. Original Mid-Autumn-themed art adorned the walls. Pupils learned about moon phases in the College’s portable planetarium and competed in a ‘moon relay’ on the football pitch. And, of course, many a mooncake was enjoyed.

GUANGZHOU

UISG Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival

Utahloy International School of Guangzhou’s Mother Tongue Programme students celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival by learning the story behind the holiday and through sharing good wishes to the community in their many languages, including German and Korean. USIG is the only international school in Guangzhou to offer the International Baccalaureate continuum education from Kindergarten to Year 12. They value diversity and operate an inclusive learning environment for all students.

BIS Wishes Everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

To celebrate the traditional Chinese festival for Mid-Autumn, Britannia International School held a series of activities which were intended to help students learn more about Chinese traditional customs through the practical activities. The students wore traditional Chinese costumes and experienced many interesting games. They completed the Dart Game, Dice Game, Ring Throwing Game, Tou-hu Game, Pick-up Beans and Kick the Shuttlecock together. Every student feels Chinese culture while having fun.

Outstanding A-Level Results At The British School Of Guangzhou

Students at the British School of Guangzhou, part of the global Nord Anglia Education family of schools, are celebrating after receiving their long-awaited A-level results. BSG students have achieved incredible results; 59% received A*- A grades, 81% received A*-B and 100% pass rate! It’s worth mentioning that over 80% of students received A* in Further Maths, Physics and Geography. Furthermore, The British School of Guangzhou IGCSE students have achieved exceptional results, with 62% of grades awarded A*- A (8-9) and a 100% pass rate in all subjects taken.

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations at SCNUFLS

At the Affiliated Foreign Language School of South China Normal University (SCNUFLS), students celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with multiple activities and learned all about this important tradition. The PYP students had a lot of fun in craft activities, storytelling and guessing lantern riddles, while the MYP students made mooncakes out of clay, drew posters and wrote poems around the theme of the festival. We hope that the celebration of various festivals can help the children become more globally minded and embrace the culture of China as well as the world.

DHZH Continues to Excel in Global Examinations

Students from Dulwich International High School Zhuhai celebrate another year of stellar results in their international examinations. They achieved 56% A*-A in IGCSE, while at A-Level the achievement was 60% A*-A. Both these overall percentages far exceed the world’s average among students of the same age group. Furthermore, a total of 304 offers from the world’s prestigious universities have been received from Dulwich Zhuhai’s Class of 2022 by end of August 2022, among which 138 are from the Top 50 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2023. These include University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, the University of Hong Kong, the University of Melbourne and University of Toronto.

BEIJING

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration at AISBHope International

AISB Hope International students brought Mid-Autumn festival celebration into the classroom! The exciting, hands-on mooncake making activity familiarized students with the origins and customs of the Mid-Autumn festival and the activity tied in with “respect”, the character trait for the month of September; respect for host-country culture and its people. Through the Mid-Autumn festival celebration, students not only learned how to make mooncakes from scratch and enjoyed yummy mooncakes after the activity, they also formed a deeper understanding of the meaning of harmony and the value of unity in Chinese culture.

That’s Horoscopes

Finally, a horoscope that understands your life in China.

By Felizabeth Chan

Libra

9.24~10.23

Venus will snuggle with the Sun in Libra to form a conjunction that has not happened in 150 years. Nobody alive today has lived through a period where Venus commanded this post in the heavens. Avoid excessive pragmatism and be open to the gifts of Venus: love, fun and beauty.

Scorpio

10.24~11.22

Use this time to find bliss in your relationships as Mars will enter retrograde on October 30 and will likely cause you to feel some anxiety and a loss of intimacy with your partner(s). This will similarly affect finances and projects with friends will seem to stall. Take this month to get organized and stabilized.

Sagittarius

11.23~12.21

This is the time to learn new skills and develop new habits. Everybody gets a bit chunky during the winter months so don’t bother trying to diet until after Christmas. Improve yourself in more personal ways. At least you have something to change the subject to when your ayi and in-laws remind you how fat you’ve gotten.

Capricorn

12.22~1.20

Jupiter is in a challenging position to Capricorns until November. Imagine that you are sitting beside a morbidly obese person on an airplane — that’s Jupiter. They didn’t choose to impose on you, neither of you paid for seat selection. Just hang on, you’ll both be disembarking soon.

Aquarius

1.21~2.19

Now is the time for travel and cultural experiences. It’s been nearly three years since we became wary of traveling. This is a big country and it’s well worth exploring. Be hopeful that just enough people will refrain from visiting your destination that the holiday lines will be manageable.

Pisces

2.20~3.20

Budget your money while Mercury is in retrograde. Remember that in China it's perfectly acceptable to wear the same outfit to work every day. Don't let your vanity burn through what little savings you've accumulated.

Aries

3.21~4.20

Your influence and leadership will come into play during the final months of 2022. However, look for more responsibility among your immediate professional or social circle. Nobody wants to watch your livestream, the stars don’t mean that kind of influencer.

Taurus

4.21~5.21

When was the last time you went to the dentist? What about the optometrist? The annual physical you do for your work permit is just a theatrical excuse to drug test you. It’s a wildly unscrupulous examination of your actual health. It’s time to start prioritizing your health.

Gemini

5.22~6.21

Now is the time to repair fractured relationships. Be humble and willing to apologize and you will see that broken bonds become whole again. This does not mean you should text your ex.

Cancer

6.22~7.22

Like your celestial spirit animal, Cancers have a hard outer shell. It takes others a long time to peek inside and see your mystical qualities. This generally results in people thinking your insane, insensitive and self-involved.

Leo

7.23~8.23

If you have a bit of extra cash then spend it on your attractiveness. There was no use wearing perfume or cologne during China’s hottest summer ever. Now that it’s cooling off, focus on looking good and smelling good.

Virgo

8.24~9.23

Emphasize connection and socializing this month — and that doesn’t include your cats. It’s not going to tangibly improve anything in your life but October has nothing special on the horizon for you except smooth sailing in the friendship department.

198 RMB

Urbanatomy Media is excited to share the highly anticipated fourth edition of our Explore China travel guide. The latest edition of Explore China offers detailed information on historical sites, scenic spots, local delicacies, activities, transport information and places to stay.

The beautiful 185-page book contains:

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE TRAVEL GUIDE: BUY 'EXPLORE CHINA' NOW

• Historical and geographical facts and points of significance • Where to stay, eat and drink, with must-try dishes and local delicacies • Transportation information, airports, railway and road connections • A shopping guide with tips and local products worth looking out for • UNESCO World Heritage Sites and sacred mountains • Informative features to help you understand China • Fun day trips and destinations to visit from major cities • China’s ethnic minorities and their culture • Chinese characters and pinyin to facilitate travel and communication • Must-have apps, and how to set up a phone and digital payment system

Scan the QR code to buy.