The next cohort of Arts 2+2 students from Beijing Normal University Zhuhai will be starting classes at Saint Mary’s this September. Today, a few of them shared their thoughts on coming to Halifax.
Here we come!
Rainy afternoon at Zhuhai Opera House
The Zhuhai Opera House, designed by architect Chen Keshi, opened in December 2016. The complex, situated on an island on Xiangzhou Bay, includes a 1,550-seat concert hall and 500-seat theatre. The venues are housed within architecturally striking shell shaped structures said to evoke the changing tides and the rising moon.
Even when there aren’t any performances taking place, families come to relax in the plazas and take in beautiful vistas of the Pearl River Delta from the nearby walking trails.
Zhuhai Opera House
Evening ferry from Hong Kong International Airport to Zhuhai
Although Hong Kong is now connected to Mainland China and Macao by a bridge and tunnel, the high-speed ferry offers a relaxing alternative.
Voices of Beijing Normal University Zhuhai
After class this week, I asked students to make a few personal recordings for The Sound of China. The result is a combination of "Messages for Saint Mary's" mixed in with a few answers to the Proust Questionnaire.
The students of the 2018 BNUZ 2+2 Faculty of Arts cohort are counting down the days until their departure for Saint Mary's University.
Guangzhou from the 25th Floor
Twenty-five floors above the Jingyi District of Guangzhou, the cacophony of the streets below echoes through canyons of tall apartment towers.
Plaza Dancers
Every morning and evening, older ladies gather in public spaces across China to dance to popular traditional songs. According to state media, as many as 100 million women regularly participate in this daily ritual.
Dragon Boat Practice
With less than two weeks to go until Dragon Boat Festival, a team is practicing on the calm waters of the Pearl River. As the boat passes under a bridge, a small crowd gathers to shout out words of encouragement:
"Jiāyóu!/ 加油!", meaning "do your best!"
A Phone Call
Waiting for a summer thundershower to pass, people congregate under a bridge that crosses the Pearl River. A man calls someone and sings into the phone...
The singer sits in the right corner of image
Evening in Huacheng Square
As ominious thunderclouds approach, hundreds of people promenade around Huacheng Square in central Guangzhou, which is lined with attractions including the Guangzhou Opera House, the Guangdong Museum and the remarkable Guangzhou Library.
Huacheng Square
Night Market in Zhuhai
The night market on Friday in Zhuhai is a riot of colours, smells, and sounds...
Temple gardens
The gardens and fountains around this temple offer respite from the oppressive late afternoon heat.
A Monk, a Bell, and a Drum
A monk at Zhuhai Putuo Temple rings a bell and taps a drum as he silently recites scripture.
A monk enters Zhuhai Putuo inner temple
Last Light on BNUZ Campus
The sounds of the evening chorus as the sun sets over the mountains.
Walking on a Bamboo Path at Dusk
A chorus of cicadas and birds brings alive this bamboo copse on the campus of BNUZ.
Closing Time: Basketball Court in Guangzhou
Guangzhou basketball court
On the campus of Guangzhou Sport University, students play basketball late into the night. During this recording, announcements are made in Mandarin, Cantonese and English advising that the facilities are about to close for the night.
