Taiyuan School, good food, and the return to Beijing

Day 9

The days are going too quickly.

More zhou, eggs, coffee, and a last walk around Pingyao; then into the taxi to Taiyuan. Past rural scenes of maize fields, young trees, fields, to factories belching smoke, and a thickening pall in the air. Power stations, blast furnaces and cement factories, a few more fields, and then into Taiyuan and whole host of newly erected skyscraper blocks, many as yet uncompleted and unoccupied; the city home to 10m people.

Through a complex maze of ring roads, and eventually met the Headmistress of the Taiyuan Experimental Primary School, delighted, after her very agitated and nervous preparations, to meet Tim. The school is forging links with Barton Primary School in Richmond, Yorkshire, and will be corresponding by Skype etc. What a great experience and opportunity for the kids (and teachers) at each of the schools!

We were led immediately into a couple of classrooms, and greeted by roomfuls of 50 happy kids shouting 'hello'! We saw music areas, ecology displays, paintings and meticulous English written work by the children. Huge groups of kids walking out to meet their parents at lunchtime, reciting poetry loudly as they walked. A lovely English teacher called Echo (real name Oon Lin), with perfect English and a thirst for knowledge and improvement.

And then we were led to a restaurant for lunch.

A bit of a shuffle to get us all seated; the Headmistress facing the door, Tim to her right, and me on Tim's right, with Echo beside me. Other senior teachers and an expert from Beijing also around the table.

Tea, and toasts with orange juice at the beginning and end of the meal. Round after round of food, and much conversation. I followed the good humour, but not the detail! They were upset at the English for stealing the Elgin Marbles from Greece, and also relics from China. Laughter from all at the disgusting nature of English food (well-timed, just as I was tucking in to a juicy but discomforting duck's head, needless to say not my first choice!).

Tim passionate about introducing Mandarin and Chinese cultural studies into GBR schools, and concerned that whilst the Chinese are making enormous efforts to understand the western cultures, the same is not true in reverse.

Anyway, we ate and ate and ate.

Spicy beef, a fish, a hotpot with all sorts of meats and fried tofu, another spicy meat dish, salads, peanuts, a surprising sweet bean curd 'doughnut' in the middle of the meal (complete with jammy centre), corn cakes, noodles, fresh tofu. All were convinced I couldn't handle chopsticks, at which point I developed an acute chopsticks neurosis and had to resort to a spoon for a while! All but full when the big plates of dumplings arrived, first round filled with meat, second with vegetables, both to be dipped in vinegar.

That was it then.

But it wasn't.

Against protests we were then given large bowls of noodles with sauces of aubergine, tomato and potato. Lashings of tea, and then the final orange juice toast...

A gentle stroll back to the school, invitations to visit again any time, more photos, exchange of gifts - and finally time to get into a taxi for the airport.

The most amazing experience, once again thanks to my good fortune to be travelling with Mr China!

The flight back to Beijing was uneventful, and quick, and now safely returned by Tim's driver to the Bamboo Garden, room 104. Sleep will be welcome tonight!