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November 23, 2000
An Changsha Old People's College Visitation
I've become a friend with a retired English teacher here at HNU. She's been helping me with Chinese, telling me stories of her life in China, and I've been reading and making suggestions for an autobiography she is writing. She teaches English once a week at an Old People's College here in Changsha. I asked if I could tag along some day, and after she cleared it with the leaders of the College and her class monitor she invited me to the College.
The college is in a one-year-old building and has impressive facilities. The Chinese government funds it and the building also houses the Hunan Province Department for the Affairs of Old People. There are around 1300 students and there is a minimal fee for the classes. If you are a hero of the liberation, you receive a special card and all the activities are free.
I was greeted by the President of the College and had tea with many administrators, all men. My friend functioned as a translator. I realized then that this visit by a foreign expert was quite an event. I still can be surprised by the required formality of the Chinese when a foreigner wants to visit.
I toured the building, accompanied by the President and an assistant. There were classrooms holding classes in calligraphy, watercolor, instrumental music, and English. There were rooms dedicated to mahjong and Chinese chess. A large and beautiful ballroom, complete with booths for seating, was used to teach dance and daily dances were held for the enjoyment of the old people. One floor was filled with table tennis and pool tables. Women filled a dance studio learning dances and preparing for a performance.
Every class greeted me with warm applause when I entered the room. Two women in the dance studio helped me learn to handle the red cloth they hold in their hands during their dance. We all laughed as I attempted to use my wrists correctly and make the graceful motions required by the dance.
I spoke to the English class my friend teaches. They greeted me with applause and gifts they had made. A water color, calligraphy, and porcelain. I spoke about the condition of old people in my country: about retirement, social security, and health care. They asked many questions and were very curios about our cultural practice of parents and children living separately. They asked whether grandparents had the responsibility of their grandchildren as Chinese grandparents do. I explained that it varies by family and somewhat by culture within our country, but that mostly grandparents take only periodic responsibility for their grandchildren. I said that in our country we have a saying, "Grandchildren are for grandparents to enjoy. Grandchildren are for the fun of it."
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