Empire Garden - A stop in Boston before heading to China!

Bolton students, teachers, parents, and community members traveling to China:

Sometime between now and the time we leave for China you must head to 690 Washington Street in Boston (very easy to find), and have dinner at the restaurant pictured above: Emperor's Garden or Empire Garden (whichever portion of the sign you read)!

I did some research as to the best Chinese restaurants in Boston's Chinatown - and this one appeared on many lists. Believe me, it did not disappoint. I brought our Chinese guests for a treat - and to get a real critique of the food!

Walking through the doors, one climbs the stairs to a former theatre now packed with tables and lavish decorations. Be prepared to hear a lot of Chinese spoken - and you may end up a little out of your comfort zone as food comes around to your table on carts and you indicate which ones you would like to have. I cannot even tell you the names of all of the food I tried!

As carts rolled up to our table, we would make some choices and by the time we had made all of our selections, we had tried 10 different plates of food - a typical Chinese meal, where you take a small portion of a number of different foods. All were served in authentic Chinese style!

The Peking Duck is a must - served just like it is in China. Chopped up in lengthwise slices, with bone all mixed in. Watch your teeth!

Eating here is the closet you will get to a Chinese experience in the US before we all travel together in April. Let me know if you are going and I will gladly give you directions.

(Of course, after the meal, I walked our guests up to the North End for the best cannolis in town - at Mike's pastry on Hanover Street!)

Thank you to all who helped bring Da Chen to Bolton!

(Pictured: Da Chen with BHS Librarian, Mrs. Fazzina)

There are way too many people to thank as a result of Da Chen’s visit to Bolton – and that is a great problem to have! This was as a complete community event beyond what one could hope for!

On Monday (Septermber 14), Da Chen enthralled a group of students, teachers, parents, community members, the China travelers, and even book club members with his stories, some heart wrenching and others humorous. He managed to entrance the crowd with his playing of an authentic Chinese bamboo flute and signed books using the traditional brush calligraphy. After the event, we all enjoyed traditional Chinese snacks prepared by a crew supervised by Arlis Bobb. The critics in the crowd, Mr. Sima and his daughter (our visitors from the Shandong Province), went on and on over the superb quality of the Chinese food.

Da Chen spent the night with the Catanese family, enjoying the Patriots game and playing ping-pong. (Da has met Tom Brady compliments of NBC, who had he and his family sit in the audience of “Saturday Night Live” as part of one of the sketches that Tom Brady did while hosting several years ago. Of course, that’s not the most interesting story of his life!)

The next day (September 15) began with a writers’ workshop in the high school library. Following that meeting, Da Chen spoke and played his flute for our high school students and our grade 5 students, who we bused over. The day finished up with a luncheon in the library for students who were interested in asking the author questions. It was just a fantastic couple of days.

The author was able to generate enthusiasm in the entire community and thanks to the partnership of those who funded the visit (Bolton Community Education Foundation, Bolton Women’s Club, and the Bolton Public Schools) the experience of our “One Book, One Community” must be considered a great success!

What we could not achieve alone was achieved with the cooperation of several groups together to benefit the students and the town. The power of teamwork in our community was certainly evident this week – and I am grateful!

Da Chen in Bolton!

Author, Da Chen visits Bolton, Connecticut!

Reserve Monday evening,
September 14 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM
to meet author,
Da Chen

at the Bolton Senior Center.

This event is free and open to the public.

Chen is the autor of the memoir, Colors of the Mountain, required summer reading for Bolton High School students during the summer of 2009 and the choice of the "One Book, One Community" reading selection for the town of Bolton.

Author, Da Chen will spend time at Bolton High School on Tuesday, September 15 beginning early in the morning!

8:00 AM - Writer's Workshop

9:00 AM - Grade 5 students meet the author

10:00 AM - All BHS students in an assembly with the author

11:30 AM - Lunch with the author in the high school Library

Don't miss the opportunity to meet Da Chen!

Visit the website: www.dachen.org

Visit the school's webiste: www.boltonpublicschools.org

Greetings China Travelers!

Reminder:

September 1, 2009 - $1250.00 per traveler is due.

Please make checks payable to “Bolton High School.”

You can drop the check off to Paul Smith at the BOE Office or mail it directly to Bolton High School, 72 Brandy Street, Bolton, CT 06043 or Bolton Board of Education, 108 Notch Road, Bolton, CT 06043. We are able to accommodate anyone who was on the waiting list at this time. However, it is important for us to know exactly who is going so we can make flight arrangements and get the best price. Please be prompt with your checks.

Our guests from China, Sima Yinan his daughter, Hongze arrived in Bolton last Friday, August 21. We have them settled and comfortable. Over the last several days, they have tried American foods including hamburgers, pizza, pulled pork sandwiches, pancakes, and bacon! They have been excited to try all foods, though they are most fond of vegetables and fruits. Mr. Sima has a rental car and an international drivers permit, so he and his daughter have mastered their way to Bolton High School and Bolton Center School, where she is a 4th grade student in Mrs. Sullivan’s class.

Sima is researching Grade 9 students and classes at Bolton High School as part of a grant from the Shandong Provincial Education Department. He is the first person from the Shandong Province to be given a grant for this extended period of August – January to study an American school. Prior visits by Shandong officials have lasted two weeks, similar to the visit we had last January of the educational researchers from Shandong. We are honored that Bolton was selected for this opportunity.

Mr. Sima and Hongze live in the capital city of Jinan and he is very familiar with our sister school and its principal, Mr. Wang Pinmu.

Mr. Sima, will be offering Chinese lessons to anyone interested! Those traveling to China are urged to attend his Chinese lessons. In addition, he will give us information on Jinan and Taishan, home of Mt. Tai, which are both part of our April 2010 agenda. He will also help all of us with a few phrases to remember while in China. A schedule of events will be posted soon.

Don’t forget our September 14, author visit by Da Chen at the Senior Center at 6:00 PM. Da Chen, author of Colors of the Mountain, will visit us on the 14th and spend the day at BHS on Tuesday, September 15. The Bolton Community Education Foundation and Bolton Women’s Club have both helped to make this visit possible.

Please check out the school’s new website: http://www.boltonpublicschools.com/.

CHINA information now on Twitter!

You are invited to keep up with details on our CHINA events!

Find Paul K. Smith on Twitter.com

To find out more about Twitter, visit the link below:


http://twitter.com/pksmith427

It's time to get ready for CHINA 2010!

Greetings CHINA participants!

A couple of details as we begin actively preparing for our CHINA experience in 2010.

1. I have sent you an invite to follow CHINA details and other little tidbits on Twitter. You can follow the instructions on the separate Twitter e-mail or simply ignore.

2. The Swine Flu over-reaction on the Chinese side is starting to calm down according to our travel arranger, Peng. I have been e-mailing him as I do not want our group to be quarantined like other American and British visitors to China have been! We will watch the news carefully and we will see what happens with H1N1 in the fall and winter. I do not see that this will be a concern next April when we are traveling.

3. People have asked about upgrading through United from Economy to Business Class. The answer is “Yes!” You can use accumulated mileage to upgrade the flight. But you will need to check with United to see how much mileage is needed to upgrade from Economy to Business. It is also necessary to pay more for the Economy Class ticket to be able to upgrade with accumulated mileages. Peng is guessing that you will need to pay around $1000 more in order to purchase the upgradable ticket. It will be necessary to make this decision well in advance or you may have difficulty getting an upgrade. I will need to know this before December 1st.

4. Medical/evacuation insurance is strongly suggested for everyone. I shared this at the April meeting and will give you details in the future. You may wish for trip-interruption insurance, and I will also share information with you very soon!

Reminder: September 1, 2009 $1250.00 per traveler is due. Please make checks payable to “Bolton High School.”


Mail to Paul K. Smith, Bolton Public Schools, 108 Notch Road, Bolton CT 06043 or bring the check to the BOE office at the Center School or give to Cindy Carvalho in the main office of the high school. We cannot accept credit card payments. Personal checks, money order, etc. are fine!

Intinerary for Bolton High School CHINA TOUR 2010 announced

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Depart Hartford for Beijing

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Arrive Beijing
Tiananmen Square at Night
Hotel in Beijing

Friday, April 16, 2010

Excursion to the Great Wall and Summer Palace
Hotel in Beijing

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Visit Antique Market, Forbidden City, Hutong Family Visit, Temple of Heaven
Peking Duck Dinner
Evening: Chinese Kongfu Show
Hotel in Beijing

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Morning: Visit Olympic Venues
Afternoon: Depart for Jinan via express train
Evening: Jinan City Square
Hotel in Jinan

Monday, April 19, 2010

Group divides for two days –

Students: Sister School activities, classes, and meetings - Jigang School
Adults: Tour of Sister School, city tour in the afternoon: Baotu Springs and Daming Lake

Students: Home stay with local families / Dorm stay with students
Adults: Home stay with local families / Hotel in Jinan

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
­­­­
Students: Sister School activities, classes, and meetings - Jigang School
Adults: Travel to Qufu visiting Confucius Temple and Palace

Students: Home stay with local families / Dorm stay with students
Adults: Home stay with local families / Hotel in Jinan

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Group re-unites: Adults and students travel to Mountain Tai together
Students and Adults: Hotel in Jinan

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Fly to Shanghai in the morning
Visit Yu Garden and Old Town, Shanghai Bund, Nanjing Commercial Road
Boat Cruise on the Yangtze River at night
Hotel in Shanghai

Friday, April 23, 2010

Excursion to Suzhou-the most famous ancient garden city in China
Visit Liu Yuan Garden, Wangshi Garden, Silk Factory, Boat Cruise the Grand Canal, Old Town

Hotel in Shanghai

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Morning: Shanghai Museum
Afternoon: Depart from Shanghai to Hartford

Arrive in the US on the same day

We have less than one year until our tour begins. As of this date, we have approximately 60 travelers made up of students, parents, teachers, and community members. A special thank you to the members of the Bolton Community Education Foundation who have agreed to help with our logistics and who are also planning Chinese cultural events throughout the 2009-2010 school year!

For further information, contact Bolton High School in Bolton, Connecticut.

China re-measures sacred Mt. Taishan

See information below on one of our APRIL 2010 CHINA TOUR sites. Just south of our sister school is one of China's five sacred mountains, Mount Tai (Taishan). This impressive mountain will be a highlight of our visit to the Shandong Province!

JINAN, July 8 -- China has launched a survey to find out the precise height of Mount Tai (Taishan Mountain) that is dubbed as the most preeminent of China's five sacred mountains, following the re-measurement of the world's highest peak of Mount Qomolangma last year.

Mt. TaishanIt is the first time for Taishan to be measured with modern tools including global positioning systems, said Lin Hai, an official with the Shandong provincial department of land and resources.

The current altitude of Taishan is known as from 1,533 meters to 1,545 meters, while the 1,545-meter height is the most often seen in various documents although nobody knows how or when the figure came into being.

Chinese surveyors measured the mountain as 1,533 meters and 1,536 meters high in the 1950s and the 1980s respectively with simple and crude methods, which made the figures unreliable.

Thirty experts arrived on Tuesday in Tai'an, east China's Shandong Province, to start the measurement.

Modern surveying technologies would help achieve a high precision, with the range of error below two centimeters, Lin said.

Meanwhile, the survey will also find out whether Yuhuangding (a.k.a Jade Emperor Peak) or Guanrifeng (a.k.a Sun View Peak) is the highest peak.

The results of the measurement are expected to be released in October.

China re-measured the Mount Qomolangma's (a.k.a Mount Everest) summit last year as 8,844.43 meters, 3.7 meters shorter than the last measured figure 30 years ago.

Dubbed as "the most preeminent of China's five sacred mountains," Taishan was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1987 as a world natural and cultural heritage for its magnificent scenery and splendid culture.

The other four mountains are western Huashan, southern Hengshan, northern Eternity and central Songshan.

The Taishan Mountain is a symbol of loftiness and grandeur. In ancient times, emperors used to ascend the mountain to pray and say thanks to heaven and earth for peace and prosperity. High-ranking officials, noted scholars and commoners have followed suit since.

(from CHINA DAILY - www.chinadaily.com.cn)

An international opportunity for the community of Bolton!

Bolton High School has the opportunity next fall to host an education official (Mr. Sima Yinan) from the Shandong Provincial Education Department for 6 months. This will be the first time that one of the researchers visits Connecticut for an extended period of time. Dan Gregg, contact at the CT Department of Education, has contacted Bolton first about pioneering this relationship.

Mr. Yinan is a colleague of Mr. Wang Fuhai, one of our visitors in January 2009. As part of this program Mr. Yinan will be grant funded and will purchase a car once in the United States so transportation will not be an issue. He will have funds to pay rent, but would like a rental room or apartment that is connected with a family experience to allow for more of a “home stay” relationship. He has young children so an apartment or room with a family is certainly appropriate.

Mr. Yinan will spend his days in classes at Bolton High School and will have an office at the CT Department of Education. He will likely immerse himself in school activities, events, and family experiences in Bolton. He will be a huge help as we prepare for our own voyage to China and we will reconnect with him in Jinan.

If anyone (especially among our travelers to China in April 2010) is interested in housing or renting a room to Mr. Yinan, please contact Mr. Paul K. Smith at Bolton High School (paulk.smith@boltonct.org) as soon as possible.

Mr. Yinan will be arriving in late August 2009 and staying until mid-January 2010.

April 2010 Tour Meeting - on Wednesday, April 29

On Wednesday evening April 29, 2009 we will hold our next meeting for all interested in the April 2010 China Tour. The meeting will be held in the Bolton High School Library at 6:30 PM.

Information will be shared with all students and family members who have expressed an interest in being part of the April 2010 China Tour. By this date, an exact itinerary will be shared and decisions on several possible excursions will be discussed. If you missed the fall meeting, please join us for this event. All confirmed participants should attend as well!

(Please note that it has been necessary at this time to start a waiting list for the trip as we have reached our capacity of 55 travelers.)

Pictured above: Structure on island on Daming Lake, Jinan - Shandong Province

Spending time meeting with students was a priority for our visitors from the Shandong Province.

Bolton High School grade 9 students share information Geng Shuai.

Geng Shuai presents a gift to BHS student who acted as a guide to classroom visits.

Wang Fuhai shares information on the Shandong Province with classes.

Geng Shuai, He Chengjin, and Wang Fuhai enjoy dinner at the Smith house one evening.

Inside Hartford's Capitol

Representative Pam Sawyer shows Mr. Fuhai, Mr. Shuai, and Mr. Chengjin her seat in the House and brings them to the podium!

Welcome to our Capitol in Hartford, CT!

Our Chinese delegation got the royal tour of our state capitol with Representative Pam Sawyer.

Bolton High School Chinese Delegation meets Connecticut's Lt. Governor

While touring Hartford, Representative Sawyer arranged for the delegation

to meet Lt. Governor Mike Fedele.

From left are: He Chengjin, Rep. Pam Sawyer, Wang Fuhai, Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele, Geng Shuai and Bolton High School principal Paul Smith.

The Chinese Delegation enjoyed a tour of M.I.T.

Diplomacy over Cannolis!

Enjoying canolis from Mike's Pastry in the North End of Boston,

it is clear that any group can come together and enjoy each other's foods, customs, and traditions!

Visiting the Old North Church in Boston

A trip to Boston for our China Delegation

Lunch at the Olde Union Oyster House.

At the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Boston.

At the reflecting pool of the Christian Science Center with the Prudential complex in the background.

Chinese Delegation at Bolton High School

We were honored to greet our guests at the front door of our school:

Mr. Wang Fuhai (Foreign Affairs Office, Shandong Provincial Department of Education, Section Chief), Mr. He Chengjin (Zaozhuang Teaching Research Office, Senior Teacher), Mr. Geng Shuai (Weifang Education and Science Research Institute, Researcher)

Principal Smith exhanges gifts wtih Section Chief Wang Fuhai.

The Seniors present them with gifts from the Class of 2009.

Meeting with English teachers to gain insight on American teaching techniques.

Our Chinese delegation with the Bolton Board of Education.