At Eco Camp, volunteers were all asked to lead activities. I asked our students to write and perform a short skit that addressed current environmental issues.
These students took the story behind Qixi Festival (or, Chinese Valentine’s Day). In this story, ZhiNu is from heaven, and comes to earth one day and meets NiuLang. They fall in love and have two children. Of course, one day ZhiNu is banished back to heaven, where the two are now forever separated by a river. Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, magpies will form a bridge so that the two meet.
Our students acted out this familiar story, but where poor food quality left the children ill and unable to go meet ZhiNu. And again they met trouble where the air pollution killed off all the magpies and only two were able to come.
It was a really wonderful performance, one of many, and it reminded me of how continually impressive and creative the students here are, and in a foreign language at that.
Getting Schooled in China 