Kahutara welcomes Yuhui

Kahutara school has welcomed Yuhui Gao, its’ fourth visiting Chinese teacher under Victoria University’s —– scheme. Yuhui graduated from Shandong University majoring in English Business language and having been selected ‘Outstanding Student Cadre’ at the university. Following her year in New Zealand Yuhui plans to return to university to do her Master’s degree from where she hopes to be employed by an offshore company’s Beijing office.

Yuhui has two younger sisters and lives with her family in Shijiazhuang Town where her father is a businessman. While designated a town it has a population equal to all of New Zealand’s. Understandably she has found her first two weeks lonely, but says “I’m getting used to it – it’s OK”. Shijiazhuang Town is close to Shijiazhuang city which has a population of 10.7 million about an hour and half travel to Beijing.

Shijizahuang is situated in Hebei province in North Eastern China north of the Huanghe (Yellow) River. Winters can be very cold, down to minus twenty , however the summers are pleasant with July temperatures into the mid to high twenties. The rural land is mainly used fro cropping being a major Chinese what producer.

While not having experience with teaching Chinese to English speaking children she has work as a tutor teaching English to Chinese children. She has also worked as a volunteer at a rehabilitation centre for deaf mute children where the children taught her to be more sensitive to the emotional changes in children. Yuhui plans to make her Chinese classes “rich and colourful”. She has found the children here to be warm, “they come up and hug me and thank me for the lesson” which doesn’t happen in China. Along with teaching at Kahutara School Yuhui spends Tuesdays at Featherston School and also time at Pirinoa School.

While at university Yuhui developed an interest in ancient Chinese culture and language through a course offered on the subject and has been undergoing training at Beijing University on basic cultural skills. She can also cook Chinese foods including dumplings and Zongzi and demonstrate the Tai chi fan and make Chines knots and paper cuts. While not yet having specific teaching experience she hopes to teach these basic cultural skills to students in New Zealand.

Along with the other visiting Chinese teachers Yuhui spent a three day introduction to New Zealand at Wellington, she is looking forward to seeing and learning about the Wairarapa. Plans are for two of the other visiting teachers to join with Yuhui for a South Island tour during the coming school holiday.