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[dduck]

[Just a guy]

There�s a student in a senior 3 class that I help outside of class a bit, letting her use my computer & borrow books & the sort, I printed out a English map of China for her a week or so ago.
Yesterday, she came by & gave me the map back, explaining that it showed the Capital of China as Beijing, with the star with a circle around it, it Also showed Taiwan with it�s capital, Taipei with the circled star. She couldn�t keep such a map, since she thinks Taiwan IS a part of China & shouldn�t be seen to have it�s own capital.

I tried explaining that even if she tries to not see it, it will Still be that way. We talked about it awhile & I finally gave up & accepted the map back.. She told me how she saw newspaper accounts of Taiwanese, who thought they were a part of China & wanted to be reunited, I mentioned that there might be many there who felt differently but she would have none of it.

I was quite disappointed seeing how closed minded she was about it.
I also wonder/think if a Chinese teacher might of saw it & told her why the map was a BaD map & she shouldn�t keep it�.

[arioch36]

I've offended students in class. i think it is unavoidable if you are trying to "raise the bar" in your classes. My students (to my knowledge) have never held it against me. Misundrestandings CAN produce firmer friendships.

In Chinese "mai dongxi" means to buy stuff, buy things. But is is a big insult to say "ni shenme dongxi" You what kind of stuff...what kind of thing are you...implying you are not a person.

At the time I didn't really understand the seiousness of this (just like Chinese students use theswear words that some idiot foreign or Chinese teacher never appreciating that they are not nice things to say).

I don't remember the context. We might have been talking about the movie "The Right Stuff" or the Chinese idea of "qi" stuff of the universe

Well I told a student "Ni bu shi dongxi, ni shi ren" UYou aren't stuff, you're a person, stuff is what is in you.

Not good. You can not say , "Ni shi dongxi, or ni shi shenme dongxi" But is seems it is just as bad to say you are not stuff :"ni bu shi dongxi"

I guess it is like saying a person is nothing. But at least they know now what "stuff" means in America