Answer

Project Presentation

            This CSL project involved four team members who presented to a group of grade 5 students in Kildare School on November 9, 2018. The topic involved living in China where we attempted to introduce the living styles and discussed about the traditional activities to the class. The team members were from various cities including the North and South part of China. Based on this situation, the presentation was divided into four parts. In the first three parts, each group member presented about their hometown and shared the childhood experiences to the class. In the fourth part of the discussion, the tradition activities and their influence on the living style was done since the presentation was for children. My presentation involved talking about my hometown, Shenzhen and making a general introduction to the children. Notably, I used my own photos to make the presentation. 

            The presentation approach involved the use of images, figures, and literature. Since the presentation was to children, it was essential to develop strategies to enhance our interaction with them. The first aspect was in the nature of the presentation. Here, the presentation was less wordy and included more of talking. In the lecture on forms of folklore, the definition of the term mainly entails stories where one describes to others about the cultures, beliefs, and norms[1]. In my presentation, presenting these stories mainly involved telling about my life and experiences while in China since childhood. In the presentation, the use of more images was aimed at enhancing the children understanding and prompting their concentrations as they are more interested in the images rather than figures and theories. In addition, the different sections of my presentation involved the use of gestures and facial expressions to describe the different aspects.

Folklores are essential aspects in understanding the beliefs, stories, and customs of a community. Such information is passed through word of mouth. Notably, folklore talks about the folk who are the people. Therefore, one providing folklore has to obtain the information for the people directly by word of mouth[2]. In this regard, the children obtained information from us as the students. It is also essential to mention that the information is not obtained from famous people in the community. Rather, the details are obtained from the ordinary people through interviewing or observation. While providing my own account and experience regarding living in China, the only research I did from the internet was getting some of the specific details regarding the city such as geographical location and the specific size. According to Sims and Martine, the folklore should include a wide range of factors from the individual’s environment including the holiday foods which someone may not be understanding or aware.[3] In this regard, my presentation was centred on what I would wish other people to learn about my home city as outlined below.

My Home City

I come from Shenzhen which is located in the Southern part of China near Hong Kong. The geographical characteristics of the city are that it occupies a total area of 2020 square kilometres while the main demographic factor is that it has a population of 12.53 million individuals according to the 2012/2011 statistics. Shenzhen is among the main cities in Guangdong province. The city also has administrative status although the powers are less than Guangdong Province. The geographical location of the city is that its location is in the Pearl River Delta. To the North is the Dongguan while to the west are Pearl River and Lingdingyang. A key characteristic of the city is that there more than 160 channels or rivers flowing through it. Main rivers include the Shenzhen, Longgang, and Maozhou. The main language spoken is the Mandarin which history has it that is one of the main transformations. Here, I talked a bit of my home language and asked the children to repeat my words. This was aimed at engaging with them. I also showed them a number of pictures regarding the city to demonstrate on the developments and significant changes such as the buildings. Of key interest was the tallest building, JingJi 100 Building which I demonstrated using gestures and pictures.

My Home

My home contains the basic aspects of any basic house in China including the furniture and wall paintings. In folklore, a major factor is to describe the cultures and beliefs of the people including the rituals they do and some of the norms. Also, the dynamic and conservative features are discussed.[4] Our main room in the house is where we all convene for conversations and interactions while having a drink or snack. Notably, these aspects have not changed over time. In the sitting room, we have a number of aspects. These include the flowers and paintings on the walls which are for beauty. In my room on the other hand where I mainly grew up, there are typical features and aspects including the air conditioner, study table and closet for my items. In the environment, it is serene and has vegetation to ensure a cool surrounding. Such an environment is essential as Shenzhen has a warm and humid climate which is influenced by the monsoon.

Education

In China, there are no day-care or nurseries for children below 2 years. The families are expected to stay with their children or employ an ayi to perform the house chores and look after the baby. In case there is no ayi, the child’s mother is expected to leave work and stay with the child until he or she can go to the kindergarten. The main reason for not taking the children to daycare or nurseries is the belief that they will not be given the best care. Children go through the Chinese school system where they will learn language and math. The local schools are either government or privately owned. Going through rigorous schooling involves both the curricular and extra-curricular activities. Besides, children are exposed to various aspects including sports and professions such as military activities.

Living in Shenzhen

Living in Shenzhen exposes one to the places and activities that demonstrate how China in the modern context is. There are various urban areas, public transportation, and parks for one to visit. The presentation focused on these aspects in gestures, verbal, and pictures. The transport is efficient and fast. One comes across the streetcar which is the main transportation vessel in the city. The public parks are also key places to visit for diverse activities. The city has been changing over the years, and there are new buildings which have a high level of technology. Some places are interesting as they are built over water bodies which makes them attractive to visit.

One of the key activities that one comes across while living in China is the lion dancing which is a traditional type of dance done on major occasions such as the new year. The dance uses the name lion as a favourable and successful animal which is also characterized by strength and prosperity. The lion in Chinese culture is a symbol of wisdom, purity, and superiority. The dance is a key festival as it is believed to chase evil spirits and bring good fortune. During the new year festival, the dance is performed to bring good luck and prosperity in the upcoming year. The dance is also believed to bring happiness. During the new year festival, the lion costume is used. The drums are beat while the people dance to imitate the animal.

The Military

The military in China is a mandatory aspect for the university students. The education should be conducted when after opening of the term. Before high school, the students practice basic movement and formation. Also included in the military education is emergency evacuation and national defence. For the undergraduates, the formal training is more intensive as well as emergency evacuation. Some of the key aspects in the drills and formation included in the military education include standing at attention and at ease. Among the main purposes of the military education among the university students is to toughen their bodies and understand some of the basic military information.

Major Landmarks and Other Customs

Besides the JingJi 100 building, Other key landmarks and aspects to note include the central street and St. Sophia Cathedral. The church is a major tourist attraction part in the city which offers historical information regarding both the traditional and modern China. The church is decorated and designed uniquely to attract people both nationally and internationally. The city also has the world’s longest ice slide. Considering the eating custom, the Bingtanghulu is widely recognized which consists of the Hawthron, strawberry, rock candy, and orange. It is sour and sweet and is sold in the street using a small handcart. Also present is the malt sugar. A major activity in this city is fluffing cotton and selling cloth and fabric.

The Dumpling is also a common aspect which mainly entails the dough, pork, and lettuce. The spicy zongzi, on the other hand, is used in the dragon boat festival in Szechwan while the Men Zi is identified as the popular local snack characterized by starch as the main raw material. One of the main customs and norm is the family reunion where various members of the family come together to share a meal. This may happen during a special period such as the new year. Various meals and especially the traditional are prepared. Various festivals besides the new year are also celebrated including the spring and dragon boat. Other customs include visiting parks by families and effective scrap collection. Various areas of the city have different bins for diverse scraps. These include kitchen, recyclable, other wastes, and harmful waste. The people have adopted a culture of ensuring every waste goes to the designated scrap collector.

In summary, the folklore about living in Shenzhen is described by some aspects about the town and different traditions. The town is located in the South part of China and has a population of more than 12.5 million. It is characterized by growth and development and the first Chinese special economic zone. Among the main traditions include the lion dance and the family reunion where. Other notable characteristics include the military which is large in size and dynamic. In the presentation above, it entailed using gestures, images, and facial expression to interact with the children and demonstrate the different details.

[1] MLCS 204. Forms of Folklore. Instructor: Natalie Kononenko. Teaching Assistants: Lily Gulcev and Anton Iorga.

[2] Preparing for your project and then some more topic suggestions. Lecture presentation.

[3] Sims, Martha, and Martine Stephens. Living folklore: An introduction to the study of people and their traditions. University Press of Colorado, 2011.

[4] Tradition. Dynamic and conservative elements of tradition. Fakelore and Folklorism. The commodification of tradition.