Morality and rules, and how to avoid drowning: what my daughters learned at school in China

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Our twins spent two years at primary school in Chengdu. Their lessons featured alarming cautionary tales and stories of Chinese superiority, but there was fun and irreverence, too. By Peter Hessler. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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1:00.3	Morality and rules and how to avoid drowning, what my daughters learned at school in China by Peter
1:09.3	Hesseler. You're going to be here. Near the end of third grade, my twin daughters, Arielle and Natasha officially joined the young pioneers of China.
1:32.0	This organization is under the auspices officially joined the young pioneers of China.
1:33.0	This organization is under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party,
1:37.0	and members are between the ages of six and 14.
1:41.1	In order to become a young pioneer at Chengdu Experimental Primary School, the public institution my daughters attended in the southwestern Chinese city, there was no application, no interview, and no ceremony. Parents were not consulted or informed. The twins simply
1:56.9	came home one afternoon wearing young pioneer pins on their right breasts. The pins
2:01.6	featured a gold star, a red torch, and the name of the organization,
2:06.2	Jong-Gwa Shau-Sien-Dui, in gold Chinese characters. Arielle and Natasha told me and my wife Leslie that from now on they would be required to wear the pins on Mondays
2:17.0	when Chengdu Experimental held its weekly flag racing ceremony, as well as on other special occasions.
2:25.0	Young pioneers also wore red scarves that were knotted at the neck.
2:29.0	According to the organization's constitution, the scarves are red because they represent the blood that was sacrificed by the martyrs of the
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