2011 Mar 20 Big in China: Woodie Alan Rocks Out
Want to turn your expat life into a viable writing career? (Who doesn't?) Alan Paul left New York to follow his wife to Beijing, where she joined the China bureau of the Wall Street Journal and left Paul to help with three kids, start a blues band (cleverly named Woodie Alan) with his friend Woodie, and eventually write a book.
When asked how it felt to be a male trailing-spouse, he replied:
Let’s try this: “How does it feel to move to one of the most fascinating places in the world and have your wife tell you she is doing well enough that you don’t have to work and only need to make sure the kids are okay at 4pm? And, oh yeah, you can do whatever you want and people will praise you for your sacrifice." I feel sorry for any man too insecure to turn down that deal.
Read the full interview on beijingkids here.
You might also be interested in :
Are Chinese Mothers Superior?
Photo by Erin Patrice O'Brien for The Wall Street Journal
Saturday's Wall Street Journal published an essay, or manifesto, about Chinese parenting, which has since raised the eyebrows of more than just parents. Amy Chua’s "Why Chinese mothers are superior" details her Chinese style parenting of her children, including the stereotypical piano lessons, banning of sleepovers and the push for academic over-achievement.
News You Might Have Missed: Shooting, Shutdown and Say What?
Since we last had a look at what was happening around town, Beijing hasn’t done much other than warm up, but web activity, or lack of it, has been making up for that. Netizens have reacted to an overseas shooting, an internet blackout and some mischievous monks. Want more? How about an English-language headline from Western media that will leave you scratching your head.
While You Were Sweeping: Holiday Hacking and Comments
Beijing may have quieted down a bit over the Tomb-Sweeping Festival – except for the jam-packed tourist locations – but the Chinese web didn’t at all. Anonymous left their mark on government sites even as Weibo comments came back early in the week.
The beijingkids School Choice Fair
beijingkids are proud to announce the first-ever beijingkids School Choice Fair based on the February release of the beijingkids 2012-2013 School Choice Guide.
This will be an opportunity for parents to “interview” schools in one place, at one time, as well for parents with kids currently in the schools to share their experiences. Here’s the low-down:
The Wolf Dad’s Guide to Parenting: Vicious or Reasonable?
While most Chinese parents are trying desperately to get their children into Tsinghua or Peking University (aka Beida) by emulating Western educational virtues such as creativity and the “whole child” approach, one Hong Kong father is on a quest to prove them wrong. He’s doing so by enforcing corporal punishment to make his children succeed in life. And in fact, Xiao’s three children have been accepted by Peking University, a school that most Chinese parents can only dream of.
Xiao was brought up by his mom, who believed in corporal punishment. He was not allowed to arrive home late, to lie or do poorly in his exams. He received one beating for every minute he was home late or every point lost in an exam and, in the case of lying, being beaten until his mouth bled.
