With the National Holiday quickly approaching (October 1st), the Chinese national flag is being flown all around the city! More and more flags as well as other decorations seem to be appearing everywhere. The spirit of nationalism amongst the Chinese is at its height! This being the 60th anniversary of the Chinese government is very important to them. In fact, in China, 60 years is a much bigger deal than 50 years.
For us, it has felt like everyone was preparing for some random Chinese holiday. However, today when I was walking around our little neighborhood noticing all the flags I thought about how I would feel if this year was an important milestone in American history – maybe the 300th anniversary of our country. It would be very exciting to see all of the American flags being flown and everyone sharing a common pride in their country.
So, I have decided to try and enjoy the holiday through the eyes of a Chinese person. It really is an important time in their history and I am looking forward to celebrating it with them! Teachers and students have been so kind to include us in several of their celebrations, and we are looking forward to partaking over the next couple of weeks!