Tough New Recycling Rules Aim to Cut Landfill
Beijing has a trash problem. The city produces a staggering 25,000 metric tonnes of garbage every day, with around 40 percent of it going straight to landfill. It’s not sustainable, and now the authorities are taking action. Under draft regulations recently published, residents will face a RMB 200 fine if they don’t separate their household waste into four categories: hazardous waste, kitchen waste, recyclables, and “other”. It’s an important step forward, if the city is to achieve its goal of eliminating the use of landfill for domestic waste by 2035. However, there’s an awful lot more we can do, and even more important than separating our garbage is producing less of it in the first place.
Community Comes Together for Miracle Baby Camila
Beijing’s international community have come together recently to help a very special baby. Camila Cortavitarte Urdandeta was born at just 25 weeks after her mother Coro was diagnosed with preeclampsia. Camila weighed only 590 grams, and requires intensive medical care. She is in an incubator and needs round-the-clock medical supervision. Family friend Anna Lin Yip launched a campaign to help Coro and dad Marco pay for the their little miracle’s care, and the community responded magnificently. The target of RMB 600,000 has been reached, and any money left over after all medical bills have been paid will be donated to a local charity. At the time of writing Camila had reached a weight of over 1.3 kilograms, and her parents have been able to hold her for the first time. If you want to help baby Camila, then you can contact Anna via WeChat: annalinyip.
Sinking Ships and Blue Men Come to Beijing
Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, often host to international touring productions, this month has two shows which will appeal to families. Titanic the musical debuted in the same year as Titanic the movie, but there’s no connection between the two, which tell different stories about the infamous 1912 disaster. However the Broadway show was a huge hit in its own right, winning five Tony awards including Best Musical. It’s playing at Tianqiao from November 12-24, and will be followed by a show that’s been touring for even longer. The Blue Man Group has been delighting audiences worldwide since 1987 with a unique mix of comedy, mime, and music – all performed by bald blue men. You can sample it for yourself from November 27 to December 1. For more information, and to find out what else is happening in the city, check out the Events section of our website, www.beijing-kids.com.
Spend Thanksgiving at the Great Wall
Towards the end of this month Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving (Canadians had their special day last month.) This year the celebration takes place as late as it possible can, as the fourth Thursday of the month falls on November 28. For some it can be a challenging time, a reminder of loved ones far away whom they would normally be sharing this day. So if you’re feeling homesick this Thanksgiving, why not spend it somewhere that reminds you what an amazing place you are living in? The Brickyard Retreat Centre are holding a Thanksgiving dinner in the stunning setting of Mutianyu Great Wall. They promise “roast turkey and all the trimmings served family style and with a dessert buffet.” A live jazz band will provide the mellow vibes. And if you really want to make it special, for RMB 2,488 you can spend the night in a room with a view of the Wall, make use of the Jacuzzi and Health Center, and enjoy breakfast the following morning before returning to the city. However you’re spending Thanksgiving, we at beijingkids wish you health and happiness!
Speed Reading Schools Attract Derision
Are your kid struggling to plow through lengthy textbooks or reading assignments? One Beijing company claims to have the answer: “quantum speed reading”. They claim that once students have mastered the technique, after a mere 72 classes, they’ll be able to memorize up to 100,000 characters in five minutes. And of course they’re willing to teach you, but they’ll have to charge: up to RMB 260,000 for the full course. A promotional video has gone viral, showing what appears to be students simply flipping through the pages of a book, and it’s fair to say China’s netizens are skeptical. “I have invented a new reading method, too. By putting a book on my head during sleep, the knowledge flows right into my brain because the concentration of knowledge in the book is greater than that in my brain,” China Daily quotes one Weibo user as saying. The authorities have now taken an interest, and are understood to be asking the company to drop their more outrageous claims.
This article appeared in the beijingkids November 2019 Beijing baba issue
