Yangshuo, An English Language Educational Hub

From observation, Yangshuo seems to be an educational hub -- many English-language schools with white-international-just-out-of-college/uni twentysomethings running around with teams of Chinese schoolchildren in matching neon colored t-shirts asking the tourists "Do you have time to help us? What is your name? What is your favorite food? Do you like China?"

Yangshuo is very Westerner-friendly, we found a bar/restaurant that only plays country music and serves a dozen different types of hamburgers. It makes sense that English language schools would pop up here, where the streets can serve as a classroom for the eager Chinese students. Furthermore, volunteer English teachers from all around the world can live here comfortably and enjoy the hostel/backpacker culture in the evenings while they teach during the day. The children we met on the street with their teachers explained that they do not live in Yangshuo, but are staying here for the summer to learn English -- sort of like a summer camp.

We meet a Swedish couple on the bus to a light show (a popular tourist activity that was created by the same team that did the opening ceremonies for the Beijing Summer Olympics) who are volunteer English teachers in a rural village 1.5 hours from Yangshuo. We are planning to be guest teachers at their program on Monday afternoon! Check their program out at http://www.greenforce.org/expeditions/china_adventure.htm.

We are making the best of the Swine Flu-forced closings of the programs we originally planned to visit and are finding opportunities to visit schools and learn about the Chinese educational system everywhere we go -- being friendly and curious goes a long way here!