2011-10 Viking School, Yueyang, China
Hello All,
Once onboard the Emerald Viking we first went to our stateroom to check it out. It was everything we had hoped for with a king bed, small couch, a desk, and a nice balcony looking out over the water. Shortly thereafter our luggage was delivered to the room and we made ourselves at home for our much anticipated cruise on the Yangtze River. The Chinese name for the river is Chang Jiang. At 3988 miles in length from its source in the Tibetan Plateau to the mouth at the East China Sea, it is the third longest river in the world.
Once onboard the Emerald Viking we first went to our stateroom to check it out. It was everything we had hoped for with a king bed, small couch, a desk, and a nice balcony looking out over the water. Shortly thereafter our luggage was delivered to the room and we made ourselves at home for our much anticipated cruise on the Yangtze River. The Chinese name for the river is Chang Jiang. At 3988 miles in length from its source in the Tibetan Plateau to the mouth at the East China Sea, it is the third longest river in the world.
Dinner was next on the agenda.
We found the dining room to be outstanding and the service was excellent. Eddie
and Annie were the servers at the table where we chose to sit for most of our
meals--wow were they ever efficient and pleasant.
Following dinner we went back
to our stateroom. It was a warm pleasant evening, so we sat on the balcony and
watched Wuhan disappear into the night.
We cruised through the night
heading towards our next destination 142 miles upstream--Yueyang. At sunrise we
were out on our balcony checking things out. The countryside was flat farm land
and there were ships going up and down the river as far as the eye could see.
We estimated that there was a ship every quarter of a mile hauling all types of
cargo. The ship in the following photo must have been hauling something highly
flammable, as water sprinklers were operating on the deck keeping everything
soaked.
Yueyang is located on the
southern shore of Dongting Lake in South Central China. The lake is China’s
second-largest freshwater lake. It is a shallow flood-basin of the Yangtze
River; hence the lake’s size depends on the season. In addition to the Yangtze
there are three other major rivers and a number of smaller rivers that flow
into the lake. In the July-September
flood season the lake’s area, which is 1752 miles, may increase to as much as
12,427 miles.
Dongting Lake is famous in Chinese culture as the place of origin of dragon boat racing and it is home to the finless porpoise, which is endangered in China. The first thing we noticed was how muddy the lake was. As we approached Yueyang we could see the distinct difference between the lake and river water.
Dongting Lake is famous in Chinese culture as the place of origin of dragon boat racing and it is home to the finless porpoise, which is endangered in China. The first thing we noticed was how muddy the lake was. As we approached Yueyang we could see the distinct difference between the lake and river water.
There were so many ships on
the lake we couldn‘t count them all. Some were anchored, others were moving
through, and still others were being loaded with sand.
Yueyang city proper occupies
318 square miles with a population of 5½ million. After docking we walked up
the ramp to where our tour buses were waiting to take us on our next
adventure--the Yueyang Viking School.
Ever since Viking River Cruises first came to China, they initiated a project to help local primary schools. So far they are supporting three primary schools along the Yangtze River, including two in the city of Jingzhou and one in Yueyang.
Yueyang Viking School was originally called Bazimen Primary School when established in 1952. When Viking started financial support of the school in 2007 it was renamed Viking Primary School. They have improved the school’s facilities and provided modern teaching equipment. The school now has three teaching buildings with an enrollment of 1905 students from 6 to 12 years old. Most of these students are from rural villages and are housed at the school at least six days a week. There is a faculty of 83, teaching 6 grades in 28 classes. Official statistics reveal that there are about 40 million students from poor families nationwide that need aid, including 34 million primary and junior high school students.
It was obvious riding through Yueyang that it was far behind in being modernized compared to other cities we had seen in China. There were signs that they were working on improvements but they had a long way to go. We saw 2 women crouched down on the ground outside their meager homes washing dishes in a small plastic basin of water.
Ever since Viking River Cruises first came to China, they initiated a project to help local primary schools. So far they are supporting three primary schools along the Yangtze River, including two in the city of Jingzhou and one in Yueyang.
Yueyang Viking School was originally called Bazimen Primary School when established in 1952. When Viking started financial support of the school in 2007 it was renamed Viking Primary School. They have improved the school’s facilities and provided modern teaching equipment. The school now has three teaching buildings with an enrollment of 1905 students from 6 to 12 years old. Most of these students are from rural villages and are housed at the school at least six days a week. There is a faculty of 83, teaching 6 grades in 28 classes. Official statistics reveal that there are about 40 million students from poor families nationwide that need aid, including 34 million primary and junior high school students.
It was obvious riding through Yueyang that it was far behind in being modernized compared to other cities we had seen in China. There were signs that they were working on improvements but they had a long way to go. We saw 2 women crouched down on the ground outside their meager homes washing dishes in a small plastic basin of water.
Upon our arrival at the school
we were greeted by students lining the entrance playing a variety of musical
instruments. It was a real hoot!
Once inside the students put
on a show for us with singing and a martial arts demonstration. This young girl
sang a song for us--she had a lovely voice.
We then went upstairs to visit
some classrooms. Two little girls asked Barb if they could have their pictures
taken with her. She did not hesitate in saying yes.
A boy grabbed Dave by the hand
and led him to his desk. He wanted Dave to sit at the desk. Of course Dave
obliged him, but it was a challenge for the ole boy to get down to that little
short stool!!
The kids just loved having
their pictures taken and looking at themselves on the camera screen. They all
seemed so happy to have us there. One young boy grabbed Barb’s hand as we were
leaving his classroom and said in quite good English, “Please come back again.”
When our tour was over and we
were leaving the school it was lunch time. Kids were chowing down in small
groups everywhere we looked.
It was a wonderful
experience--one that we will remember for a very long time. The smiles on their
faces are imbedded in our minds and will always be a cherished memory.
By the time we got back to the ship the wind was blowing pretty hard. We sat down for lunch in the dining room as our ship started to depart. A short time later it returned to the dock. It seems that while trying to turn around on the lake in the wind we had a “fender bender” with one of many other ships. No damage was done other than scraping off some paint but it delayed our departure by another four hours. Once again, we are making memories.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
By the time we got back to the ship the wind was blowing pretty hard. We sat down for lunch in the dining room as our ship started to depart. A short time later it returned to the dock. It seems that while trying to turn around on the lake in the wind we had a “fender bender” with one of many other ships. No damage was done other than scraping off some paint but it delayed our departure by another four hours. Once again, we are making memories.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns