Sometimes, experiences which happened before digital cameras became commonplace feel a little dreamlike. You can remember the bare bones of what happened, and there may be paper reminders of events, but who digs out photo albums these days? But this photo, from a trip into the Taklamakan desert in China's Xinjiang Province back in 1995 is a rather special one for me, so I recently took the trouble to digitise it and clean it up. Why special? Well that's me on the dune, top middle, after an exhausting "noonday sun" climb up!

Today was “Children’s Day” and I was invited to visit the oddly named “Groundnut Primary School” in the countryside. No English is taught there due a county-wide lack of English teachers, but there were plenty of “Hello”s from the students, aged 5-12, as I arrived. The morning ceremony was held in the playground under a very hot sun. It started with a salute to the Chinese flag [see photo below] as the National Anthem played. Then the school leaders, top students, a parent and I all gave short speeches. Some of the children were inducted into the “Young Pioneers” (the Communist Party's Youth Organisation) and given their red neckties to wear. Finally, the best students received prizes (pens, certificates, pencil-boxes, etc) and then all the children were given sweets, and a “take a photo with the foreigner” marathon began.

Afterwards, I was given a tour of the school. Only 140 students and 9 teachers – so, classes of about 20 (a ratio any English school would be delighted with). But it was very noticeable how spartan the classrooms were - little or nothing on the walls, and formal rows of desks all facing the backboard - a far cry from the primary schools I have worked in. And yet, the more investigating I did, the more I realised that the school’s problems were as much due to the Chinese mindset as to poverty or lack of resources.

I asked why none of the students’ paintings were displayed anywhere and was told that “none of the teachers were Art specialists”!? But why couldn’t the children just draw anything colourful to be displayed? I was told “Last year two students could draw well, but there are none this year”!? I was shown a library with quite a few books (though none in colour or with pictures) and was told that students borrowed books every week - but a layer of dust told another story. The “Materials Room” was locked at first but, once we got in, I was amazed by shelf upon shelf of globes, test-tubes, weather measuring machines, stopclocks, etc. But, as most of it was still wrapped in plastic bags, I asked how often teachers used these resources. “Never - they are too busy” was the perplexing reply. I spied a shelf full of beautiful posters, covered in dust. I asked why these couldn’t be put up in the classrooms to liven the rooms up. “No. Impossible. We have exams”!? I pointed out these were pictures of rabbits and flowers - hardly any use for cheating in exams. Blank looks from the teachers – brightening up the classroom seemed to be a totally foreign concept! In the playground, I asked how come all the basketball hoops had been broken off. I was told they had actually been deliberately removed to stop the students playing basketball, as the balls were damaging the hedges!? I was gobsmacked.

So, such is the teaching culture here that almost anything is seen as more important than the students and their education. Beautiful hedges are more important than exercise and fun, colourful posters rot in dark rooms whilst classrooms remain bare, libraries stay locked for fear of books actually being used, and children’s art cannot be displayed unless it is prize-winning. Schools here certainly have their problems, but some also have ready solutions and there seems to be a complete inability to connect the two!

So, how do you disseminate dissident ideology in a country which doesn’t tolerate alternative politics? Well, one way I spotted the other day is below – subversive slogans subtly stamped onto a one yuan bank note, which is then passed from person to person without the originator being known. The translation reads:

Whatever your political viewpoint, you have to admire the ingenuity!

I had one of those very random conversations today which are  quintessentially (yes, I looked it up!) Chinese. A mystery woman (MW) stopped me in the street...

MW: Hello. How are you?
Me: Er … fine thanks. How are you?
MW: I’m 23 years old. Where are you?
Me: Well, I’m right here. But, I’m from England.
MW: Are you friendly?
Me: Yes, I think so….
MW: Can I play with you?
Me: Er … not now. I’m ... er ... busy.
MW: My father a teacher.
Me: Oh really?
MW: You like my father?
Me: Yes, I’m a teacher like your father. Or do you mean “Do you like my father?”
MW: Yes, I very like.
Me: Do I know your father?
MW: Yes, I know.
Me: Is your father an English teacher?
MW: I like dog and cat.
Me: Er, OK ... how about your father?
MW: I like. You teacher my father.
Me: I do teach him? Or can I teach him?
MW: Yes.
Me: What’s his name?
MW: Yes. Thank you. I have something.
Me: Er … me too … nice to meet you.
MW: Meet you too. Bye.