0:00:35 > 0:00:39My name is Jia Deng Hui.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42I am nine years old.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47This is my friend Fung Ju Lin.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50He's my best friend.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We live on an island near Xingping.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Xingping is in Guangxi Province in south China.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24This area is very famous for the karst peak mountains and Li river.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34The Li river is 440 kilometres long.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43When it rains it's hard to see how beautiful the landscape is.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50But visitors still come here to admire the views.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Even though it's winter.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Here is the famous view on our 20 yuan note.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20If you come to China you will use a 20 yuan note.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27And then you'll know the picture of those mountains is where I live.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40This rocks says "20 yuan note view."
0:02:48 > 0:02:51My mum sells fruit here.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57It's really hard to sell fruit right now,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00because it's raining a lot, and very cold.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08We grow lots of fruit on the island where I live.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32My mum has her own orange trees.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34THEY TALK IN MANDARIN
0:03:40 > 0:03:43She explains lots of things to my friends and I.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53She says the best time for oranges is December to January.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01We have four different kinds of oranges.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Some are sweeter than others. We all eat a lot of fruit.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14My mum says, "If you throw away the bad ones,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18"the good ones have more chance to grow."
0:04:21 > 0:04:26I like oranges, but my favourite is pomelo.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34There are lots of pomelos on our island.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40They've all been picked now,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42so they get taken off to the markets.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Nearly every day you can see them loaded onto boats.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08I have breakfast by the fire at 7:30.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16My mum usually makes me rice with meat.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28At eight o'clock every morning I leave home.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33My house is really close to the river,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37so it only takes a minute to get there.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46My dad is really good at fixing boats. This is how he earns money.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58My friend Fung Ju Lin and I always go to school together.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14All the children on our island have to cross the river to get to school.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43From the harbour we walk the rest of the way.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Classes start at 8:40.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17If you come to Xingping you HAVE to take a river trip.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26My friends and I live here, so we just play around on boats.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37The temperature is really cold now.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Our lifejackets help to keep the wind and rain out.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45It's very cold for the fishermen, too.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Winter is not a good season for catching fish,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55because there are hardly any fish in the river in the winter.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Some of the fishermen use cormorant birds to help them fish.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Lots of the views were painted by Chinese painters.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20And written about by many poets.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28One poem is by a famous Chinese poet called Han Yu.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33"The river winds like a green silk ribbon,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36"while the hills are like jade hairpins."
0:08:39 > 0:08:43But you should come when it's warmer to see the famous views.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53My name is Ma Tsu Tao.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58I am nine years old.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I live in Yangshao.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Yangshao is in the province of Guangxi.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31This is in the south of China.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Guangxi Province is well known for its karst peak mountains.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47Wherever you go in my area you can see the mountains.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53There are also two important rivers, the Yulong and the River Li.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05I really like drawing the landscape here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15These are the hills of Yangshao.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23This is the Li River, which is near my home.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31This is a bamboo raft. This is a fisherman.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36This is the fisherman's cormorant.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46This is the famous Moon Hill.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Lots of tourists come to visit Yangshao.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08They really like our local products.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Near Yangzhou there are famous limestone caves,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25like the Silver Caves.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32The caves have all sorts of rock formations and shapes.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39They're amazing when they are all lit up with special colours.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03I like wandering through town with my friends.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I have lots of good friends.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13The beautiful fans are very popular, we like choosing our favourites.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26All these fans are made in Yangshao county.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42We like star fruit, so I've got some for us all.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Here you can stop and see how silk is made.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00We like playing with the silkworms,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07but I think they're a bit scary.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10THEY TALK IN MANDARIN
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Lots of people like to stop and buy snacks.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29This is tofu with chives, chilli, beans, and a sweet sauce.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43It's really tasty.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58I go to school every day at seven o'clock.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03My mum takes me on her scooter.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10She works as a teacher at my school, so we can travel together every day.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27We all have breakfast at school.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31We usually have Guilin rice noodles.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38They are mixed with soya bean, spring onion, pork and chilli.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45People here like eating spicy food.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52My friends and I love having breakfast together.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11In China we always start with 20 minutes of reading.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16THE CLASS READS OUT TOGETHER
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Mrs Yang is our maths teacher.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45After the first class we do exercises in the playground.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Our leader is my friend Ju Shi Chin.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00In winter doing sport helps us to keep warm.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13Every Friday evening I have my favourite class - dance.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18My friend Ju Shi Chin is my dance partner.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23We've been dancing together since we were six.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26CLASSIC ROCK'N'ROLL PLAYS
0:16:27 > 0:16:30We've done competitions together.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I really like dancing, and when I dance I feel happy.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40What makes you feel happy?
0:16:46 > 0:16:48My name is Wang Yu Shi.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53I'm 11 years old. I live in Lijiang.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Lijiang has lots of old parts.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The buildings here were built in ancient times.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It's home to the Naxi people. My family is Naxi.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Lijiang is located in the province of Yunnan.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17It's near the famous Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23For everyone living here this is a sacred mountain
0:17:23 > 0:17:27because it gives us water, wood and thousands of plants
0:17:27 > 0:17:29that we use for Chinese medicine.
0:17:31 > 0:17:37It blesses the local people, so we believe it must be protected.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It's always covered in snow all year round.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Once we played snow wars and we built snowmen, it was great fun.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58My dad's a driver. Sometimes he takes me on trips.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02I love going on trips with my dad.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07My dad knows all the fun and good places.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13There's also a big lake called Lake Lashihai.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17This lake is the largest lake in Lijiang County.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Local fishermen fish here, and lots of tourists like to come and visit.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34There are lots of fish in this lake, most of them are grass carp.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42You can try some fish if you take a boat out.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49A fisherman will grill it for you.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56It's got lots of bones, but it's delicious.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03In the summer the fisherman says he can get about 60 a day.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13The way the fisherman speaks is very funny. Like a fish!
0:19:16 > 0:19:19This is also a good place to watch birds.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Many birds spend the winter here, then they leave in the spring.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Near Lake Lashihai there's an ancient tea route.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Over a thousand years ago people used to use horses
0:19:42 > 0:19:48to transport tea that's still grown in the fields of Yunnan.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55The horses are quite special, they have short legs and are very strong.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00They had to carry the tea and climb high hills,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03to go to different countries and areas.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09They went through forests and mountains,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13until they reached Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24They also went to our neighbour provinces,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Tibet, Szechuan,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Guizhou and Guangxi.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37After I arrive, we stop at a teahouse.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42The lady shows me how the horses carry the tea.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50The tea leaves are squashed into a tea brick.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54These were put into bamboo boxes.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59This protected them from the rain.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08The most famous Yunnan tea is called Puer tea.
0:21:12 > 0:21:18The area where I was horseriding is a place where lots of Naxi people live.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22My tea trail guide was a Naxi man.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30Naxi men often wear a sheepskin to keep them warm.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39My family is also Naxi.
0:21:39 > 0:21:46In China, the Naxi people have a population of over 250,000.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51- TRANSLATION:- My grandma still wears a Naxi costume every day.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Grandma's costume has seven stars on it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59They represent the seven stars of the Big Dipper.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Naxi women are extremely hard-working.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06They work from first light until the moon comes up.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18Here's a Naxi lady. She is weaving scarves.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25I am off to fetch my friend,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28to see if we can catch some Naxi dancing at a wedding.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37My friend is called Wang Qing Chen.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40HE CALLS OUT FOR HIS FRIEND
0:22:40 > 0:22:44We are in the same class together, and our dads are also friends.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47He lives quite near to me.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51We walk through Lijiang old town to get to the wedding.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Here's some Naxi language.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58This one is to talk. This one is to dance.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01This one is to eat.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13This shop is very famous for fresh yoghurt.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Lots of tourists buy it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23We eat it with sweet red beans. It's very tasty.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30The wedding is in here.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37ROUSING SINGING AND MUSIC
0:23:37 > 0:23:40WHOOPING AND SINGING
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Music and dancing are strong parts of Naxi tradition.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57My friend and I love watching their performance.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Qing Chen and I hope the Naxi traditions will last forever.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17TRANSLATION: My name is Wei Qing.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19I am 10 years old.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23I live in a mountain valley in a small village.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30It's called Chan'gou village.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32It's in the north west of Yunnan province.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48All around you, you see mountains and green terraced fields.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Here, we only have mountains, so we have to grow our crops on the slopes.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Most of our crops are planted on terraces.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Lots of crops are grown this way in China.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17TRANSLATION: Like rice and tea.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25You have to take a winding, narrow mountain road,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28to get to Chan'gou village.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33We have two buses a day, between our village and Lijiang.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39TRANSLATION: It takes three hours to get here.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45There are lots of small rivers around my house.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49So you always hear the sound of flowing water.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07The most famous river is called the Jinsha River.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11This means Golden Sands River,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14because people have found gold on the shore of the river.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The ferry boat is always very busy on market days.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30People cross the river to buy and sell products.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Many people have mules and horses to help carry their goods.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I've never been to play by the Jinsha River,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04because it's very deep, and very cold.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Also, the river has strong currents,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15so it's dangerous for us to swim there.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23In summer, the water level is pretty high.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25You can see the water marks on the rocks.
0:27:36 > 0:27:42My school is Jinjian Primary School, it's the only one in Chan'gou.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44It has 78 pupils.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Children come here from the age of five, until the age of 11.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54Our school motto is:
0:27:54 > 0:27:59"Education achieves your future. Knowledge changes your fate."
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Some kids sleep at school, like me.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04And some go home.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07There are six people in my class.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11The motto above the blackboard says:
0:28:11 > 0:28:15"Respect the teacher, and observe discipline."
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Today is the day of our maths exam.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30I find maths quite hard. I prefer Chinese.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42METAL CLANGS
0:28:44 > 0:28:47We are breaking up for our winter holiday.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50And it's also our Spring Festival.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54CHILDREN RESPOND TO THEIR TEACHER
0:28:58 > 0:29:03At assembly, our teachers remind us to do some homework,
0:29:03 > 0:29:04and to be careful of fire.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Also, to respect our elders,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12look after the younger ones, and write a diary every day.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23CHILDREN RESPOND IN UNISON
0:29:25 > 0:29:27This is my dormitory.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29There are eight of us living here.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34The younger ones sleep on the bottom beds.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37And the older girls on the top.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42My dad is fetching me, and my little cousin.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50We all take our bedding home so it gets washed.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07My little cousin is called Wang Fei. She is seven years old.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23There are two routes to get to my house.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25One is a road, one is a small path.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34Whichever way you go, you can see the beautiful views,
0:30:34 > 0:30:38and all the vegetables and crops that local people grow.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04You can see my house in the distance.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09We're almost home.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15THEY SPEAK IN CHINESE
0:31:17 > 0:31:20I'm really happy to be home because I can be with my mum,
0:31:20 > 0:31:22my little sister and my dad again.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47This is a radish. We'll cook it for lunch.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53When I'm home, I help my parents with the cooking.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57All our water is spring water from the mountains.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00And all our food is home grown.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11My mum often teaches me how to cook.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18We're cooking home-made bacon,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21rice and lots of different vegetables.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32I love eating at home,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34because Mum and Dad's cooking is really delicious.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38THEY SPEAK IN CHINESE
0:32:42 > 0:32:44This is my baby sister.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Her name is Shu Qi.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51She's only five months old.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It will be nice to play with her in my break.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04My mum and dad are both farmers,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07so we don't have to buy any meat or vegetables.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13Here we grow potatoes, potatoes,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15potatoes and barley.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20My parents aren't too busy now,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23because they only start planting in the spring.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31Then they work without a break until the autumn harvest.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Now we have to weed often, so that the wheat can grow tall and healthy.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49I really love it when the crops and the scenery are all green.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56I'm sure you'd really like it here.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- TRANSLATION:- My name is Qing Qing.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08I am nine years old.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11I was born in the year of the sheep.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27This is a big city in the province of Anhui.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30It's in eastern China.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35It's in Tian Chang city.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40I live near a toy factory.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49My mum works at the toy factory, so I can play with lots of toys.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53SHE SPEAKS MANDARIN
0:34:53 > 0:34:55I know where they all are.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00There are rows and rows of toys here.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06All these toys are going to be sent away to other countries.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08SHE SPEAKS MANDARIN
0:35:08 > 0:35:11First, they're transported to Shanghai.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17Then, from the port of Shanghai, they go by boat to other countries.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25Some of them are made specially for Western holidays and celebrations.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31This is the sewing room.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36This room is normally full of busy ladies.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42But most of them have already left for the Spring Festival holiday.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49I like watching them make things.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56This lady is making some clothes for an elephant.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05This lady is sewing a mouth on a giraffe.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12I like talking to the ladies
0:36:12 > 0:36:15because the toys they make are such fun.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23The ladies all work really hard.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26In the winter they wear lots of clothes because it is so cold.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34This is the place where they're sewing the monkeys' noses.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45This is the stuffing machine.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54You have to be careful not to put too much stuffing in,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56because otherwise the toy will burst.
0:37:03 > 0:37:04This is the packing room.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10The elephants all have to pass through
0:37:10 > 0:37:12this quality control machine
0:37:12 > 0:37:15to check they don't have any metal on them.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21It's fun catching them, but you have to be quite fast.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32All the toys have to be inspected so they look their best.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42My mum works in the building next door.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47She's a sales manager.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51She's worked here for two years.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58My mum moved to this factory area for the job.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02It was quite hard, because I could only see her
0:38:02 > 0:38:05when she came home for national holidays.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Three months ago, I moved here, too.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Now I can spend more time with my mum.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22This is where I do my homework.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25SHE SPEAKS MANDARIN
0:38:27 > 0:38:29We like to go shopping together.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38I like looking at books, so sometimes my mum leaves me
0:38:38 > 0:38:40to read some stories.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56My favourite stories are ones about princesses.
0:39:25 > 0:39:31A few days ago, my mum took my friend and I to Toy World.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40It's a wholesale toy shopping centre in Yangzhou.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43My friend is called Mengyu.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51There are lots of red dragons because red is lucky in China.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58We loved playing around with everything.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06All the toys at Toy World are made in Jiangsu province.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14The giant bears are fun and soft and I really like to play with them.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21We love the flowers because they are really beautiful.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Look at these dragons!
0:40:26 > 0:40:29There are tons this year because it's the Year of the Dragon.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37Dragons are very important in Chinese culture.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39And they bring you luck.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45I wish you luck in the Year of the Dragon.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57My name is Meng Ke.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I'm 11 years old.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05TRANSLATION: I live near Sandouping in the province of Hubei.
0:41:12 > 0:41:17Hubei province is in central China.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18My house is on a hill.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21It's close to the River Yangtze.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24My family used to live right next to the river.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Then we had to move away because a huge dam was built.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38The dam is called the Three Gorges Dam.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41They built it to help China with flood control
0:41:41 > 0:41:43and generate electricity.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47It's one of the biggest dams in the world.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52I can see the dam and the River Yangtze from my roof.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55My grandpa said he met a lot of foreigners
0:41:55 > 0:41:57when they were building it.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02The electricity is sent from here to all over China.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09The River Yangtze starts on the Tibetan Plateau,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13in Qinghai province, and ends in Shanghai.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17In the olden days before modern transport,
0:42:17 > 0:42:22this was the main route for products to be sent from province to province.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27It's the longest river in Asia, and the third longest in the world.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32I live with my grandparents.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39They look after me because my parents work in another province.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43My grandpa and I usually do the shopping together.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Today we've got lots of things to buy
0:42:48 > 0:42:51because it's our Spring Festival.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Everyone buys special red decorations.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59It's called Spring Festival because it's usually in the spring.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05This year it's in January, and it's still really cold.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14It's a very exciting day because my mum and dad are coming home.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16So we have to get everything ready.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22Fireworks are very important for the Spring Festival.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24Everyone buys them.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Even though Grandpa thinks they're not very safe,
0:43:29 > 0:43:32he always buys quite a few fireworks, especially for me.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39There's lots to do before my parents arrive.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49Once we have dropped our shopping home, we have to get the vegetables.
0:43:55 > 0:44:01My grandpa has his own vegetable patch. It's not far from our house.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08I like going with Grandpa to get the vegetables.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24One last thing I have to do is sweep the floor.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31This is also a part of the Chinese Spring Festival tradition.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35You have to make sure you sweep away bad luck and make it clean,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37so that good luck can arrive.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42I'm so happy and excited they're coming home.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48I haven't seen them for nearly a year.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54My aunt, uncle and cousin have also come specially
0:44:54 > 0:44:56for the family reunion.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Now everything is ready and we just have to wait for my mum and dad.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08They're coming all the way from Guangdong province.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Dad needs to drive over 20 hours to get home.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Here they are!
0:45:19 > 0:45:22I feel so excited.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26My mum and dad have brought presents for everyone.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Lots of tasty sweets, new clothes and new shoes.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44The colour red is very important,
0:45:44 > 0:45:49because we have an old story of an evil beast called Nian.
0:45:50 > 0:45:55It used to eat all the people's food and even eat little children.
0:45:58 > 0:46:03This evil beast hated the colour red, so that's why red is lucky,
0:46:03 > 0:46:06because the evil beast will run away from red.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10The scrolls mean, "May happiness fall on anyone
0:46:10 > 0:46:13"who comes in and out of the house."
0:46:15 > 0:46:17Mmm! Something smells nice.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22We have dumplings made by all my family.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29These chocolates are in the shape of our ancient Chinese money.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33The money was made from real gold and silver.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39At dinner, all the food we have is traditional for Spring Festival.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50Everyone in my village is now setting off firecrackers.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57The evil Nian was scared of the sound of firecrackers.
0:46:57 > 0:47:02I hope that you have the opportunity to come to China
0:47:02 > 0:47:05to celebrate Spring Festival together.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16Hi! My name is Zhe Wen.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19I'm ten years old. My nickname is Wen Wen.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25I live in Shanghai.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34- TRANSLATION:- It's the city by the East China Sea.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41This is the Huangpu River.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49Shanghai is a mix of modern and old and traditional.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56It's a hectic, energetic and noisy city.
0:48:01 > 0:48:06Shanghai has over 23 million people living in the city.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Everybody is so busy, they don't stop.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16I also have very busy days.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26I set off for school at 7:40am.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35I speak Chinese Mandarin to my mother
0:48:35 > 0:48:37and also to my classmates at school.
0:48:37 > 0:48:42But in Shanghai there's a separate language called Shanghainese.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46It's different to Mandarin or Cantonese.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49I can't speak it, but I understand some.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57On the way to school, we have to stop at more than 10 traffic lights.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10Most children start arriving from 7:50 to 8:10 am.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18Lots of children come to school with their grandparents.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28We all bow to our teachers when we come in.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30This is to greet the teachers and show respect.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41At 8:10am, the gates close.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07I finish school at 3:10pm, but sometimes I have extra classes.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Today I'm going to my teacher's house for my cello lesson.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20It's some way away, so I get the metro.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29TRAIN BEEPS ITS HORN
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Shanghai has a huge metro network.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41There are 13 lines and over 200 stations.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Over five million people take it per day.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59It's the fourth busiest metro line in the world.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17CAR HORNS BEEPING
0:51:25 > 0:51:30On the way to my teacher, I pass a famous area called the Bund.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36You will see that Shanghai is split into two by the river.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46This is the Huangpu River.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49It's the end part of the Yangtze River,
0:51:49 > 0:51:51which is the longest river in Asia.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56It's very busy, with lots of boats passing by.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Over there, you can see the modern new side.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10The tallest building, with the hole at the top,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12is the World Financial Centre.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16It's the third tallest in the world.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27I'd better get to my cello lesson now.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33My cello teacher is called Mrs Zhou.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42She's taught a lot of cellists.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54I've been learning for over a year.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01I've already entered a cello competition and won third prize.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Weekends are also very busy for me.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22I go to lots of extra classes.
0:53:25 > 0:53:30This one is a design and technology class.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33In the class, we're given different tasks.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Usually making cars, planes or boats.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45Some of the pieces are really tiny so you have to be careful,
0:53:45 > 0:53:47and it's quite difficult to do.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54After this class, I do Olympic maths.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04TEACHER SPEAKS IN MANDARIN
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Olympic maths is very popular in China.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17It prepares you for maths competitions.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24You learn how to solve problems and it's a good exercise for your brain.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Doing Olympic maths helps you get a place in good schools.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44Sunday is also a busy day.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46I have two classes in the morning.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49One is an extra English class.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55Everybody have the piece of paper, right?
0:54:55 > 0:54:56Ready? Go.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00- CHILDREN READ ALOUD:- This is a pod and the peas are inside it.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04I think that learning English is really important
0:55:04 > 0:55:08because with this one language, you can communicate with everyone.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10I like the peas from your garden, he says.
0:55:10 > 0:55:16The boys open some of the pods. They stay in the garden eating peas.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19One day I hope I can go to England.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21I'd love to see Big Ben.
0:55:22 > 0:55:27- TEACHER:- Does Spot like James' peas? Zhe Wen, can you answer?
0:55:27 > 0:55:33Yes, he does. Of course he likes James' garden's peas,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35and he likes peas out of the pod.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Very good. OK.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Because Mummy said...
0:55:56 > 0:56:00On Sunday, I also have a calligraphy class.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08The teacher spends a lot of time showing us the best techniques.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15My teacher is very kind and patient.
0:56:21 > 0:56:28He teaches us that part of calligraphy is also about patience.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36It's very important in our culture, and we all learn it at school.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54We use black ink and a paintbrush.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01And we silently practise our own characters.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23Today we're practising calligraphy characters for the Spring Festival.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37I think calligraphy is a kind of art, like drawing or painting.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12This is my name.
0:58:49 > 0:58:53Subtitling by Red Bee Media Ltd