User profile: chris

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Seeking small Chinese non-profit organisations

Hi kate008,

Yesterday I visited the Ringa Community Nursery (仁安幼儿园) near Shangri-la and think it might be of interest to you, or other readers for that matter.

This school for children from the six villages in the Ringa Valley is educating more than 90 children aged 4 through 6, teaching them to speak and write Mandarin Chinese, which will allow them to attend public school after the age of 6. Prior to this, most children in the Ringa Valley were unable to attend public school because they lacked the necessary Mandarin Chinese skills.

The nursery also teaches literacy in the children's native Tibetan, which helps them stay in touch with their own culture. Tibetan literacy classes are taught by local volunteers who work at the nearby Banyan Tree Ringha.

The nursery is hoping to add English courses next year, but is in need of funds.

Most young children in the villages around the Ringa Valley are raised by their grandparents because their parents are off working. The grandparents are often unable to look after the children, who frequently play in the road and engage in other innocent enough but dangerous play habits.

The Ringa Community Nursery provides a safe place for the children to play, as well as previously unimaginable education opportunities. It also teaches the children basic hygiene and health knowledge and provides one hot bath a week, something most of the kids don't have access to in their own homes.

I was quite impressed by the dedication of the two volunteer teachers at the nursery, one a Naxi girl from Lijiang, the other a Han girl from Zhejiang. Aside from a few Banyan Tree employees, the children were the only locals I encountered in the valley that could speak Chinese. Nobody from the valley has ever graduated from university before, but I could sense that some of the giggling kids I met at the nursery would change that.

For more information about the Ringa Community Nursery, check their bilingual website at www.ringa-kindy.org/

For information about how to donate to the nursery, go to www.ringa-kindy.org/page/help/support.php

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The Jennifer Gentle show at Yunnan Art Institute was quite an experience. The auditorium was filled to capacity and there were also more than 100 people outside the auditorium waiting to get in.

Luckily those of us on the outside could at least hear the show well. After the set was done, most students left immediately, obviously unfamiliar with the concept of an encore performance.

Once the band came out again, there was enough room for all the patient folk outside to find a seat. What followed was more than just a tight band rocking out hard, it was a few hundred youth driven into a screaming, writhing rock beast that wanted more, more, more. Great fun, much respect to CinaOggi and PSI for organizing this awesome event.

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Hi Elizabeth, I just confirmed with Matteo that it's the second building on the left as you enter the main gate (正门) of the Yunnan Art Institute. It's off of Kunrui Lu, the road that leads northward to Optimus Prime. I'd say the easiest way to get there is to tell a cab driver to take you to 云南艺术学院正门. See you there!

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I'm not very familiar with Jennifer Gentle's music, but I was quite impressed by their three-song acoustic performance at the Halfway House open mic night yesterday. Most of the audience seemed to dig it. Should be interesting to catch them tomorrow when they're plugged in...

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Hi Maggie,

There is plenty of camping/hiking gear here. Jin Feibao's brother actually owns one of the better outdoor supply stores in town, on the sw corner of Renmin Lu and Huancheng Xi Lu. There are loads of other stores throughout town too.

Chris

Reviews

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Four stars for a great restaurant with friendly staff.

I give Tusheng Shiguan a fifth star for its goal of promoting environmentally sound food production.

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My favorite Tengchong-style restaurant in Kunming. Their ersi and erkuai are trucked over from Tengchong and are the real deal — Kunming ersi and erkuai do not compare.

The restaurant itself is a bit jumbled, but there are a couple of tables outside in the courtyard that are nice to sit at when the weather's pleasant.

Don't believe them when they say they don't have lufu.

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Tom and Jiajia have been baking up a storm lately. Thanks to them I have delicious sourdough bread to toast on the space heater in the office.

The Bircher muesli is probably the healthiest and most delicious breakfast around.

Pound for pound, one of the best little Western restaurants in China. 佳佳万岁！

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Just had gnocchi in mushroom sauce and a glass of wine for dinner on the balcony in mid-January. Awesome.