Boy's Day - "Honour them with your love"

Without any introduction or apparent purpose, I stumbled across this billboard by the roadside of Tsinghua campus. Covered with pictures of local male Tsinghua students, it was perplexing to say the least.

But seriously, why? Fortunately, a local friend of mine was on hand to explain all....

/left/ Utter befuddlement. / right/ Unattended with no apparent purpose - a billboard covered with pictures of male students.



Boy's Day

It was the 12th of the 11th and therefore Boy's Day!

Tsinghua, as a predominantly science/ engineering orientated university, has an imbalanced male/ female ratio. Hence, naturally there aren't enough girls for every guy, and so- my local friend later informed me - one day each year is reserved to celebrate those male students who are unable to find a girlfriend.

"Honor them with your love!"

Later that day, I received an email from the University's "Chinese Corner" a weekly gathering of local and international students, providing the opportunity to find language partners. This week however, the Chinese Corner would have the theme of 'Boy's Day'. Here's the message I received:

"Guess which month is the most favorite month among Tsinghua's guys. That's right! November! The festival for Tsinghua only-Tsinghua Boy's day-will be on 12/11. Girls please try your best to do whatever you can to please the guys, make they feel happy and honor them with your love!"

Wow, anyone reckon this would take off in the UK?! Doubt it.

(Check out the stunning weather too! Bright but brisk and at night increasingly cold.)

Funny Signs in China! Pt. 1

Recently we've had midterms and I've not been blogging. So when I came across these amusing pics I had to share. /I have removed one more 'sensitive' image/

"Happy Hallowmas/ Pumpkin Day"

Happy Halloween. Or as it has been called by some local friends of mine, "Happy Pumpkin Day". Cute.

Halloween provided the students here at Tsinghua yet another opportunity to have fun. Albeit, this time in fancy dress. Initially sceptical, the prospect of imitating the character Joker from the recent blockbuster hit 'Batman: The Dark Knight' was too persuasive to decline. A few Qingdao Beers later, the party was in full swing with everyone living their role. Especially me (just wait for the videos! ;-).

A large group of around 20 or so met in the local halls of residence to warm up before the big night. This provided a great opportunity to stalk and frighten the unsuspecting residents, including the poor ladies at the reception desk! My pencil prop certainly added to the horror. A similar occasion was when I was entering the lift to be greeted with the screams of six shocked Korean girls- most amusing. You could say, it certainly put a 'smile on my face'.


Adequately relieved of any remaining inhibitions, we hit one of Beijing's largest Halloween parties, the Yen Fetish Halloween Party. With a crowd supposedly over one thousand of ghouls, witches and other disturbing creatures composed of the shattered figments of the darkest of imaginations, free drinks on entry, the party was an utter uproar.

Now however, the fun must be suspended - mid-term exams await in just over a week. A good reason to be 'so serious'. Gulp.