Xianonings Blog

A refreshing and personal account of the Olympics! Xiaonings's blog is designed to bring together her views on Chinese culture and education. Her blog is supplement to a store she runs called ChinaSprout. The goal of the store is provide quality Chinese culture and educational products to families who have adopted children from China, recent immigrants, and teachers interested in teaching Chinese culture. On the site you can buy art work, clothing, children's books, food, and the list goes on. What makes her blog so relevant to the Olympics is that her blog has been focusing on it; she has posted 11 entries in regards to the olympics and does a good job at providing factual background to help make sense of certain events the media has covered. The topics range from the opening ceremony (which you can purchase a DVD copy for 29.95 on the website) to discussing China's success in achieving, "One World, One Dream."

What I like most about this blog is that she makes the Olympics and China become personable. She gives its a voice that many of us can relate too. She isn't sending a message of politics, but instead a message with facutal infromation and she expresses the human emotion surrounding the event.



Her blog and her store reflect a very positive approach to culture. She's obviously very proud of her heritage and the rich history of China. The store is a valuable resource for all teachers who are interested in teaching about global culture. I see this as being a highly valuable resource for any teacher, not only as a store, but also the authentic experience the blog can offer.


Throughout this class, I've learned to re-think my definition of culture and its application in policy making. The experience that is shared in this blog is valuable as it gives priority to the individual and a new sense of hybrid culture. A true multiculturalist approach and extremely valuable to those looking at China from the outside. The test for China in the future will be how far the government opens their doors the cultural, political, and economic exposure. In order for the Chinese to truly understand their culture, I would argue that they must see other cultures. Erickson discusses that cultural realization and identification didn't really happen until the Foreign Medical Students saw other doctors practicing. This cultural exposure, even if minimal, allows for multiculturalism and education to follow.