My College Days

The pictures are taken from ~~校友录~~.

This is what the main gate looks like... I don't know if they still keep this gate since many universities

have pullled down their gates and tried to make the campus intergrate into the main streets (or the outside). It is called 曲阜师范大学- Qufu Normal University. One of the very few universities that are right in the midst of the rural areas. There were large tracts of land along the west sidegate and you saw farmers and donkeys and tractors on the streets. It was very beautiful in the fall because you could see an endless field of wheat- the golden color makes you want to do more with time on your hands. You know, it is all a perfect picture of harvest. I don't know if there are still wheat fields because I haven't visited Qufu ever since I graduated. I remember there was this long distance between my dorm and the English dept we had to run like rabbits every morning (we didn't want to buy bikes) to go to classes on time. I mean it is perfect exercise.

This is the nightview of the university. You can see there is this new gate. Nothing to say about it because I have never seen this. So got to revisit it....

This is the front of the library . I like the stones they used. I spent a lot of time there in the reading rooms and reference rooms. All of my classmates were crazy about learning (maybe it is because Qufu is a small town and everyone wants to see a bigger world than that). Some of us even lined up in front of the library (summertime it is cool but in winter it is chilly) at 5 am to secure a seat in the reading rooms. The librarians were so nice they opened the library usually at 5:30 am. And all of us would crowd into the rooms and begin to read like we have never read a book. I remember one time on a winter morning, several doors were broken because there were just way too many people and they pushed too hard. I guess the school didn't blame it on the students. After all, to see the students use the library resources was a good thing. So they just had this notice on each door to tell students when they go into the library, don't push each other. I still miss the learning environment we had there.

This is the caféteria and I am sure they have renovated it. The food (when we were there) was cheap and you could stuff your stomach with just 5 yuan a day. And because we were trained to become future teachers the government allocated some money to each of us (it is about 65 yuan with some water tickets for both hot water and bath). Now the university has more majors (tourism, business English, you name it). There were more girls than boys in my class (this is true of every English dept in any university) and we would find an area to sit together and chat over the food. Life was simple then and we were so happy being together. We went sightseeing a lot around Qufu and these trips further strengthened our camaradrie and bonds. That was possibly why we cried like babies and hugged each other so tightly like we would never see each other when we graduated....

This is the sidewalk in front of the Wenshi Building (Chinese and history Depts). I wouldn't call it a boulevard because it isn't as wide as that. You see those stone chairs? You must think it is relaxing to sit on them. There are bird droppings every now and then and you shouldn't be surprised if they fall on one of your shoulders.

This is where the Physics Dept is. The Department is quite famous for its advanced laser tech research and they have a professor who holds a position in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. I like the building. They were built in the 1950s and history has certainly left some imprints on it.

This is the pool. I have never been there becaus I didn't know how to swim and I had never intended to learn. I learned how to swim when I was in Singapore last year. It is more like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget.

This is Taoliyuan (peach blossom garden? something like that). I guess they call it so because the school places high hopes on the teachers and students. They want to cultivate more talented, capable students. 桃李满天下－indeed this school has graduated big names like the the President of Haier and some important government officials at provincial level. Upon graduation our class had a lot of gatherings on the lawn and we would just sit around and chat away. When we left the place, we would take the empty beer bottles or paper tissues away becuse we just wanted to keep it clean and beautiful.

On snowy and wintry days the campus looks the most beautiful. And at night, you walk on those paths and you can feel the snow down underneath your feet gives off this lovely sound....