Hello class,
This is what I had planned for today's Culture Friday lesson. If you have about 5 minutes, click on the CNN.com link and watch the video clips.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/29/china.weather.apology/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
As we all know, Chinese New Year is just around the corner. February 7th is the actual New Year Day, but many things must be done prior to that date. Cleaning the house, the ancestral burial site, holiday meal preparation and shopping for friends and family. It is an obligation for family to reunite and celebrate the New Year together. If one spends this period of time alone or does not keep one's parents company, it would be considered 不孝(not being filial) by Confucius' doctrine.
Currently, China is under a ice/snow storm, just like us, but at a greater scale. The entire country's transportation system is at a halt. This is catastrophic! Why? Annually, millions of travelers, many migrant workers, go home. This is their only "vacation" days from work the entire year. A typical migrant worker works daily 12-14 hours shifts, 7 days a week, and receives a minimal ($4-$8 dollars a day) pay. The compound feelings of being homesick, love, and obligation are making travelers desperate. When they were told they cannot return home, violence occurred and...
Please view the video for details.
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