This writing is an excerpt from the book Dragons, Donkeys, and Dust: Memoirs from a decade in China, published by Bing Long Books (www.binglongbooks.com).

By the late 1990s Chinese society at large had changed considerably but many institutions retained aspects of the Communist era, some of which continue today. One of the first shocks for the Canadian teachers was the week-long military training that the students suffered through at the beginning of each school year. Military “training” was really no more than marching drills practised outside under a scorching sun. Marching competitions are still held in the elementary schools. The Chinese teachers train the students to march in elaborate patterns, like the RCMP’s musical ride minus the horses and music. The kids even learn to kick out their legs, Soviet-style.