The high school was chosen for Mrs. Obama’s visit because it emphasizes the value of education abroad. Thirty American students are studying there this year under a program called School Year Abroad, and many of the Chinese students are expected to go to college in the United States. The Americans pay $50,000 a year, with students enrolled from elite East Coast schools, including Sidwell Friends in Washington, which the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, attend. Mrs. Obama, her daughters and her mother, Marian Robinson, were given a special tour of the Forbidden City with Ms. Peng that was brisk — less than an hour — and devoid of Chinese tourists in the areas where they walked. Mrs. Obama’s appearance in China would probably prove an eye-opener for many ordinary Chinese, said Zhang Lifan, a professor of Chinese modern history. “In China, it is very unlikely that a minority person could be a leader of the country, or a first lady,” Mr. Zhang said. “Ordinary citizens will see the U.S. system has more opportunity for ethnic minorities to rise and have opportunities.” nytimes/2014/03/22/world/asia/michelle-obama-begins-good-will-tour-in-china.html?_r=0
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 23:31:45 +0000
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