In a residential Dubai neighbourhood, the maroon and cream-coloured low-rise buildings of a Chinese school blend into the quiet surroundings.
Red lanterns decorate the lobby and inside classrooms, a chorus of voices recite Chinese and Mandarin words displayed on a whiteboard.
In only two years, admissions at the first full-time Chinese curriculum school outside of China have nearly trebled.
Before our school was established, parents working in Dubai were separated from their children in China
Liping Yin,
Chinese School Dubai principal
Chinese parents are transferring their sons and daughters from international schools to enrol them in a school that has a strong bond with their homeland.
Teachers, parents and pupils told The National the school “helps understand our special story”.
Reuniting families
The school has also brought families together. The Chinese language teaching makes parents working in the UAE comfortable with bringing their children to live in the UAE.
The Chinese School Dubai has grown to nearly 500 pupils from 184 when launched in September 2020.
“We have solved a problem for many parents working in Dubai,” said Liping Yin, the school principal.
“Before our school was established, parents working in Dubai were separated from their children in China.
“Now families are reunited.”
The private school has the support of China’s Ministry of Education and is funded by the Hangzhou Education Bureau and Chinese businessmen in Dubai.
“Many students are from Dubai but the situation is changing,” Mr Liping said.
“Now more and more students are coming from mainland China.”
For Lingeng Qing, it is a chance to live with his father, who has worked with a Dubai travel company for more than a decade.
“My family was separated but now I’m happy to be with my father,” said the 11 year old, who moved to Dubai last year.
“If not for this school, I could never have come to Dubai.”
Feeling of belonging
Liu Yi Zhen, a grade six pupil, moved to Dubai with her mother and younger sister to be with her engineer father during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and stayed on.
“I have studied in schools in China and compared to that, the stress here is a lot less,” the 12 year old said.
“My parents chose this school because it’s a good combination of international and Chinese schools."
Chinese teachers are frank about the areas on which she needs to work, an attitude that differs from many international schools in the emirate.
“Teachers in international schools say, ‘you are great’, ‘everything is great'," she said.
“Chinese schools encourage you but tell you where you need to improve and that helps much more.”
The emphasis on academics is clear with times tables painted across a staircase.
Other stairwells display rousing proverbs encouraging excellence.
The blue walls of a sports hall have images of traditional sports alongside photos of Chinese athletic, tennis and basketball stars.
Most subjects are taught in Chinese, but some, such as maths and science, have bilingual instruction.
Moral science and cultural study textbooks, a requirement in all UAE schools, are translated into Chinese.
Bilingual power
For Zhang Xiao, the teachers at his previous school found it hard to pronounce his name correctly.
"Back in my old school, the principal would call me J or sometimes Jackson. He would just call me different names,” said Zhang, who studied in an international school before switching in 2021.
“Even after you correct him, he would never get our names right, then you just feel a little hurt."
All his new classmates speak Chinese but often need to work on their language proficiency.
“The main difference is that teachers do not give up on any student,” the 13 year old said.
“Many of us did not have a good Chinese language background but the teachers took us under their wing and helped us learn Chinese.
“I learn Stem subjects in Chinese and English. Language reflects how each culture thinks and being bilingual really helps.”
Understanding heritage
The non-profit school has classes from kindergarten to grade seven with plans to add grade eight from the next academic year.
Mandarin classes on Saturdays are organised for pupils from other schools.
Support from parents is strong.
Wang Huichao, 33, enrolled her daughters, aged nine and seven, in the school from the launch day.
She said the children are more self-assured after moving out of an international school in Dubai.
“My daughter knows where she comes from, she understands her skin, her hair, her family," the mother said.
“She knows her own story.”
The family has lived in Dubai for more than a decade and her husband has an educational toy business in Dragon Mart.
“My daughter has her own mind but she could not explain herself really well in English,” she said.
“She was not confident in front of teachers and other students in the international school.
“In the Chinese school, the teacher understands her.
“She meets other Chinese people, learns Chinese history, language and culture.
“This is a big deal not just for her school life but for her whole life.”
Teachers learn too
It is a new experience for teachers who have moved to Dubai from China.
“Every day I spend with my students is interesting because they are from different backgrounds,” said Zhou Jianfen, vice principal, who taught at the sister school in Hangzhou, eastern China.
Mr Liping, the school's principal, speaks of the school as an extended family.
“It has been a long dream for Chinese parents and their dream has been realised,” he said.
“Most parents received a Chinese education when they were young.
“They want their children to have the chance to learn the same.”
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club race card
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
6pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed; Dh180,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh100,000; 2,400m
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
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SPECS
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The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
