Find out about Chinese New Year here.

Special thanks...

We would like to say a special thank you to Mr Geoff Turner (formally the Headteacher of Frederick Gough School) and wish him lots of luck in his new job. Without his love and inspiration for China there would be no Chinese link between Dalian and North Lincolnshire schools. At Holme Valley we feel very proud to part of this important International link and would like to acknowledge his hard work at getting the partnership up and running.

(This is our candle Geoff!!)

Our Chinese Link School
We have a sister School in China called Yuhua Primary School, which our Head visited in October 2003.  Our children in Y6 are writing and emailing the children of the school.  As part of our geography and art work in Y6 we are now studying China as a developing country.  In the future we hope to work together with our Chinese colleagues to develop teaching materials for both Schools.

Our sister school is in the Shahekou District of Dalian.

Dalian and Around

Clean, modern and rich Dalian is a large, sprawling city on the Yellow Sea .  It is one of China 's most cosmopolitan cities, partly because it has changed hands so often; as the only ice-free port in the region it was eagerly sought by the foreign powers who held sway over China in the nineteenth century.  The Japanese gained the city in 1895, only to lose it a few years later to the Russians, who saw it as an alternative to ice-bound Vladivostok .  In 1905, after decisively defeating the Russian navy, the Japanese wrested it back and remained in control for long enough to complete the construction of the port facilities.  After World War II, the Soviet Union occupied the city for ten years, finally withdrawing when Sino-Soviet relations improved.  Today Dalian is busier than ever, the funnel for Dongbei's enormous natural and mineral wealth and an industrial producer in its own right, specializing in petrochemicals and shipbuilding.  The city is booming as fast as any in China and, though the "foreign devils" are still here, they are now invited: Dalian has been designated a Special Economic Zone, one of China 's "open-door" cities with regulations, designed to attract overseas investment.

Still, Dalian manages to be a leisurely place, popular with tourists who come here for the scenic spots and beaches outside the city, to recover their health in sanatoriums and to stuff themselves on seafood.  The city is also know for soccer, which explains the large sculptures of footballs you will see around.  Dalian's team, Shide (formerly Wanda), has been the captain of the Chinese league more times than not in recent years, and contributed six players to the country's World Cup squad.  The city hold two festivals: the Locust Flower Festival in spring is the time to visit the city's parts, and the International Fashion Festival around September 10th sees fashion models parading in the streets.  Dalian 's brand-new scenic drive, Binhai Lu, hugs the cliffs of the Yellow Sea , winding 40km past the villas of Party bigwigs as well as Shide stars.  The city also boasts a large aquarium, a new zoo and easy connections to the town of Lüshun.