Beijing National Day School's Secret?

Question

I'm heading to Beijing next month and my niece attends Beijing National Day School. She keeps hinting at some amazing, almost mythical, after-school club, something about a hidden courtyard and ancient pottery. She won't spill the beans, though! It's driving me crazy. What's the deal with these super-secret after-school activities at Beijing National Day School? I'm hoping to surprise her by knowing something about it beforehand. I've been to plenty of schools, but never one with this much mystique...

lili · Answer

fwiw, the hidden courtyard thing is real but it's not exactly for pottery - there's this old scholar's garden tucked behind the library that most students don't know about. it's got these carved stone tables where they do calligraphy club meetings sometimes. if your niece is into the pottery stuff, she's prob mixing up two different spots on campus. the kiln is near the sports field, not in a courtyard.

elselore · Answer

oh man, i actually know exactly what she's talking about. bnds has this legit old kiln site on campus from the yuan dynasty, they dug it up during construction years ago and turned it into a little archaeology club space. it's not exactly secret but they don't advertise it, you have to get invited by the history teacher who runs it. if you want to impress her, ask about the "jiaochang kiln" and see if her eyes light up

estherflach · Answer

Kids will be kids. Sounds like a pretty standard schoolyard legend honestly. My guess? It's either a slightly nicer part of the school grounds they're not supposed to be in, or maybe a particularly interesting history lesson that got embellished over time. Unless your niece is the chosen one destined to unlock the secrets of ancient Chinese pottery, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Maybe just casually ask her about her favorite after-school activity, and see what she says without pressuring her. You might get a better response that way. Enjoy your trip to @Beijing!

sibille · Answer

the kiln thing is real but there's also a ceramics studio in the basement of the arts building that's way harder to get into tbh. some of the pieces they fire there end up in the school's permanent collection, i saw a few when i visited a friend who teaches there. if u want to surprise her, maybe mention you heard about the "blue-and-white room" and see if she knows which one you mean

isabel · Answer

honestly the pottery club thing is kind of a rite of passage at bnds, but the real flex is knowing about the "night kiln" sessions. they fire stuff overnight in that yuan dynasty kiln and the glaze comes out completely different than daytime firings. i had a friend who got to do it once and the pieces looked almost celadon green. if you mention that to your niece she'll prob lose her mind thinking you're some kind of school insider

Neu aus Beijing