This blog post if for the visiting lecturers from Zhengzhou University in China to the University Portsmouth from November 25th to December 20th, 2024.
A shortened link for this page is rebrand.ly/uopenzz
This page is to support the British Culture element with Andrew on Wednesdays from 9 am to 12 pm.
HMS Warrior Webcam
Ryde Solent Webcam
Wednesday, December 18th
What have you done in your free time during the last week?
A Christmas Carol - Ebeneezer Scrooge and the three Christmas spirits.
Charles Dickens - One of Portsmouth's sons. This man's work is where many of our traditions at Christmas have come from.
An old Christmas Carol (Recorded by Annie Lennox in 2010)
Top 10 British Christmas Carols.
A 1980s Christmas Carol - The Pretenders - 2000 Miles
The original Christmas Charity Record - Band-Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas?
It came upon a midnight clear - Josh Groban (Canadian singer, American song!)
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It is for you to see in your own time (there is no language in this movie)...
The Snowman—Raymond Briggs' book—was made into a film in 1982. It was shown that year on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve. It is shown on TV at Christmastime each year at some point.
You see images of Brighton and the South Downs in southern England.
This one has language in it. It's an English version of Father Christmas, who goes on holiday to France!
Wednesday, December 11th One Drive
What have you done in your free time during the last week?
We will look at some aspects of Christmas culture in the United Kingdom.
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April 1912 was a major historical tragedy that marked the UK, Ireland, France, the USA, and Canada. - The sinking of the Titanic
Reading Activities in Files
Céline Dion - Theme from Titanic - Céline is French Canadian, but the song is in English and made for the film dedicated to this historic tragedy featuring many people who were from Portsmouth and Southampton - the workers on board, most of whom perished in the icy Atlantic Ocean.
No Movie Scenes
Who was St Nicholas?
St Nicholas and Krampus (The most sinister of St Nicholas' Companions)
Wednesday, December 4th
What have you done in your free time during the last week?
Portsmouth's Coat of Arms - Links to Richard the Lionheart
Who was Richard the Lionheart?
Who was William the First? Where did he come from? What is the significance of the year 1066?
The Battle of Hastings
The Bayeux Tapestry
Portsmouth's Chinese Sister Cities
Exploring British Customs - Traditional Food and Drink.
The "traditional" Full English Breakfast.
Something for toast
A full English Breakfast A Traditional English Breakfast
Paddington Bear Meets the Queen.
Traditional Food by the Seaside and on a weekend evening (Friday or Saturday) - now any day and not just Fush, but many other options.
The Pub Menu...
The Fleet (Opposite the Park Building) - Now includes 'Festive Menu'.
The Stone Age in England...
Stonehenge - a World Heritage Site
This has a Computer Generated Voice with a US Accent.
What's the weather like today?
We have many songs in our culture that refer to the weather. These two are typical examples.
The first one is about the joys of seeing blue skies and the sun after so long without them.
The second is about the rain and the mood it brings, especially when it comes back again and again...
Wednesday, November 27th
Welcome to the City of Portsmouth.
The Spinnaker Tower and Gunwharf Quays. map of the city
The Hotwalls Studios and the City Ramparts
The Historic Dockyard - There are 11+ Attractions at the Historic Dockyard.
Portsmouth was granted city status in 1926. What is the difference in the UK between a hamlet, a village, a town, and a city? (It does not all involve physical and population size.)
Cultural Etiquette
How to greet people in the United Kingdom.
Saying hello to your friends...
UK - Long time no see...
Culture - Traditional British foods
Exploring British Customs - The Sunday Roast
The Pub Menu...
The Fleet (Opposite the Park Building) - Now includes 'Festive Menu'.
Culture - The British Obsession with the Weather.
What sort of weather do we have today?
What was the weather like yesterday?
What is the forecast for tomorrow and the weekend?
"Lovely weather we are having today, aren't we?"
"We're having terrible weather today, aren't we?"
"Isn't the weather awful today?"
"Isn't the weather terrible today?"
All of those will require some sort of response. If you get a shrug or an uninterested response, your conversation will not proceed, but it will most often proceed.
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