Chinese Tutor - The Chinese Harry Potter experience

? ?



CITYLIFE / Odds & Ends






The Chinese Harry Potter experience


By ?tabitha messick
Updated: 2007-07-25 17:16





Harry Potter fans wait in front of Beijing's Xidan Bookstore July 21 to
get their copy of the last book in the series.


Harry Potter is overrated.

For weeks, book lovers have been anticipating the arrival of the final
installment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Internet articles,
chat rooms and dedicated Potter fans have been in near hysteria - will
Harry live or die? How will the story end?

And now the world knows.

And somehow through it all J.K Rowling has managed to make everyone happy.

I was sucked into the Harry Potter mania as well. I had pre-ordered the
book from Wangfujing Foreign Language Bookstore soon after I arrived in
China. I had been anxiously awaiting the book for two years.

Before the book was in my hands, I had been cautiously reading articles
about the Harry Potter phenomenon, hoping not to run across spoilers.

When I got up at 5:30 a.m. on July 21, I was excited but also anxious as
I rode a cab to Wangfujing where I stood in a weaving line along with
about 300 others, more than half of who were Chinese. I waited for over
an hour before the doors opened, and then even longer as they only
allowed about 10 people in at a time inside the store to receive their
pre-ordered book.

But this did not deter the frenzied crowd. Inside, the whole process was
still quite chaotic.

The store had games, gadgets, and posters adorned on the walls. A Harry
Potter movie was showing on a big screen and cameras were flashing
continuously. Everyone wanted to remember this momentous occasion.

I immediately went back to my apartment and read the book in sitting.
After all, it is impossible to put down.

Though I still personally think that J.K. Rowling is a literary genius,
her epilogue was ridiculous. I feel sorry for anyone who flipped to the
back page and read it first. It was cheesy and predictable.

However, the book, all in all, was brilliant. But I have come to expect
this near perfection in the Potter series.

I honestly laughed out loud in many parts. And tears were shed more than
a couple of times. But it is my frustration that I remember the most.

I was pleased to see that all the loose strings were tied- but the pretty
bows they tied disappointed me.

There are answers to all the puzzling questions we had for 10 years since
the first book came out in 1997. Is Snape good or evil? Will Hogwarts
reopen? Will Voldermort be defeated? What are the Deathly Hallows? Who
will live? Who will die?



Harry Potter fans


There is not a lot of misleading plot lines that make the other Potter
books so dramatic. Even from the first page, there is non-stop action.

Living the Harry Potter experience in China was rewarding and not just
because I got the satisfaction of reading the book 12 hours before the
United States.

Though the final book didn't live up to the hype in my mind, it was still
excellent. This is a credit to Rowling.

Harry Potter is not just a book -- it's a movement. Harry Potter will do
more than promote literacy and ignite passions. It will continue to be a
story for all ages.























Feature ?




Pilgrimage to Tibet If you want to get a detailed Travel Handbook to
Tibet and know more interesting tour routes leading to this divine place.
Please click here!

Yunnan New Film Project Ten female directors from China! Ten unique
sights from mysterious Yunnan Province!Yunnan New Film Project,Travel
with the film.Wanna know more? Please click here!




Editors' Picks ?




* Master storyteller has something to say
* Lookng after your skin naturally
* Evocative scents in a glass of wine
* Go on a shopping spree to discount stores
* Teatime!





Beijing Guide ?


Eating out: Mouth-watering magic
Bars&Cafes: Catch underground bands
Weekend&Holiday: An Oasis at Shichahai
Shopping: Ice up your world
What's on: Smoke society





Shanghai Guide ?


Eating out: An institution in the making
Bars&Cafes: The new money
Weekend&Holiday: Band of gypsies
Shopping: Chinese made delicacy
What's on: Teenage wasteland





Learn Chinese, Chinese Online Class, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet