The (propaganda) play's the thing

At my last pedagogically questionable excursion to Weiliao Xiaoxue, after a rollicking session of English-language introductions with threescore Grade Twos

("What's your name?"

"What's your name?"

"No, no--Zhe yiwei, 'Ni jiao shenme mingze?' 'Wo jiao ... shenme, shenme, shenme.' Nimen shuo, 'My name is ... shenme, shemne, shenme.' Hao bu hao?"

"Hao!"

"OK. What's...your...name?"

"What's...your...name?"

"Crap.")

we moved on to the nine- and 10-year-old English interest group, where the previous week the students had voted to perform Cinderella. I had dutifully put together a qualitatively questionable script that tried to be both interesting and easy to learn, and mostly failed on both counts. Then before our session the laoshi approached us, looking concerned. The students were supposed to perform the play at a Christmas-y winter celebration sponsored by foreigners (no, none of these kids are Christian. But the foreigners are. Please don't ask me why that makes sense). The theme was environmental protection. Could we incorporate that into the play?

Of course we could.

She looked delighted, and left, only to return a moment later, looking concerned again. Could the play's narration be in Chinese, to make it easier to understand?

Sure--no problem. Fabulous.

But the look of concern returned: Could the play be about Expo 2010, the upcoming multi-million-dollar international bout of nuttiness that local officials are treating like Shanghai's own Olympics (and about which I will write a real post when I have more time)?

I looked at my partner and burst out laughing. She and the teacher looked at me in consternation.

Of course. Of course it can be about Expo. Mei guanxi, mei guanxi.

So now I'm writing a play about how the government-organized Expo--which is fascinating but complex and is displacing entire communities as a massive construction project erects enormous, wavy buildings on the shore of the Huangpu just south of Lujiazui's eerie skyscrapers--is helping the environment and truly fulfilling its slogan, "Better city, better life."

How fabulous is that?