Cultural exchange

Shanghai's evening art courses are also open to the large number of expatriates in the city.

For the first time, a Chinese pastry-making class was set up in the spring semester for expatriates, attracting eight participants from countries such as Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United Kingdom.

John Wade, 59, a music teacher from the UK living in Shanghai, was one of those who enjoyed the class.

"I initially got information about the class from my wife. Although Chinese cooking seems very difficult to me, I wanted to try it," said Wade, whose wife comes from Shanghai. The couple met 18 years ago.

Born in London, Wade first arrived in China with his mother for a holiday in 2001, when he was captivated by the nation's culture. Two years later, when a teaching job became available at an international school in Shanghai, he seized his chance, and has been in China ever since.

"I also love Chinese food. When I was a kid, I used to like Cantonese-style cuisine, which we have in the UK. I used to cook a couple of dishes myself, but I became a vegetarian after I went to university," he said.

Although he has been a vegetarian for 25 years, Wade has many options to satisfy his appetite. "I love Chinese vegetarian food and the way the vegetables are cooked. There are many amazing vegetarian restaurants in Shanghai that magically make vegetables taste like meat," he said.

This may be another reason for Wade joining the pastry class, where he found that Chinese cooking can be easy and relaxing.

"I discovered from my wife that the teacher at our night art course is a top chef at some of Shanghai's most renowned hotels. He is a very good teacher, extremely patient, and he made the lessons fun," Wade said.

With the help of a volunteer translator, Wade learned to make several types of traditional Chinese pastry, including that in the shape of pumpkins and corn, as well as qingtuan — sweet green glutinous rice balls traditionally eaten during Qingming Festival in spring.

"We learned to make one or two new types of pastry during each class. It looked difficult at first, but by following the teacher step by step, we all succeeded in the end. I took the pastry home after class, and even my father liked it — and he is very hard to please when it comes to food," Wade said.

As a crucial part of Chinese culture, food usually reflects local history and life.

Wade said, "Although my classmates came from different countries and sectors, we had a pleasant time together. They helped me a lot, especially when I sometimes struggled to keep up with the teacher."

Over the past two decades, Wade has lived in several locations in China, but he likes Shanghai the best, and is now spending his 11th year in the city.

"Shanghai is more open and I feel more accepted in the city, as there are so many different cultures here," he said.

"The class was on a Monday night. It was so nice to have such an activity at the beginning of the week. There was no pressure during the class, so it was very relaxing and fun. I would love to try some new lessons in the future."