China's Elders:
Common People in Uncommon Times
Reg Brehaut recently spent nearly a year in China interviewing elders about their childhood during the tumultuous times of 1930 to 1990. On this trip, he travelled from the far north-east of China to the extreme south, visiting cities, towns and villages. With the help of many of his former students and many new friends, he was able to collect over 50 interviews of China’s elders recording, in their own words, what life was like for them when they were growing up.
After Reg retired from his Calgary management consulting business, he spent two years as a university-level English teacher in Yantai, Shandong province and while there came to realize how little his students knew of their grandparents’ lives. Reg’s goals were, first, to encourage young people to learn more about their own family history and, second, to produce a book of short readings appropriate for English language learning that did not depend on stories of western life and values.
Reg had previously taught at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal College and SAIT and has conducted training seminars across Canada and the US.
Rosedale Community Hall 901 - 11 Avenue NW
