Austerity drive
However, the cost of these banquets and the central government's drive for more austerity among officials could be bringing the teacher banquets to their last course in Shanghai.
The Global Times checked a number of middle- and high-end restaurants and hotels in downtown Shanghai and discovered that the average cost and the number of reservations of teacher appreciation banquets this year have dropped compared to the previous two years.
Staff at two leading restaurants offering Cantonese cuisine on busy Nanjing Road East told the Global Times that although they were still hosting teacher appreciation banquets and were receiving reservations from students and parents, business wasn't as good as it used to be.
Unlike past years when the restaurants introduced custom-made teacher appreciation banquets featuring specially-named dishes to reflect the occasion, both restaurants now only offered regular set meals for eight or 10 people.
One of the key elements of the teacher dinners was the names given to the dishes - chicken and duck dishes were called "Crest of Success," vegetable dishes were titled "Good Teachers Ensuring a Glorious Nation," and shrimp-filled dumplings were "Great Lessons."
"But nowadays, student customers prefer to order dishes on their own rather than have a tailored meal. It gives them more freedom and it's more economical," a waitress surnamed Li at one Cantonese restaurant said. She said the average cost of a typical 10-person dinner had dropped from more than 3,000 yuan to around 2,000 yuan this year.
The price of a teacher appreciation banquet is even lower at some online group buying sites. At dianping.com, a popular Chinese consumer website, there were eight restaurants offering teacher appreciation banquets in Shanghai.
Six of these offered banquets costing less than 1,000 yuan, and the most popular restaurant has so far confirmed more than 350 banquet bookings. Up to the time of publication, the two restaurants offering 1,000-yuan-plus meals had not had any bookings.
The Chinese restaurants at three five-star hotels near People's Square are not offering teacher appreciation banquets this year. One of the marketing staff from one of these hotels said there had been no inquiries for teacher banquets so the hotel's sales department decided not to provide any this year.
"But we could still handle this kind of thank-you dinner if customers wanted it, and we could also create a special menu," she said. Such a banquet at the hotel, however, would cost more than 6,000 yuan for a table of 10.
But restaurants suggest that the expensive teacher appreciation banquets are gradually giving place to a new dining option - graduation dinners. The Cantonese restaurant waitress Li told the Global Times: "Although the business of traditional teacher appreciation banquets is still good here, we're also seeing a growing number of students wanting graduation dinners these days."
Ran Chutian is a third-year student at Shanghai Nan Yang Model High School and is keen to have a farewell dinner to celebrate graduation with his classmates and teachers.
Too formal
"For me, teacher appreciation banquets seem uncool. They're too formal, showy and expensive. But a farewell dinner is different. We can have a meal in a more casual and relaxed atmosphere and it doesn't have to be a small gathering - everyone is welcome," Ran said.
"The essence of this kind of meal is not about the food or the environment - it's about mixing, bonding and having a really good time with your friends and teachers. It is a memorable way to celebrate our graduation."
He said there were other ways of showing gratitude to teachers apart from thank-you dinners. "Students could visit or phone their old teachers regularly to tell them what they are doing and how they are getting on. They could text their teachers or send them postcards. I think teachers would be delighted by this."
A teacher surnamed Li from the Shanghai Nan Yang Model High School agreed. "One of the key points in maintaining a rapport between students and teachers is to have real understanding and candid communication. I don't think a good teacher-and-student relationship can be maintained just with expensive meals or gifts," Li said.
"As far as I'm concerned, I've always told my students not to offer me anything but an admission acceptance from a good university after their graduation - that's the best payoff for my work and that's what I really want for my students."
Teenage crash victims were talented students
Feedback
RSS
