Thursday, September 25, 2014

Retired Teacher Spends 60 Years Folding Paper Planes

Hey there! Great to see you today. Wassup? Got time for a mug of coffee and a virtual treat? Of course you do. Speaking of having time, read this...

Xu Shuquan, a retired primary school teacher from Chengdu city in Sichuan Province, has dedicated the past 60 years to folding paper planes. 

The 70-year-old now has a collection of 10,000 planes of different sizes, colors and shapes, in addition to various paper dolls and models of the 12 zodiac signs.

What’s so great about a grown man making paper planes, you ask? Well, Xu’s planes aren’t like those simple ones that kids make. He uses a complicated ancient origami-like folding technique called ‘Zhezhi’ to make a variety of aircraft models – from jumbo jets to fighter planes.

Oh yeah? When I was teaching and I caught a student making paper airplanes instead of paying attention, I used an ancient technique, too. It was the CRUMPLE technique - a manoeuver so swift that the student barely had time to hide it on the shelf under his desk before it was whipped out and held aloft (as planes should be) before the technique was applied and I continued my stroll up and down the rows of desks.

Me? I'd rather be on a plane going somewhere... hopefully with no crumbling technique, missile targeting or other nasty, life-ending situation being applied.

See ya, eh!

Bob

PS: Teaching has often been called the most stressful job in the world and I can see where an ex-teacher might prefer the quiet of a nice little padded room full of paper. 

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