Classes in Darwin were scheduled to fit within the four NT school terms, since the breaks between terms are times that families with children may want to get away from Darwin. Accordingly the first term of classes began the week of 27 January, although Monday the 27th itself was a holiday due to Australia Day falling on the Sunday before. The first class was actually held on Wednesday 29 January.

To advertise the program we had the following poster printed up in China, and we posted it in a number of locations in Darwin the week before the opening. We also advertised the program by email and in the NT News and Sunday Territorian.

The picture on the poster shows Zongmin Chen on the Great Wall of China in January 2013, when she was accompanying Australian students undertaking the in-country program offered by the Beijing Institute of Education.

By this time we had prepared a small classroom in Darwin. The preceding picture looks from back of the classroom towards the front.

The following picture looks across the classroom towards the right side. Tables have been put up to accommodate four students; two other such tables are folded and leaning against the wall. On the screen of the monitor is the first slide of a Powerpoint presentation prepared for the beginners class.

The preceding photo looks toward the back of the classroom, including part of the left wall. The drapes were purchased in China, from one of the shops on picturesque Boai Road, in Haikou. The air conditioner above the door was installed to ensure student comfort.

This last photo shows Zongmin Chen with an animation from the Great Wall Chinese multimedia learning material projected on the monitor. The option selected is the 'Q' (i.e. 'cute') version, with the characters depicted with large heads rather than more realistically. While the story lines running through these materials may seem a bit artificial, the spoken Chinese sounds quite natural, not simplified or exaggerated as in some lesson material.