ROCKY HILL SCHOOL VISITS CHINA - GO FOURTH!
ROCKY HILL SCHOOL VISITS CHINA - GO FOURTH!
"Nee Hao! Rocky Hill School is here in China because our mission focuses on preparing our students for a global world. We are here to meet you and learn from one another by greeting you face to face, to show our students that we are all part of the great family of the human race. Our needs are basic needs - our needs are your needs - and our quest for peace around the globe - is a mutual quest." Headmaster Jim Young '70 in his address to the Zhixin Elementary School
On January 8, 2003, a delegation of thirty Rocky Hill School students from grades 4,5, and 6, along with parents, teachers and administrators, embarked on a peace mission to China. The group was invited to attend a peace forum at the Shaoguan City schools by the Chinese Ministry of Education as part of the "Go Fourth" program initiated by our 4th grade teacher, Mary Wright. The word fourth within "Go Fourth" is an acronym; For One United Respect Throughout Humanity. Our Chinese coordinator from the Ministry, Mr. John Wu, and Mary Wright have been e mailing for over a year, discussing the difficult issues of teasing and bullying in schools around the world. Rocky Hill students have also been discussing these topics within their own classrooms, as well as with their Chinese pen pals.
Prior to departing by train for Shaoguan City, the group spent two days touring Hong Kong, where we visited Victoria Peak, the Aberdeen fishing village, Stanley Markets and enjoyed a shoreline cruise aboard a Chinese junk. Hong Kong is a beautiful city with cosmopolitan, European flair and is home to the largest container port in the world, a massive operation. Smog is definitely a problem all over China and Hong Kong is no exception. We dealt with it in varying degrees everywhere we traveled and it is no surprise that respiratory illness is the number one killer in China. There are some regions, particularly in the cities, where the sun doesn't shine for months on end, creating a gray haze that hangs endlessly over the skyline. The train to Shaoguan was an experience in itself; thirty people, along with thousands of pounds of baggage (despite a 44 lb. maximum), all attempting to detrain within a time span of four minutes! Without the organizational skills and brawn of Jack Osowa and Jim Young, we would never have made it on time! Imagine all of this pressure, after already detraining enroute, with luggage in tow, to pass through customs. I think some of us learned very quickly, albeit a little late, to adhere to the suggested travel weight!!
Arriving in Shaoguan is an experience we will never forget. Cheering school children and teachers, led by John Wu, ran down the gangplanks to greet us at the train station and help transport our luggage. It was the beginning of a very emotional outpouring from our Chinese hosts. Upon our arrival at the Zhixin Elementary School, our greeting from the community overwhelmed us. Most of the villagers had never seen Americans before and, certainly, they have not traveled far from their own city. The villagers stood in awe as our bus arrived at the school. A reception line of dignitaries from the Ministry of Education and the Shaoguan Government, along with school officials, shook our hands and smiled in a warm welcome. We entered the gates of the school accompanied by the sounds of a brass band, which announced our presence by playing our National Anthem. As we rounded the corner to the courtyard, 1200 students, who had been waiting over an hour, sitting on their little portable stools in organized rows, stretched out their arms in greeting. Chinese teachers and parents stood around the periphery. In symphony, they all said "Hellllooo! Nice-to-meet-you!" There was barely a dry eye among us, such was the warmth and depth of the greeting to their American friends. In this instant, our view of the world was changed forever.
Shaoguan City is located in one of the poorest regions of China in the province of Guongdong. Our visit was a real eye opener for our Rocky Hill School delegates. Most of us did not have time to tour downtown, but the city is crowded, dirty and thickly smog-filled. There is not much heat in poorer parts of China and the classrooms, hotels and homes were all cold. In fact, every where we went in Shaoguan, people wore coats inside the buildings all day long. Many of our host families live in 400-1000 square feet of living space, owned by the government. It was not unusual for families to have five or six people, including grandparents, living with them. There is a one-child policy that has been in affect in China since the 70's, so most of the families only consist of one child, especially in the cities where there are no farms. Farmers in rural areas, of course, need workers, so they are allowed to have more children.
During our first day in Shaoguan, and following the opening ceremony for the forum, Mary Wright led a teaching demonstration around the issues of mutual respect and the meaning of peace in the lives of children. Parents and teachers also had an opportunity to meet face to face to address pertinent questions and exchange ideas. Our hosts treated us to a typical Chinese banquet, complete with exotic and typical Chinese dishes. In the afternoon, our representative from the Peace Prayer Society, Paula Christine worked with students on a Peace Art Project. Children followed us everywhere, requesting our autographs. This was a totally unexpected and spontaneous occurrence, and some of us found it very unsettling to be so celebrated. In the evening, Jim and Jama Young hosted a dinner for the Chinese dignitaries, including John Wu, whose interpretive skills were required. The dinner included our educators who were in attendance at the forum, along with their spouses. The exchange focused on education in China and the US, and, in particular, the differences in the role of the government within our countries. We also discussed the possibility of bringing our Chinese host families to Rocky Hill School for a mutual exchange. The Chinese media interviewed some of us at every turn. Most major television and newspapers in Southern China covered the forum.
Several days in Shaoguan included a visit to Nanhua, a Buddhist temple and one of the most renowned temples in China. Our children also participated in an exciting basketball game, with the entire school in attendance for the big event. The teams were mixed with both American and Chinese children who clearly understood the language and spirit of brother/sisterhood, and teamwork, in competition. It was a phenomenal sight to see! Mr. Young lost his voice cheering everyone on, while his counterpart, Mr. Wang, sat very dignified, quietly watching the game; reflecting quite a difference in their cultural approach to displaying emotions. Mr. Young was tempted to do some local recruiting of future Mariners! One evening, we attended an amazing theatrical performance made up of little skits and songs performed by the children of every school in the Shaoguan district. The performance is an annual competition and the students had been preparing for almost a year. This was the first time the entire show was presented in English and the costumes, sets, and make-up alone, were fabulous works of Chinese art. Our own wonderful students also performed many songs for our Chinese audience. All of our families visited the homes of their pen pals for an afternoon and/or evening, enjoying an opportunity to have tea or dine with our hosts in a more personal setting. Gifts were exchanged and an interpreter attended with each visit to assure continued dialogue. Joan Osowa, Jim Young, Mary and Tot Wright visited classrooms, and Jim led a faculty meeting for the faculty and administrators of the Zhixin Elementary School. Our entire delegation visited two other schools in Shaoguan one afternoon: a middle school and an Upper School. Rocky Hill School offered a gift of a peace pole to the Zhixin Elementary School. The dedication plaque reads: "Given in Mutual Respect for One Another 'Go Fourth' - Rocky Hill School, January, 2003" Thus, our visit culminated in a moving Peace Pole ceremony our last day, led by Paula Christine, honoring the 162 member nations of the United Nations. Three of our students sang the harmonies throughout the ceremony, accompanied by our parent guitarist, Julie Sharpe. What beautiful voices filled the courtyard!
We were sad to say goodbye to our gracious and kind Chinese hosts, early one morning. Our visit created opportunities for us to bond with our friends, and they seemed sad to have us go. It struck many of us during our visit here that we had filled a very large void in their lives. Now that China has opened up and the economy is improving in quantum leaps, hopefully, we will see our Chinese families in the states some time in the future, when they come to RHS for another cultural exchange. We traveled on to Xian to view the life-size terra cotta soldiers and horses protecting the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi who united China and built the Great Wall. The final stop in China for most of us was Beijing; two of our families joined a post tour to Shanghai, returning home three days later. While in Beijing, we toured the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Ming Tombs. Some of the group, including our educators, visited the Children's Palace, where gifted children are given extensive training in their particular talent. Our finale was a group dinner featuring delicious Peking Duck in various dishes. Our visit to Beijing helped us put some of what we had seen and experienced during our trip into perspective. The growing wealth in China is most evident in Beijing, a modern city and the capital of China; an intriguing combination of capitalism and communism. Billboards advertising everything from cars to cellular phones dot the skyline. Additionally, new high rises, and beautiful architecture is springing up all over the city. Even though there are 8 million bicycles for 13 million people in Beijing, automobile sales have increased by 37% in the last year. Yet, on Tian'anmen Square we were cautioned by our National Guide about asking any provocative questions while on the public square. In addressing our group, our guide chose his words carefully, since the Red Army was in evidence everywhere. We witnessed the abrupt arrest of a Chinese citizen while touring the square, the largest public square in the world.
We followed an incredible schedule during our entire trip to China. We learned a great deal from our National Guides who were very knowledgeable and also gave us opportunities to see how jade, porcelain and cloisonné are produced. Our students learned their Chinese horoscopes and some simple Mandarin phrases. We are incredibly proud of the ambassadors from Rocky Hill School, and in our students, particularly. They did a superb job of participating in the program and making connections with our Chinese friends. Ande Frost, parent and group leader for the tour, had a tough job. She is a skilled communicator and she was able to get the job done with patience, grace and humor. The trip would not have been as successful without her. Thank you to Mary Wright for creating the "Go Fourth" vision, to Jim Young, our Headmaster, for articulating the mission and vision for our school community, and to both Jim and Joan Osowa for enthusiastically embracing the trip to China for the Rocky Hill School community. Also, thank you to Jama Young for supporting Mary, and helping to bring the vision to life. Thanks, too, to all participants for understanding our mission, and choosing to be a part of something bigger than us, our communities; bigger than Rocky Hill School! As Headmaster Jim Young stated in his closing address to the Shaoguan school community: "I am confident that we can make the world a better place by promoting peace together; by Going Fourth together. Our knowing one another will lead to greater understanding, so the world can move away from confrontation, toward negotiation and diplomacy. This is the lesson we have learned from our visit here. I am committed to helping our students find ways to resolve differences peacefully. Learning these skills at a young age will help to foster future leaders who practice those skills daily. We will go back to the Rocky Hill School community and continue to seek peace within our homes and our school. May peace prevail in America, in China, and around the globe!" GO FOURTH!