Chinese Association for International Understanding

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Sidelights on Australian and New Zealand’s Rotary Club Delegation’s Visit to China


Wang Bo At the invitation of the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU), a 6-member Australian and New Zealand’s Rotary Club delegation visited China from September 23 to September 27. As a staff member of CAFIU, I had the honor to take part in the reception of the delegation throughout this trip. Australian Rotary Club and New Zealand’s Rotary Club are the chapters of the Rotary International in the two countries respectively. The two clubs maintain longstanding close cooperation with CAFIU, as evidenced by a series of exchanges and cooperation in poverty reduction and education between the two sides. The delegation had a hectic schedule during this trip. During their stay in Beijing, CAFIU Secretary-General Ni Jian met with the delegation and discussed with them on people-to-people exchanges and cooperation on poverty reduction and education. CAFIU Deputy Secretary-General Liu Kaiyang had a discussion with them on issues concerning bilateral exchanges. The delegation also visited Jugezhuang Primary School and Miyun No. 2 Middle School of Beijing, and had discussions with Miyun Commission of Education on teacher exchange program. They also called on International Poverty Reduction Center in China and visited Huaqingyuan Community of Haidian District. In addition to Beijing, the delegation also went to Xingtang County, Hebei Province to explore several local poverty reduction projects. Helping the Poor, Sowing the Seed of Friendship The delegation went to Xingtang County to explore poverty reduction projects on the second day of their visit. The delegates maintained high spirits throughout the three-and-half-hour drive from Beijing to Xingtang, sharing what they experienced and what they felt regarding poverty reduction. After arriving at the destination, the delegation first went to Huanglonggang Village to inspect safe drinking water program, which was completed thanks to the funding by Australian Rotary Club. The delegation visited local households and chatted with villagers in their courtyards. They were delighted to hear that all the villagers now have access to clean water. The delegation then went to see the newly-built water tower and well house, where they left the logo of the Rotary International and the badge of Crows Nest Club. After that they immediately went to explore Yangduanzhuang Primary School and Jiananzhuang water irrigation project. I was deeply impressed by their devotion, as I found they were very dedicated in exploration of every project, discussing very attentively with relevant personnel on the general situation, details and possible impact of the projects. Although their countries are almost half a world away from China, they fully understood the life of the residents in the poverty-stricken county and were more than ready to contribute to the improvement of local people’s livelihood. Different languages and nationalities didn’t stand in the way of their in-depth communication, as the delegation had very nice conversations with local villagers. Australian Rotarian Jennifer Locke pointed at something in the field, which got thorns all over its body, and asked, “Is it edible?” The villagers shouted immediately,“ No! No!” It seemed that these villagers wanted to make up for that so they picked fresh turnips from the field and insisted on giving them to the delegation as lunch food. The “goodwill turnips” were thus served at lunch, reflecting the hospitality and gratitude of people from Xingtang County. Educational Exchange Leading to a Brighter Prospect One of the most important purposes for New Zealand Rotarians’ visit to China is to open the prospects of carrying out teacher exchange program. Therefore, the delegation visited Jugezhuang Primary School and Miyun No.2 Middle School of Beijing and had discussions with Miyun County Commission of Education. When visiting Jugezhuang Primary School, the delegates viewed with great interest the wide variety of grapes planted by the pupils. They also observed handcraft class and were full of praise for a dazzling array of inventions displayed at the classroom. In Miyun No. 2 Middle School of Beijing, the delegates had first-hand experience of P.E. and English classes. New Zealand Rotarian Greig Mercer joined the students in learning the exercise from the P.E. teacher. Others all delightfully watched him. Subsequently, the delegation had discussions with Miyun County Commission of Education and the two sides soon reached an agreement in a favorable atmosphere on conducting teacher exchange program. New Zealand Rotarians told us that they found Chinese schools lay much emphasis on cultivating students’ innovative thinking, practical skills and physical fitness, while Chinese students are more than ready to try out new things and interact with others. They said what they’ve found about Chinese education in this trip is in stark contrast to the stereotype of “Chinese style of cramming education”. New Zealand Rotarian Judith Bain said that educational exchange between China and New Zealand would not only enable teachers from both countries to learn from each other and improve themselves so that students can ultimately benefit from the program, but also lay a solid foundation for further exchanges in other areas. Indeed, young students are like blooming flowers representing the future of their countries, while teachers are like gardeners who spare no efforts to cultivate them. Educational exchange can help deepen people-to-people understanding between our two countries, and nurture friendship between the two peoples, especially young people, leading to a better prospect for people-to-people exchanges. First-hand Experience Bringing about Better Understanding Three out of the six delegates visited China for the very first time. They were delighted that they had the opportunity to visit China and observe this country with their own eyes after reading and hearing about China from newspapers and other people back home. They saw the relative backwardness of the poverty-stricken county as well as the hustle and bustle of Beijing and got to know the development gap between different regions of China. Deputy Director He Xiaojun of International Poverty Reduction Center gave a briefing to the delegation on China’s poverty reduction policy and international cooperation on poverty reduction. The delegates were greatly impressed by this briefing, as they learned that the Chinese government has always been devoted to the improvement of people’s well-being by setting poverty reduction targets in different stages, trying hard to realize them, evaluating relevant policies on a regular basis according to the results and making necessary adjustments. New Zealand Rotarians told us that with China’s rapid economic development, more and more New Zealanders see China as the future of New Zealand and learning Mandarin has become increasingly popular in their country. They also told us that they would be happy to share what they’ve seen in China with their friends after returning home so that those who have never come to China would get a better picture of this country. Australian Rotarian Swapna Prasad told us that she learned from this trip that China pays great attention to planning. She said, China makes plan beforehand and sets reasonable targets in urban infrastructure building and environmental protection efforts so that disorderly development could be avoided. This is what impressed her most. Within just several days, the delegates deepened their understanding of China by visiting different places and talking personally with local people. How time flies! The delegation left China with nice memories about this trip, while I felt quite lucky to have made friends with them and have gained more insight of people-to-people exchanges.