In a country that has exploded with growth and new development since the 1990s, Lijiang was memorable for its well-preserved age. We walked to our hotel along pedestrian side streets, a kind of boutique setting of old Chinese architecture, layout, and furniture. (We can all spot the difference between Ming chairs and Qing chairs now!) We then visited a nearby school, a true highlight of the trip. The school is large (200 faculty, and 2300 students) and boasts a beautiful campus with a pond, copious sports facilities, a spacious dining room, many buildings of classrooms, in addition to dorms. As Xiumin said to the Chinese staff, we were like fish put back into a pond once we saw the students. We all happily dispersed among our student guides, most of whom were in the 11th grade. They gave us all kinds of information about the school and their lives. Some travel from cities that are up to 4 hours away by car to attend the school. Most go home on the weekends, but not all are able to do so. The school is subsidized by the government, so boarding costs the equivalent of $12 per month. Many teachers also live on campus. During our tour, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to watch the calligraphy teacher make the beautiful banner you see pictured for Jerry. We also got to try it ourselves! It's A LOT harder than it looks.
The banner for Jerry features four characters that distill the essence of what it means to be an educator. The first illustrates the idea of a "clear mind." That one's mind has to be like a pool of water and you must be able to see to the bottom so you can see the truth of what is inside a student. Do not muddy one's own water so as to muddy one's vision of students. The second character indicates the moral character that we are entrusted to convey to our students. And the last two are about making a pathway for students for follow.
After the school, we had dinner and wandered the old city, which is sort of like a labyrinth or median of artisan stalls. The stone roads and bridges are 800 years old. It was a beautiful place that we didn't want to leave!
No comments:
Post a Comment