Principal Gerald Yung shares his experience
The M.L. King School’s fourth annual trip to the Jiangnan Experimental
School in Hangzhou, China and the city of Shanghai, China, was a
memorable and moving educational experience.
As an educator, it
was exciting and enriching to spend a week observing and sharing with
seventh and eighth grade students. Their hospitality, curiosity, and
knowledge of our culture and country were truly remarkable. Our students
also enjoyed sharing their similar interests—the NBA, popular musical
groups, and “Harry Potter” movies—and comparing their differences —no
siblings, no school dances permitted, independence. Our students lived
in the dorms and exchanged stories of two different cultures. One of the
more reoccurring stories from the Chinese students was that of an
intense, singular, pressure to do well academically to gain admittance
into prestigious high schools. Our students shared a similar pressure to
academically stay on track, but one that competes with numerous
distractions.
In the afternoons, students and teachers would
accompany us on tours of popular tourist attractions. This included the
beautiful West Lake, grand Temple of General Yue Fei, and the bustling
Qinghefang Historical Street. In the evening, our hosts treated us to
banquet dinners and we dined with host families. Our students were able
to use their study of the Chinese Mandarin language throughout the trip
and embraced new foods and customs. Our students also made new friends
and reflected upon their experience through daily journal and workbook
entries.
On a personal note, it was inspiring to visit the home country of my
parents. My parents left the country many decades ago and I’ve always
had one schedule conflict or another that precluded such a visit. As
this was my first visit to China, it was great to reflect upon the life
that my parents described and to immerse in the Chinese culture. I found
China to be almost as exotic as familiar. In the midst of dozens of
soup dumpling street carts, there were numerous American food chains.
For instance, there was a Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds
and Pizza Hut only a block away from where we were staying in Hangzhou.
Recently built, architecturally progressive, skyscrapers towered over
impoverished shanties. However, the one constant that existed was
genuine warmth from the Chinese people to help and please despite any
language and cultural barriers. I always had the feeling, which was
reinforced throughout the week-long trip that I was safe and would be
able to find help if needed, no matter what the situation.
The M.L. King China Trip was made possible entirely through private
donations. It is an experience and luxury that afforded us a perspective
on life that was educationally enriching and priceless. As I shared
with the Jiangnan School on our last day, some of our students enjoyed
their trip so much that they asked if they could continue to stay at the
school for the year. No doubt, it isn’t always that one travels
thousands of miles away to find such fit and educational stimulation as
we experienced for those few days in April. Whether it was riding on a
crowded high-speed train, bargaining with street vendors in a shopping
street that was erected in ancient times (the Song Dynasty), or
observing in a “standard” classroom of 48 attentive students and one
teacher, the China trip expanded our perspective and truly enriched our
lives.