How Grand Circle visits have opened the door to cultural interaction between villagers, students, and travelers in Shao Ping Dian village
By Patrick Guan, Program Director, China
My group of 34 travelers and I arrived at the Shao Ping Dian village on a warm, clear afternoon in June after visiting the unparalleled Terra Cotta Warrior Museum in Xian, China. The population of the village was about 8,000 people then (2004), which made it a small village by Chinese standards. No Americans had visited this village for half a century until Grand Circle Foundation found it, along with a primary school, which had very basic teaching conditions.
Program Director Patrick Guan was part of the first group to visit the Shao Ping Dian village, sponsored by Grand Circle Foundation.
When we arrived, we met with the older villagers in the town. Local farmers brought the best food they could for our Home-Hosted Lunch. There was not very much meat in the meal, but travelers enjoyed the fresh vegetables from the small farms in the area.
After lunch, we were led by a village representative to the Shao Ping Dian Primary School. As we entered the campus, teachers and quite a few students were standing there to welcome us. Once they saw us walking in, they started to clap and began chanting “Huanying, huanying, relie huanying!” This greeting simply means “Welcome, welcome, warm welcome.”
One of the little girls caught my attention. She had such beautiful, long hair and a striking pair of black eyes. I could read how curious she was about the travelers with blue eyes and blonde hair just by looking at her eyes.
“What is your name?” some of the travelers asked her. I helped to translate for them.
“Li Ping,” she answered shyly in a voice we could hardly hear.
The principal took us to the classroom and invited the students to sing a song for us. Each student lowered his or her head and dared not look at this group of foreign visitors visiting their school for the very first time. No one said a word to us, even if we asked them questions.
For the past six years, Grand Circle travelers have continued visiting the small village and Grand Circle Foundation still supports the primary school in Shao Ping Dian. Local residents have gotten to know Americans more, which allows our travelers to get to know the local people as well. Since that very first visit, as our bus arrives in Shao Ping Dian, the villagers wave as we approach and we’re greeted by big smiles.
Students at Shao Ping Dian Primary School have opened up since Grand Circle’s first visit there, and students now enjoy playing games—like tug of war—with Grand Circle travelers.
We’ve come a long way since that first school visit. The students are no longer shy. When they see our travelers coming, they always shout, “Welcome to our school!”—and they hold our hands to take us into their classroom.
After recently visiting the school, I asked the principal about Li Ping, the little girl from our first visit. She said that Li Ping had graduated and was now studying at a teacher’s school. Li Ping’s dream is to be an English teacher one day.
Shao Ping Dian has definitely experienced a change. Since Grand Circle began visiting the village and school, Shao Ping Dian is not a secluded little village in a suburb of Xian any more. It's now had a taste of the world around them.
Learn more about the work of Grand Circle Foundation, visit their website at www.grandcirclefoundation.org.