One of our visits was to a primary (elementary) school outside of Xinyang, the city where we stayed for the second leg of our journey in China. My assumptions of the school were blown out of the water, in a negative way, when we arrived. There were upwards of 300 kindergarten through sixth grade students going to the school in an 8-10 room building that looks like it has been there for ages. Each room is decorated with only a couple of chalk boards. The children use desks that look like they’re held together by one splinter. We learned that almost a third of the children stay at the school in dorms instead of going home at night because they live more than 2 hours walking distance away. They sleep in a line of plywood beds in 6-8 dorm rooms. Bedding consists of one blanket and pillow per bed with more than one child in most beds. All in all this school is very poor. They have one spigot for water, which is not sanitary for drinking, and a bathroom with barely a roof and holes in the ground that served as the toilets. Even in all these visibly horrible circustances the children are happier than most wealthy children in the U.S. We did activities with them that included nutrition, exercise, and emotional health education. We also surprised them by decorating their dorm rooms. Through these activities we learned so much about these children. They were so grateful to have us come to their school, spend time with them, and care for them. I think we all got so much out of this experience as did the children. We learned a lot about ourselves and learned that even though these children are among the poorest of the poor they are happier than most; money does not make happiness. I really enjoyed this experience and will remember it and keep it in my heart forever.

School entrance

One of the school children

A dorm room

Gift giving is a common practice in the west when someone visits a home, but it was a new experience to see this traditional role reversed here in China. We made dumplings with the students from the technical university at their dorms, and many of us received gifts from them during this visit. These gifts were very thoughtful and showcase an important part of Chinese culture. How people relate to each other is of extreme importance to the Chinese, and as not only foreigners but guests in their home we occupied a very high rung on their social ladder. The students were always polite, and very helpful in teaching us how to make proper dumplings. This respect for the social hierarchy is central to the Confucian tradition which is very concerned with how people interact with each other. All in all I was very impressed with the students, and I felt more than a little guilty that I did not have a gift to exchange with them.

Our final leg of the China Summer Study Program found us in Beijing. We traveled outside of the city to the Mutianyu Great Wall. This portion of the wall was built in the second year of the reign of the yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1404 BC). We all rode a chair lift to an access point on the wall where we climbed the stone steps and steep grade, exploring the many watchtowers along the wall. Although the day was gray and rainy, the view was amazing! The walk down took us through a stone garden, a rock cave, and waterfalls. Just like every other day in Beijing, our trip ended with bartering for unique souvineers in the market. Everyone seems to have mastered that skill very well!

 

Dr. Lanaghan and I went to meet with Wan Lei, a local professor and Chinese Muslim. We sat down at a local tea shop and discussed the Hui, who are the largest ethnic group of Chinese Muslims. They make up a large percentage of the Muslims in the country and number about 10 million people. Not all of those who are Hui are Muslims, however, but it is predominant. What makes them unique is that they are a closed society and do not accept non clan members at their Mosques. They make no attempts to convert others, and their clan title is very powerful. This outweighs any political or religious differences, bringing people together.

– Caleb R., Religion Student

Our final weekend in Xinyang was capped off with a hike on Zigongshan Mountain (Rooster Mountain) in Jigongshan National Park, about 1-2 hours outside of Xinyang. We spent the day with China Service Ventures mission families and the Chinese nursing students who partnered with us earlier in the week at the primary elementary school to conduct the health screenings and health education programs. The scenery was incredible, the weather was perfect, the trail was rugged, and we enjoyed a picnic by a beautiful waterfall. It was a memorable day and a great way to say farewell to our new Chinese friends from Xinyang.
China.

Students in the Religions of Asia and Community Health Nursing summer study programs each hauled nursing textbook resources and medical equipment to China in their luggage. These much needed items were donated by the Concordia College nursing department, HERO, Innovis/Dakota Health Care and MeritCare in Fargo-Moorhead to several sites in Xinyang to assist with nursing education and patient care.

According to Shaping the Ideal Child by Limin Bai a child, which is considered vulnerable should progress through the many stages of physical and mental development at their precise and proper times. This assures that a child will become the ideal Confucian advancing through infancy to young adulthood with success. This period of essential development is where the xi or the practice of the child’s moral development is taken place; whether the strength of nature vs. nurture is empowered.

By working with the students at the Xia Chiao Primary School, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang Vocational Technical College, and the Agricultural College I have experienced an age range of three years old to twenty three years old. I cherished my time at the primary school and found that Chinese students devote themselves holistically to their studies at ages as young as four and five years old.

This is a big academic responsibility and can be observed at any age throughout the Chinese academic system. Some reasons for this are because of the relation to the proper child and the idealized version of a Confucian child. This can only be observed, because when you ask a Chinese student if they have a religion they will say no, some will not understand what you are asking them. This is because they have a way of life, this way of life is traced back many centuries and is passed through traditions of families and can be observed in their everyday lives. It is not taught in the classroom, it learned through example.

Also, for some Chinese students who are considered peasants, wealth can be attained through academics. This does not refer necessarily to monetary gains but also to the personal advancement of mental progress. Academics are the only way to a better life for many Chinese students. They are tested periodically throughout their education system that places them in certain schools according to their test scores. This is also the process that is followed to be accepted into a college, there is no application process or liberal arts education. Your test score dictates your school and the school chooses a major or field of study, which is accepted and embraced.

Classroom experiences, especially as age progresses are valued and competitive because of the limited availability of jobs after graduation. Responsibilities change from developing into the proper young adult, to Li or carrying out these learned assets and putting them to use in daily life.

Finally, there are the differences of education among elite children and peasant children. The elite education or shi class is, “A collective manifestation of elite attitudes to childhood, through we can see the Confucian efforts to shape the ideal child.” The elite children thus have a greater access and opportunity to high class education whereas peasant children take what they can get, adequate teachers, crammed classrooms, inadequate supplies, poor dormitories and the list continues. The progress of Chinese education can be observed through the individual drive in students and their background and opportunities to education.

– Kylie A., Religion Student

Today was our second day at the primary school. The children were very excited to see us again. We could hear them cheering as we walked up the path to the school. We began the day were we had left off the previous day, finishing our teaching groups. My group was the physical activity group. We let each child listen to their heartbeats with a stethoscope. The look on their faces while they heard their heartbeats for the first time was priceless. We also took them outside to teach about physical activity and play hopscotch and jump rope. After lunch the nursing students and pre-professional students conducted health screenings for the first and sixth graders. We checked their heights, weights, heart rates, respirations, endurance, and nutritional status. We also did vision, hearing, and lice screenings. While this was being done the religion students decorated the dorm rooms for the children that lived at the school. Once all the decorating was done the children got to see their new rooms. They were very suprised and excited to have decorations. To conclude our visits at the primary school some of the classes did performances. Our time at the school was very fun and we all learned a lot working with the children.

 Allison T., Nursing Student

While at Nanwan Lake, several students stopped at one of the shops and contemplated buying Buddhas. One of the leaders of the Vo-Tech students, Lily, came over and discussed with us the symbolism behind the different statues. We discussed Kwanyin the most, who is one of the favorites in the Buddhism religion. She sits on a lotus flower and has very feminine features. The history behind her describes her as having 11 heads and a 1,000 arms. This is because of her giving and nurturing nature. Figurines of her might or might not have all her extremities. With this personality, she is known for being very generous and is therefore extremely popular.

Lily said many parents often visit her to worship and pray for success for their children. However, she also said that children often don’ t have the same beliefs as parents and don’ t take part in their same religious rituals. There is still a paradox among the young adults. Though they don’ t have the same practices and faith as their parents, they will still go and worship deities when they are in need. She said with such confusion among young people, the nation is going through a spiritual hunger.

The next Buddha we discussed was Maitrreya, or the Happy Buddha. He is a chubby man, often with much jewelry and other luxuries to show his great wealth. He is often shown with children as well, and this symbolism can be compared to that of Jesus and his protection over the people.

On the way back home, Lily even shared more of her Pluralistic open views when she discussed her Christian faith with me. I found it shocking that she revealed so much and wanted to talk about religion so freely because of the Communist control over religion. I thought she would be more reserved. Lily stated that since 1949, there has been a huge increase in the Chinese Christian population from 100,000 to 100 million.

She also said, however, that even if a Chinese person is Christian, they often still follow the same morals of other Asian religions such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. This is because they often have the same values, being Asian Religions are present in almost every aspect of Chinese culture. Lily also discussed the similarities between Christianity, China and America; namely the different sects of the Christian religion and different extremes in Christianity.

This talk with Lily was the highlight of my first day in Xinyang. She was so knowledgeable  about the different Buddhas of the Buddhism religion. Hearing about the different symbolism behind the statues makes them so much more meaningful than just gorgeous figurines. I also loved hearing about Christianity in China and how know matter what one wants to believe, the Chinese people hunger for spirituality.

– Adrianne P., Religion Student

After busy mornings going to the elementary school, the nursing and religion students took in a different experience for the morning by visiting a deaf school for children ages 6-17. We started off by visiting their art building where students do absolutely beautiful works of art through burning, painting, and sculpting. As we walked through their art rooms looking at all of the art they’d completed, you couldn’t help but stare at it in awe that students so young could do such amazing works of art. All of it was for sale and the proceeds went directly to the artist to help them through school. It was cool to see their faces when they were handed our money for their hard work. They also have a textile shop where students weave beautiful scarves and other such things.

After purchasing much of their wall displays (their walls look quite barren now!), we went out and had a tour of the rest of the small campus. The teachers here work hard to improve each student’s IQ, being they are either deaf or mentally handicapped in some way (such as Down’s syndrome). So they incorporate many learning techniques and styles into their lessons to accommodate for each child. They also have outings so that the children can get some outside-world socialization. Often times they go to Jackie Chan’s Coffee Shop or other fun places. Once they finish their schooling there, they can either go on to higher education or work in a factory. We were able to interact with the students and got to see some of their classrooms. They were so excited because we had stickers and it was the neatest thing to them. Overall, it was a really interesting morning to see the children sign to each other and to see how the teachers interacted with those that had mental handicaps. As a rule, China doesn’t openly admit to having health issues such as mental illness or other handicap problems. So this was definitely a different experience and a privilege to see.

~Melissa E., Senior Student Nurse