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Glorious Guangxi

Updated: Mar 30, 2018 govt.chinadaily.com.cn Print
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Michael John Brown

For many years, I lived and worked in Northern Europe. For months at a time, thick clouds blotted out all sight of the sun, the moon and the stars. Beneath the grey sky, we toiled by day in factories illuminated by foul electric light, except when we ventured out into the torrential wind and rain that constantly pelted us and soiled our clothes, our hair and our bodies with a penetrating coldness that never went away. Shipped to us on huge airplanes or giant cargo vessels from far away places near the equator, our food was never fresh; so we were forced to live on the aging contents of tin cans that contained processed meats, fish, vegetables and even fruit. On television, in books and on the internet, we saw images of sunlit places, lush with green jungles, where fresh fruit fell off the trees of life and landed in waiting hands in foreign lands where the sea yielded up bounteous nets filled with delicious fish. Nurtured by the brilliance of the sun and the blue arch of the sky, the people of these exotic lands wore happy faces and appeared to live in harmony within their communities and the very nature of their lush and tropical surroundings. A dream of China awakened within me, and I ached to help the Chinese communicate with the peoples of the English-speaking world.

As fate would have it, a way opened before me to work in Nanning, a veritable Emerald City humming with energy, joy and their exotic form of magic unique to Guangxi. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the kind, gentle and overwhelmingly courteous people whom I would come to love and respect as friends, colleagues and students. Under beautiful sunlit skies, my days were filled with joyful experiences both teaching and being taught by students, friends and co-workers. While I helped the eager and intelligent students with their English, the Chinese people opened my eyes to the profound wonders of their ravishing community, culture and civilization.

After school, we would eat out of doors - an experience that is virtually impossible in Northern Europe. My palate responded to the savors of Guangxi cuisine: Nanning old friend noodles, a nourishing meal of rice noodles, lettuce and pork that has a unique spicy taste. The fragrant and delicious preserved egg congee that can be eaten anytime of the day. The Yulin wonton, a treasured local dish which released hidden flavors of seafood and pork combined. In the evening barbecue places offered fresh water snails stuffed with ginger and garlic. These foods were just a fraction of what was available in the restaurants and bustling streets. Somewhat to my shock, I experienced a totally new and different feeling welling up inside my mind and my body - while Western food merely staved off the next pangs of hunger, Chinese food nourished me, strengthened me and sustained me physically and psychologically, imbuing within me a calmness and a confidence in the future that I had never known before.

On weekends, I would walk over the streets of the city, where I found an amazing sense of happiness, security and serenity. Stresses are simply unknown to the carefree people of Guangxi.

I was fortunate to visit the small city of Yizhou in Hechi, where the people and the culture swept me into a wonderland of fantastic beauty, mystery and contemplation. The traditional songs and dances similar to the famous native of Yizhou- Liu Sanjie propelled me backward in time to the memory of people who lived and worked in harmony and justice with the earth, the wind and the stars - a period totally remote and unreachable from the modern perspectives of Northern Europe. Floating on a raft down the Gulong river of Yizhou, I felt the naked wonder of nature welling up within me. A glimmer of a new way of life in total harmony between humanity and nature filled me with joy and a compelling urgency to share my vision with the rest of the world.

Later on in my stay in Guangxi I moved to Qinzhou city, where I took job teaching at school named Talent International College Guangxi. This was a new chapter in my life as I felt the friendship and warmth from my colleagues and students right from the start. This unspoilt and charming place made such an impression on me that I stayed there for many years.

I admired the dedication of Chinese teachers and managers due to their hard-working, diligent, and cooperative attitude towards their students, by constantly helping them in all aspects of their study to get good grades and feel needed in society. This gave me a strong desire to teach English well, so that it would actually mean something for the students in their everyday lives. I wanted them to be able to communicate with people all over the world because English is the standard language spoken everywhere in the communities of business, diplomacy, commerce and culture. I was determined to be a portal in opening up the potential of my students and the people of China in a very special way - the gift of language that can help them relate to another billion people on our tiny planet.

I saw their development on a daily basis as I reinforced my objective "Never give in, never, never, never" - I encouraged my students to work harder to understand and master a problem area in English. Concentrating on the struggle with a new and different language, A battle of the will against the challenges of alphabet, spelling, grammar and pronunciation - to the victory of fluency that opens out and broadens the horizons of lives that were changing every day in my classes. The trajectory of their lives forever altered by the expansion of language and understanding of another culture - that of the English-speaking peoples.

Realizing that the mission of transforming the world is far too great for any one person, I work with others enabling them to communicate with the English-speaking peoples who are desperate for new ways and means to reinvent their troubled societies and reinvigorate their outmoded industries. The language that separates one from another must become the bridge that unites all peoples. English has become the dominant language of science, commerce and the arts. The English language is the channel that will open the world to the positive changes people are seeking for the problems of their lives stifled by the old ways and old feudal systems that still plague much of modern humanity. Guangxi is forging a path to the future, a sustainable culture of a vibrant community rich in the things that really matter: love, life, health and harmony with nature.

Back in Europe the saying goes "If you want a rainbow you have to put up with the rain",but in Guangxi the rainbow comes without conditions. Here there is a culture which is rich in tolerance and acceptance. I have learned a great many things from living and working in China. It has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. I have discovered paradise on earth.

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