Overseas Chinese students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan meet and see rural children again on their “Youth Journey to Mountains and Seas”

During a recent interview, Yang Yidi from China News reported on the poignant farewell between students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan and children at Gongyi Primary School in Ningxia. Before departing, Wu Jiaying, a student from Beijing Language University, promised the children, “We hope you can go to college and explore the world beyond the mountains. We will be waiting for you in various cities across China.”

The “Youth Journey Across Mountains and Seas” social practice activity took place from October 12 to 19, involving 23 students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan who participated in teaching assistance, social research, and learning assessments in rural Ningxia.

Reflecting on the bittersweet moment of parting, Wu Jiaying shared, “As we were leaving, the children were very reluctant. One of them asked, ‘Sister, will you come back to teach us tomorrow?’ At that moment, it was truly hard to say goodbye.” She reassured the children, saying, “If I have the chance, I will definitely come back.”

This was actually Wu Jiaying’s second time participating in the program, fulfilling a promise she made to the previous year’s students. She even provided the children with her school’s address, saying, “If they write to me, I will respond.”

Accompanying Wu Jiaying was Macau student Cao Jiawen, who served as the teaching group leader for this year’s initiative. She explained, “We prepared a variety of engaging courses for the children, including knowledge about Hong Kong and Macau, handmade paper-making, drama, and dodgeball.” Cao noted that they focused on innovative lessons that the children had not previously experienced, often discussing lesson plans in meetings before each class. She added with a smile, “The children’s enthusiasm was unexpected; the classroom atmosphere was very lively. Just before we left, a little girl gifted me a bracelet she made herself.”

Cao was also impressed by Gongyi Primary School’s facilities, stating, “I didn’t expect the teaching resources here to be identical to those in Beijing—the floors are spotless, the desks are new, and they have electronic screens and even a dance studio.”

Taiwanese student Cai Peiyun contributed to the experience by teaching a class titled “Journey Around the World” to first-graders. In her class, she and her team introduced simple greetings like “hello,” “goodbye,” and “thank you” in Cantonese, Minnan dialect, and four foreign languages: English, French, Korean, and Spanish. She noted, “These kids may rarely get the chance to travel due to their circumstances, so we hope our lessons inspire them to dream of exploring the wider world and one day leave the mountains.”

Cai’s motivation for traveling to Ningxia stemmed from watching the TV series “The Story of Mountain and Sea.” She commented, “After watching the show, I wanted to engage directly with the local children through this meaningful social practice activity.” During her time in the village, she encountered many signs of cooperation between Fujian and Ningxia and visited Minning Town. “Seeing it all come to life made me realize that this support from Fujian really exists,” she observed.

In her last days in Ningxia, Wu Jiaying took time to visit a tree—a sapling planted by students during last year’s program. Now standing tall, it symbolized growth over the past two years. Wu expressed her hope that the “Youth Journey Across Mountains and Seas” could also plant a “seed” for the children in the mountainous areas: “Though our contributions may seem small, I hope our voices can help guide the children toward a broader world.”