18 | Wednesday, March 10, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY YOUTH A MOVING ACCOUNT Australian TV host touched by stories of China’s poverty alleviation during the making of new documentary, Alywin Chew and Cao Chen report in Shanghai.
hanghaibased media per capture the footage. sonality Cameron Anderson Because of the documentary, may have participated in Anderson got to travel to Wuhan in What I saw was numerous television pro September to learn more about how Sjects throughout the past decade, the city rallied against the virus. amazing cooperation but the one he considers to be the There, he had the chance to inter between people. most meaningful is the recently view one of the local heroes, Li Feng released documentary China on the jie, a delivery rider who, despite Everyone here Move. having already traveled home for banded together to Produced by Shanghai Media Spring Festival in 2020, decided to Group and Lion Television from the return to Wuhan to deliver meals. tackle the crisis.” United Kingdom, the twopart docu The selfless actions of Li later Cameron Anderson, host, mentary was aired on channels like inspired hundreds of others to take China on the Move Dragon TV, Docu TV and Interna up food delivery jobs during the tional Channel Shanghai on Feb 25 pandemic. and 26. The show will also be availa While Anderson considers the sto Another person who was ble abroad in the near future. ry about Wuhan to be the most touch impressed by what she saw is Chen The first episode delves into Chi ing in the documentary, he points out Yinan, the documentary’s director. na’s poverty alleviation efforts. The that he was just as fascinated by Chi Despite being Chinese and not second is focused on the nation’s fight na’s poverty alleviation efforts. unfamiliar with her nation’s poverty against the COVID19 pandemic. The segment he hosts delves into alleviation efforts, the deep dive into As well as the fact that the show how the Chinese government helped the topic proved to be an eyeopener marks his maiden appearance in an revive the fortunes of rubber farm nonetheless. international documentary, China ers in Hainan province by creating “It was a very fulfilling experience. On the Move is also significant to the an ecosystem that also involves I’m impressed by some of the facts Australian as it gave him a chance to insurance companies and future risk we learned. For example, I didn’t correct the misconceptions about management firms. know that there is such a wide range his adopted home country. “When you talk about poverty of conditions to consider before we “Having personally been through alleviation, what most people imme can say someone is in the extreme the pandemic in China, I got to see diately think of is charity and dona poverty category,” says Chen. how misunderstood Wuhan was. tions, but this is simply not “As shown in the documentary, There were many news reports by sustainable. Instead of just throwing efforts have been made by all sectors foreign media that were just inaccu cash at the poor, what the Chinese of society and not just the govern rate. Some intentionally twisted the government did was to create this ment,” she adds. “From enterprises to facts to make the news juicier,” says beautiful system that was not just ordinary people, everyone played a Anderson. smart but also sustainable. I was part. To be able to lift so many people “What was being reported did not very impressed,” he says. out of extreme poverty, even during reflect what I experienced. What I For Anderson, his role in the docu the pandemic, is an astounding feat.” saw was amazing cooperation mentary was also a reminder of how When asked what he would say to between people. Everyone here far China has progressed since he critics who doubt the authenticity of banded together to tackle the crisis. first set foot in Shanghai in 2005. the facts presented in the documen People living outside China might The Australian first worked as a tary, Anderson, who has lived in Chi find it strange when I say this, but I lawyer at a firm that catered to inter Scenes from China on the Move na for the past 16 years, has just three feel lucky to have gone through the national clients. Three years later, shows (top) Guo Yi, a ranger of words: come to China. pandemic in China.” following a guest appearance on a Ant Forest Project, in a desert in “I guarantee that many of those To prepare for the show, both the local travel program Getaway, Gansu province; (middle) host who doubt the successes of China Chinese and British teams per which ignited in him a passion for ess Jenny Cortes Ybanez, with have never been here before,” he formed extensive research, which television, he quit his job to become embroiderer Liang Zhongmei in says. included studying published govern its host. Guizhou province; (above left) “All I have to say to them is that mental documents and news on pov “Back then, as a host for Getaway, rubber farmer Zhou Guifang in they should come and experience erty alleviation, as well as consulting I was a vessel that took Chinese view Hainan province; (above) host China for themselves. This is the think tanks in China, in April and ers to the outside world. That was a Cameron Anderson with Wu only way they can make an objective May. time when China was fascinated Xing, a manager of Shanghai assessment. Before they doubt The film crew then spent July with what was happening overseas. Futures Exchange; (left) Ander something, they have to understand and August traveling to 12 provin Fast forward to today, I’m helping the son with shoe salesman Wu what they’re doubting.” ces and cities in China including world to see China. The way my job Xiesheng in Xiamen, Fujian Xiamen in Fujian province and scope has changed reflects how Chi province. Contact the writers at Hangzhou in Zhejiang province to na has grown so amazingly,” he says. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY [email protected] Children reap benefit of rural educators’ devotion to duty
FUZHOU — At 6:30 am every father of a 9yearold boarder at school day, Zhuang Guigan wakes the school. up the 83 boarding students at the Over the past four decades, Zhu Xijin primary school. Zhuang, 64, ang has helped more than 2,000 is used to being greeted by the chil children finish school. Some stu dren’s delightful laughter in the dents have now become teachers, morning. civil servants, and entrepreneurs. “As the children returned after Many of them come back to the the Spring Festival holiday, the school frequently and donate school came back to life,” says Zhu money to support the school’s edu ang, the school principal, who has cation efforts. been an educator for 47 years. Reducing poverty must begin The school in Shitun township, with reducing illiteracy. There Zhenghe county of East China’s fore, China has been making Fujian province, has 167 students. painstaking efforts to improve Among them, 86 are “leftbehind education for povertystricken children”, 83 of whom are boarders. and “leftbehind children” in rural “Some students are from pover areas. Schooling is the best way to tystricken families. Many of their Left: Zhuang Guigan, the principal of Xijin primary school, and his wife, Liang Chun’ai, serve food to students who are boarders at the facili stop poverty from being passed parents have to work far to earn ty in Zhenghe county, Fujian province, on March 1. Right: Students of Xijin primary school salute the national flag at the semester’s opening down through the generations. their livelihood, so we are not only ceremony on the same day. PHOTOS BY JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA To comprehensively promote responsible for teaching but also rural vitalization, China needs need to give them as much care as heals my homesickness,” says Ye help after she retired in 2004. tears in her eyes. died young in the 1960s. more “nanny principals” like Zhu possible,” Zhuang says. Enhui, a fullday boarder at the News about the couple’s good The couple’s unconditional and In the eyes of Zhenghe county ang. As head of the only village ele school. deeds traveled fast, and people unsparing love for the children is residents, Zhuang is a living Lei “I want to give better support to mentary boarding school in the The “Grandma Liang” in Ye’s around the town continued to widely recognized by the students’ Feng. these children and make them feel mountainous region of northern words refers to Zhuang’s wife, send their children there, expand families and many other people “Zhuang and his wife are very at home at the school, so that they Fujian, Zhuang is also a “nanny”. Liang Chun’ai, who was also a ing the group of boarders from a across the county. much devoted to the children can become more capable and go He manages the daily lives of the teacher before her retirement. dozen to more than 80. March 5 marks Lei Feng Day in here. Every weekend when my out in the wider world, better school’s boarders. Zhuang transformed the school “They are just like my own chil China. People across China grandson comes back home, he equipped to deal with it, thanks to “Living in the school feels like into a boarding school in 2003 to dren, and I am pleased to see their observe this day by showing good talks about his enjoyable moments what they have learned,” Zhuang being at home. Grandma Liang take better care of the children left happy faces. Taking care of them will and helping others to remem at school. I feel relieved hearing says. cooks dumplings for us on week behind by their hardworking par requires plenty of hard work, but it ber the cultural icon Lei Feng, a that he enjoys huge doses of happi ends and takes good care of us. It ents. His wife joined the school to is worthwhile,” says Liang with soldier who led a life of virtue but ness,” says Yu Fuqiang, the grand XINHUA