18 | Wednesday, December 2, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY YOUTH
with grand dreams. And we work hard to achieve these goals step by step. Our stories are worth hearing.” Series makes a master Her chapter examines ways to not only overcome the disadvantages, but also capitalize on the over move with Go drama looked advantages, of schools in the countryside. “Although rural schools have less adapted from comics access to resources compared to urban schools, and especially quality By WANG KAIHAO teachers, they do have unique [email protected] advantages, such as natural environ ments,” she explains. Characters from comic strips are What matters is that “So, teaching children to be curi not confined to pages. Their action ous about nature is our innovation. packed lives can also be portrayed the story emotionally In rural areas, we have unique on the screen to an appreciative moves the audience access to such resources as flowers, new and larger audience. This has plants, mountains, water, local food been done the world over. on its own, not and customs. One new production, portraying deliberately “Ultimately, the processes of living an adventurous story based on the including certain and learning are interlinked. Our intriguing and popular board ‘ruralexperience centric’ courses game Go, might raise questions as elements in order to are also a unique way for teachers to to why it took so long for such a achieve that.” feel their work is valuable, innova classic 1990s Japanese manga tive and meaningful.” comic to transition from the print Zhu Zhenhua, producer of the Emotional and material incentives ed page to the screen. online series, Hikaru No Go for educators are a theme that many Thanks to streaming media of the headmasters address, since platform iQiyi, Hikaru No Go, a Children read in the library of No 7 Primary School in Tongjiang county in Sichuan province’s Bazhong qualified candidates may prefer to domestically produced 36episode For example, the beginning of city. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY take cushier jobs in more comforta series based around the mono the tale is set in the late 1990s — a ble locations. chromatic board game, known in time when South Korea dominat “Rural schools’ ‘hardware’ is rap Chinese as weiqi, finally got the TV ed the international Go arena and idly catching up with urban schools. show treatment when it first China was a perennial flop. All the But they still lag behind in ‘software’, broadcast on Oct 27 to the delight major Go battles in the series are especially teaching resources,” says of fans in both countries. inspired by real games in history. Kuang Xiaolan, principal of Shang Despite of the popularity and To prepare for production, Liu mo Township Central Primary mass appeal of the original comic, Chang, director of the series, Lessons from School in Ji’an city’s Taihe county in until now, no liveaction adaptation learned how to play Go more seri Jiangxi province. of Hikaru No Go has been realized. ously, and even joined a ranking “Because rural schools are remote, In the story, a Chinese boy system for amateur players. the lifestyle in these areas is less named Guang (named Hikaru in The production team also exciting. So, it’s hard to persuade original Japanese manga, both worked hard to ensure that the excellent young teachers to stay. The meaning “light”) unwittingly dis series is downtoearth and relata only way is to provide continuous covers a Go board in which the ble. On one occasion in the show, a rural schools training and a sense of fulfillment.” spirit of an ancient master player player loses a game and says: “Now Li Guangjie’s first major action named Chu Ying (named Sai in the I’ll go for gaokao (the college when he took over as principal of original Japanese version) is entrance exam) like many people A new book compiles essays by headmasters in remote the Central School in Fusong coun imprisoned. The boy is encour do.” ty’s Xianrenqiao town in Jilin prov aged and taught by the ancient It is a moment of real “local fla areas about the challenges to, and achievements in, ince’s Baishan city in 2017 was to spirit, gradually becoming a mas vor” that will resonate with the education in China’s vast countryside, Erik Nilsson reports. introduce new rewards and training ter player himself. Chinese audience, and indicates for teachers. “We were under huge pressure that the series is not just for Go Subsequently, 18 of the school’s for this adaptation because we fans, which is arguably a niche ang Hui was startled when before the game. instructors won special recognition also loved the original material so market, but for everyone. a silhouette dashed across “He was the biggest star on the from the county, including two who much,” Zhu Zhenhua, founder of “In the story, the players grow the primary school’s cam field that day,” the headmaster were named “leading countylevel the Beijingbased Sugarman through winning and losing, and pus in the dark and hid recalls. teachers”. Media and producer of the series, their emotions can be felt by the behindY a tree. “He has changed since then. He tells China Daily. “Finally, we can audience, who also face challen “Who’s there?” the headmaster likes to laugh and play with his Moving forward now enjoy a breath of relief.” ges and seek achievement and yelled. “Get out of here! Come out so classmates. And his studies have Another common theme is the Its ranking of 8.4 from a total of success in their own lives,” Zhu I can see you!” steadily improved.” difficulty of helping leftbehind chil 10 points on Douban, one of Chi says. “No matter what the career, To her surprise, it wasn’t an Yang wrote about this story in a dren like Mingda. na’s main platforms for film and when people find something they intruder but rather a student who chapter in Levelling Mountainhigh Many are socially withdrawn, TV critiques, proves that it is a are passionate about, they will eventually emerged, recalls the Gaps: Lessons from China’s Leading ambivalent about schoolwork and domestic hit. Meanwhile, on social shine.” headmaster of Xinjin Central Pri Rural Educators, recently pub lack confidence. media in Japan, it has been greet Some Go fans, however, have mary School in Hainan province’s lished by China Economic Publish Nearly half — 1,219, to be precise ed with overwhelming support complained that there should be Qiongzhong Li and Miao autono ing House. The book compiled by — of the students at Tongjiang No 6 and praise. more time devoted to the onscreen mous county. the NGO Visionary Education fea Primary School in Bazhong city, “If Sai was a real person, it would Go contests in the series. It was 12yearold Wang Mingda, tures essays by over 50 principals Sichuan province, are left behind. be probably like this,” one Twitter “It’s tricky to keep a balance that a shy boy who excelled at soccer but from schools in remote and under Principal Gao Huaiyang recalls user, named “mochi_fzkrm15”, satisfies both Go professionals and struggled in class. developed areas throughout the The cover of the book, feeling concerned about how “timid” commented. “The adaptation is a amateurs,” he says and smiles. “Why haven’t you gone home?” country. Levelling Mountainhigh first grader Luo Haoxuan was when good connection with China, but it Some elements of the adapta Yang asked. “We hope this book will bring Gaps: Lessons from he met the 7yearold last year. doesn’t stubbornly copy the origi tion also arouse questions. For “It’s so late.” educational experiences and reflec China’s Leading Rural Gao talked with Haoxuan, and his nal work.” instance, Chu is wearing a look It was 9:30 pm. tions to more principals and encour Educators. parents and grandparents, and That said, the adaptation still almost the same as Sai’s in the The boy explained that his aunt — age more principals to share their encouraged the boy. He also features many original lines of dia original material, and many who, along with his grandfather, own wisdom in the field of educa arranged for oneonone tutoring logue from the source material. online have expressed doubt as to tried to take care of him since his tion,” says Li Huiwu, deputy manag with Haoxuan’s Chineselanguage More Japanese fans online, who why, in a Chinese story, he has a parents couldn’t — had told him she ing editor of China Economic teacher, leading to huge improve grew up with the original manga, “Japanese” appearance. couldn’t send him to the soccer Publishing House. ments in his reading and writing. said “Thank you”, while giving a However, it turns out to be a les match the next morning. “Good principals lead to good “Now, in the second grade, Hao nod to the series. son in traditional culture. As Chu So, he planned to hide on campus schools. And good schools nurture Rural schools’ xuan speaks boldly. He tells stories in For Zhu, the support of these is meant to be a Go player from the overnight so he could make the good talent.” class. He’s more confident,” Gao says. fans is more important than the Liang Dynasty (502557) during game. ‘hardware’ is Tenyearold Liu Junliang grew recognition of Yumi Hotta, the the Southern Dynasty (420589), Yang learned that the boy’s moth Trials and triumphs rapidly catching up “in silence” since his parents manga’s original author. which later influenced Japan’s er had abandoned him to remarry. The essays discuss such challen weren’t involved in his upbringing, “The key to adapting manga Heian Period, the time from which His father, who was disabled by a ges as academically and psychologi up with urban Gao says. into a realperson series is to fully Sai originates, the costume echoes fall, tried to work as a migrant in cally helping “leftbehind” children schools. But they His grandfather, who raised him, understand the core of the char historical fact. cities. of migrants, recruiting and retain could only provide meals and wash acters and respect them,” Zhu “We make it look a little bit more “Mingda was lonely and dejected ing qualified staff, and updating still lag behind his clothes. His parents had says. “In this story, that is persist exaggerated to match the tone of without parental supervision. He outdated pedagogy. And they exam in ‘software’, divorced. And while his mother had ence without obsession. Even the comic’s illustrations,” Zhu says. gradually lost interest in learning ine such solutions as engaging custody, she cared for other rela though so much effort is put into “However, we have to refer to tra and communicating with others,” migrant parents and caretaking rel especially tives, as did his grandpa. Go, it is not the protagonists’ ditional aesthetics and ceremo Yang explains. atives remotely, offering emotional teaching “Grandpa accompanied Junliang whole lives.” nies since we use true historical “Soccer was his only joy. So, he and material incentives for instruct to sign up for the first grade,” Gao “Spare no effort on every game background.” didn’t want to miss the game, even ors, and innovation. resources.” recalls. — that is the biggest respect you Romance is absent from Hikaru if that meant he couldn’t go home “Each story reflects rural princi Kuang Xiaolan, principal “I asked, Child, where are your can pay to your opponent.” This No Go, despite the fact that, to and had to sleep outside on a stone pals’ dedication, exploration, inno of Shangmo Township parents? He hung his head and edict of Chu Ying’s in the story may please young Chinese viewers, it is bench for the night. I told him stu vation and hard work,” says Feng Central Primary School in didn’t speak. He hid behind his also ring true for the production almost an inevitable theme in oth dents and teachers want to make Haiyan, headmaster of Randeng Ji’an city’s Taihe county, grandfather.” team. er shows aimed at the same demo friends with people like him, who Temple Primary School in Baoji Jiangxi province When the grandfather explained The basic background of the sto graphic. have dreams.” city’s Maying town in Shaanxi the situation, Gao contacted the ry resembles fantasy, but Zhu “You cannot attach specific gen Yang prepared and shared an province. boy’s parents and asked them to explains that Hikaru No Go has a re labels to a story before it was early breakfast with the boy “We are a group of ordinary people send their son videos every night. typically realistic narration, which created,” Zhu says. “What matters He encouraged Junliang in class may trigger strong emotional reso is that the story emotionally and asked him to help with tasks he nance among Chinese audiences. moves the audience on its own, knew the boy could achieve. “The story is not unusual to us,” not deliberately including certain And he bought the boy a book that he says. elements in order to achieve that.” addresses a lot of “why” questions about the world. “After a month, Junliang’s person ality gradually became brighter,” Gao recalls. “Now, he asks me questions when he sees me: ‘Teacher Gao, why are plum blossoms not afraid of the cold?’ ‘Mr Gao, do you know where I hid my lost baby tooth?’ ‘Mr Gao, why is the center of bamboo empty?’” Ultimately, the stories in Level ling Mountainhigh Gaps aren’t just lessons for students and rural edu cators but for the world to under stand the trials and triumphs of education throughout China’s vast countryside. A scene from Hikaru No Go, a recent popular online series, which is a liveaction adaptation of a classic 1990s Japanese manga Fifth and sixthgrade students at No 7 Primary School in Bazhong, Sichuan province, harvest corn that Contact the writer at comic that portrays an adventurous story based on the intriguing they’d planted. [email protected] and popular board game Go. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY