A great goal and a golden heart
By Robin



如果说每一个来中国的外国人都怀有某种目标的话, 菲利普的目标可谓无私和长远了. 立志通过语言文字来帮助别人的他, 在厦门任教期间又当老师又当学生, 而且打算学习的是少数中国人才懂得的壮族方言, 他的目标究竟是什么呢? 一起来看看吧.

A great goal - to study Zhuang dialect

Philip came to China in 2003, studied Chinese in Tianjin for a year, and came to work as a teacher in Xiamen University. His plan is to first study mandarin and then the Zhuang Minority language, and after that, to go to poor villages in Guangxi to help the illiterate people become literate. When asked how specifically he was going to do all of those things step by step and why he intended to do so, he revealed the entire story and his dreams.

He believes that so many wonderful things flow from books, and therefore that being able to read is such a precious ability that everyone should possess it. Philip has been wanting to become a linguist himself ever since he was a child. But at some time, he was confronted with the unfortunate fact that there were people who weren't able to read or write, and that has left an impression on him ever since. About two years ago, when he learned about the linguistic environment in China and the fact that there were so many dialects spoken in China, he found it academically very interesting. However, when he found out that there were still people in minority areas whose native language was not mandarin and could not read books, he immediately decided that helping them was something he wanted to spend the rest of his life working on.

Philip Hallstrom is an American teacher who teaches English at Xiamen University. He first struck me as someone who was a little bit strange. Unlike other teachers, he has a very causal way of teaching: instead of walking, he jumps onto the step at the front of the classroom to start his class. And when a student gives a boring presentation, he shows him how to gesture with his arms or even how to make fun of himself to make it interesting for other people to watch. I was curious and had a long and pleasant conversation with him, and it was then that I discovered the goals he had set himself and had come to China to fulfill.

Positive attitudes towards life

Philip has a very positive perspective on life. When students complain how boring life is on the Zhangzhou campus of Xiamen University, he always tells them that this place is what you make of it, and he sees it as beautiful, with the mountains that surround the campus and the ocean that can be seen from the dorms; he sees it as peaceful, with fewer people than Xiamen, and enjoys teaching there. When asked how he made every single day of his life so exciting, he responded that he believed that childlikeness is the essence of virtue. It allows him simply to enjoy every part of his life. When he sees something like lightning, he is still as excited and curious as a child who is seeing it for the first time in his life, and therefore can still respond with joy to the wonders in the world. And he quoted Jesus, "Unless you change and become like little children, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven."

A loving heart - and a dream of helping Chinese minorities

Philip taught English and studied Chinese at the Zhangzhou campus of Xiamen University for a year before he went back to America a short while ago to raise financial support for his project, while attending summer school at the University of North Dakota, where he will be studying for his Master's Degree in linguistics. And after that, he'll come back to China to finish learning mandarin and to study the Zhuang Minority language so that he'll be able to work in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and be helpful to the minority people there. When asked why he chose Guangxi, he said that he had contacted another American linguist who has been working there for more than a year doing the same thing. When asked whether he had any idea how long the whole thing would take him and how difficult it would be, he simply said: "I'm not going to stop pursuing it until I see the fruits of my labor. As long as my health holds up, I'll persevere until I see the difference, 20 or 30 years, or perhaps more."

It was not until the conversation with Philip that I learned that there are actually organizations here in China of foreigners who come to help Chinese people. Philip belongs to one of them, called the "Jianhua Foundation". It's a network of professionals who come from other countries, ranging from medical doctors to linguists, from orphanage workers to agricultural specialists. They raise funds to help underprivileged people, including poor farmers, orphans and people with disabilities. I have been convinced by them that love knows no national boundaries, and I have been stunned by the capacity they have for love towards total strangers who are not even from the same country as they are.

Vocabulary
illiterate 不识字的
linguist 语言学家
dialect 方言
orphanage 孤儿院
essence 要素
virtue 美德
underprivileged 相对贫困的

My Xiamen
By Daisy



Born in Sweden, Lucas Kohnke's obsession with China began during his undergraduate and graduate studies in the USA and has since led to his "permanent" relocation to the country. His favorite subjects include border regions, minority cultures and adventure travel. When he is not lecturing, or enjoying the wonderful scenery in Xiamen, he likes to travel around the country, more often than not to lesser-known areas.

1. How long have you been in Xiamen?
I've just recently relocated here from Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province.

2. What do you like best about life here?
It is relaxed; the pace is not so stressful compared to Guangzhou or other major cities in China.

3. What's your job here? How do you like it?
I'm a university lecturer at Tan Kah Kee College in Xiamen University.

4. How do you spend your spare time in Xiamen?
Enjoying the wonderful scenery and the food from around China that gives one many excellent opportunities to enrich one's culinary experience.

5. What do you like best about Xiamen?
Again the wonderful scenery, with the mixture of cultures from within China and around the world, makes this city a breathtaking place to live and explore.

6. Compared with other big cities in China, what do you think are the differences between Xiamen and them?
Xiamen has so many things going for itself; it would be unfeasible to list all of them. This city is so fresh, the air, the beaches, the streets - everything is clean and beautiful. This particular area with strong cultural traditions and educational foundations, plus rich tourist resources and with its trade and commerce make it a thriving region to live in.

7. What's the last great book you read?
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. (Yes, I know it sounds corny, but it is the last book I read!)

8. What's your favorite quotation or piece of advice?
Look, if you had one shot to seize everything you ever wanted, would you grab it or just let it slip? I will seize it and I will make a difference in this world.