Guizhou: Learning Win-Win
Students’ amazing pieces of work are displayed at Guizhou Forerunner College.In recent years, poverty alleviation has become one of China’s top priorities. Due to the sheer scale of the country’s rural population as well as territory, the task seems daunting to say the least, especially in regions like Guizhou Province with a massive rural population, mountainous terrain making infrastructure tricky, and an ethnically diverse population. According to recent census figures, 54 of China’s 56 ethnic groups can be found in Guizhou. Although Guizhou is rich in minerals, its treacherous landscape makes resources hard to tap, and many still subsist by farming. Daunting challenges have emerged. In accordance with China’s anti-poverty drive, Guizhou is pressing ahead on two fronts: fighting poverty by developing tourism, and fighting poverty with education. In terms of education projects launched around Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou, two major efforts are happening in Huishui County: Guizhou Forerunner College and Bai Niao He Digital Town.
Guizhou Forerunner College (GFC) opened in 2011 as a non-profit vocational college. The project became a reality thanks to VIA Faith-Hope-Love, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the living conditions of disadvantaged people in rural China as well as disaster relief and reconstruction projects throughout the country. VIA Faith-Hope-Love was founded in 2009 by HTC and VIA Technologies founder and CEO Cher Wang, one of the most influential Chinese businesswomen and philanthropists, and Wen-Chi Chen, general manager of VIA Technologies Electronics Co. and a legend in IT circles.
The embroidery class provided by the Minority Culture Heritage Center in Guizhou Forerunner College gathers boys and girls willing to learn the traditional handcrafts of Guizhou Province. GFC provides college-level degrees and first-class vocational training for free or for a very low cost to impoverished families in Guizhou and surrounding provinces. Around the world, underprivileged children face a higher risk of dropping out of school, whether due to financial reasons or to help their family. “Most of us are high school dropouts aged 16 to 25,” revealed one GFC student. “Poverty is the major factor pulling rural students out of school. Those from poorer backgrounds are more likely to drop out. If we don’t complete high school, we are more likely to be poor. Without literacy or other skills that could advance our careers, we are left with few options and little income.”
GFC creates the opportunity to go back to school to improve living standards. “I couldn’t have imagined getting the opportunity to return to school, never mind the chance to study abroad,” smiled Wei Qiuni, another GFC student. “More importantly, this is totally free.” The college offers language studies ranging from Mandarin to English, hotel management, internet marketing and management, and specialty courses such as those for the blind and training related to tea (an important industry in Guizhou). Other special classes cover traditional handcrafts of ethnic minorities such as batik or embroidery, some of which are officially recognized as Chinese intangible heritage. Craft courses are provided courtesy of the Minority Culture Heritage Center. Most students hail from ethnic minority families, which represent a major block of Guizhou’s population. In order to preserve and strengthen precious local knowledge, GFC’s faculty includes many local minority instructors.
Traditional embroidery being taught by the Minority Culture Heritage Center in Guizhou Forerunner College.
One of the open space offices of Chinese Internet giant Baidu dedicated to big data in Bai Niao He Digital Town.
Minorities’ handicrafts in Guizhou Tang Ren Fang Co. Center, a company funded and founded by Beijing Tang Ren Fang Cultural Development Ltd. Co. and based in Bai Niao He Digital Town, that aims at saving and protecting local craft and culture by studying the methods and training younger generations to inherit the rich legacy.To provide additional practical education that can be used to enhance standards of living, the college also provides facilities similar to any other campus, including dormitories, a cafeteria, sports facilities, an on-site supermarket and bank, and more. The most difficult part of the process, as it often seems, is convincing the family that long-term investment in education is best for their children. “It’s very difficult to start something new,” explained Zhang Huiwei, the college’s marketing specialist. “Among poverty-stricken people aged 18 to 24, the majority chooses to get married in their early 20s to please their parents. In their parents’ minds, providing immediate and direct support to the family is more urgent than learning things that are ‘useless’ in the short term.” Since early 2011, Zhang and his colleagues have been making house calls to conduct face-to-face interviews with local dropouts and their parents. “Even though we can’t compete with China’s top universities, we embrace our unique system that breaks the traditional teacher-centered model in favor of focusing on practical learning.”
Bai Niao He Digital Town, a partner of GFC, is a Guizhou Province initiative that was launched in 2014 alongside GFC’s first graduating class. The project focuses on big data, a strategic choice for the development of the whole province, bringing both economic and social benefits. Big data refers to data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate. Big data has introduced significant challenges to tech companies as it develops into a new market, which makes it an excellent strategic development tool. Chinese internet giant Baidu and other tech companies have established new offices in recently-completed Dutch-style structures that compose the village that is Bai Niao He Digital Town. The massive campus was placed amidst an outstanding natural environment, creating singular working conditions for its employees.
The relationship between GFC, a project launched by two tech experts, and nearby Bai Niao He Digital Town creates considerable opportunity for collaboration. The situations enables GFC to utilize HTC and VIA company support and focus on acceleration of the development of the big data industry of Guizhou by combining education with production to provide immediate employment after graduation. This is a win-win situation at its finest: By creating a school in a production zone, companies are drawn to the school’s focus on specific practical training as well as the opportunities created by the Digital Town, which in turn offer better employment opportunities for local graduates. Companies receive well-qualified employees who have the unique opportunity to remain close to their roots and family while supporting them, yet staying independent and finding new prospects for the future.
An American volunteer working at Guizhou Forerunner College. International volunteers are welcome to teach English and other subjects at GFC. Despite the low income provided by working for the non-profit organization, most teachers enjoy so much the experience, especially the interactions with the students and the exceptional natural environment that they end up extending their volunteering time.
Students from a music class of Guizhou Forerunner College that also aims at blind people are performing.