Ｔｈｅ Ｌｅｇａｃｙ ｏｆ Ｐｅａｒｌ Ｓ． Ｂｕｃｋ

Zhenjiang， an ancient city located in the Yangtze River Delta area， is an open and rapidly developing city on the Yangtze River. With an increasing number of foreigners working in Zhenjiang in recent years， local residents have started to become used to seeing more Western friends living in the city. These foreign experts are also becoming acclimated to life and the local customs here in Zhenjiang， even able to bargain with salespeople in various markets and shops. Among these foreign residents， there is a special group of people from different vocations and cities of the United States. Their common association and pride are being “Pearl S. Buck International Teaching Ambassadors.”

In 2003， the famous transnational charity Pearl S. Buck International (PSBI) signed an agreement with Zhenjiang Foreign Affairs Office to recruit American volunteers to teach and work in Zhenjiang. Other cultural exchanges were also established such as the “Pearl S. Buck International Class.” Since 2003， there have been nine Teacher Ambassadors chosen to come to Zhenjiang and each has successively fulfilled their goals. Their ages have ranged between 21 and 60. Some have recently graduated from university， some are young professionals， while others have had much experience in their fields. One member of the group is a Chinese-American who was adopted by an American family at a young age through PSBI. All of them have their own unique understanding of Pearl S. Buck and her dedication to helping children around the world， and were eager to experience the beautiful Chinese culture. They are intelligent and advanced， and performing meaningful work here in Zhenjiang. They have all done their best to help those in need in Zhenjiang， and regarded this as their responsibility. Following are some of their experiences and stories.

Walking Up to the Stage Where Pearl Once Taught

On top of the Windmill Hill stands a 120 year-old school—Zhenjiang No. 2 Middle School (known as Chongshi Girls School in the past). The school was started by a Christian Mission and continues to educate many promising young students from Zhenjiang and other cities in Jiangsu Province. Three western-style buildings are still well preserved， including the Netherlands windmill on campus. The other buildings of the school are full of classical features and style. This is where Pearl S. Buck finished her middle school training. After she graduated from Randolph-Macon Women’s College in the United States， she gave up the opportunity for post-graduate work and returned to Zhenjiang. She taught English in Chongshi Girls School and Runzhou Middle School， and at the same time took care of her ill mother. There are still many well-preserved photos of her teaching at these schools.

Mrs. Yin Zhenzhu recalls that when she was a pupil of Pearl’s that “she used to tell us a story in class then asked us to repeat in Chinese， and the next day let us tell the story and write it down both in English and Chinese… From shorter to longer passages， from easy to difficult， everyone was interested in learning English and we made rapid progress.” Like her father， who dedicated himself to Chinese religion and education， Pearl also offered great help and care to those poor students， and she made a deep impact on many of their lives. Mrs. Yin Zhenzhu (zhenzhu meaning pearl) actually changed her name in order to thank Pearl for her continuous kindness and generosity. Many of her students became pillars in Chinese society.

Now， a century later， to continue her spirit of humanitarianism， Pearl S. Buck International decided to establish an international class at Pearl’s Alma Mater， Zhenjiang No.2 Middle School. This group of students was established in August 2003， and was divided into two classes. They are excellent， but poor students from the area that Pearl once lived， and so are financially assisted. Students in this class receive free tuition and can also receive scholarships and part-time jobs at school. These methods all help them to earn their high school diplomas and even get accepted into universities. After several rounds of selection， 76 students from 11 counties of six cities in Jiangsu， Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces have become the first students of the Pearl S. Buck International Class. It is this Pearl S. Buck International Class that helps these hard-working students realize their dreams of higher education and a brighter future. This class also has many supportive advocates and business enterprises from all walks of life.

This group of students has outstanding teachers for their classes. In order to strengthen the spoken English skills of this class， PSBI arranged two young teaching ambassadors to teach the students everyday. Miss Ivy B. Goldstein is one of the teachers for the Pearl S. Buck International Class. At the welcoming meeting， on behalf of the first group of ambassadors， Ivy said that: “We are so excited to come to Zhenjiang. Over the past several months， we have all been looking forward to today， realizing our intention of study and exchanging cultures in this beautiful city where Pearl S. Buck used to live.”

Now Ivy has fulfilled the words she eloquently spoke 10 months ago. She together with Mr. Gabriel M. Blair have compiled and presented English teaching materials for their students， such as books， cartoons， tapes， DVDs and games. Their teaching style has emphasized frequent and informal conversations between teacher and student， which was also Pearl’s teaching method. Under this teaching style， the students have become more comfortable developing friendship and communicating with their teachers and other foreigners in English. Whilst they were teaching English and Western culture in class， Ivy and Gabriel were also eagerly learning about Chinese culture and customs from their students and Chinese colleagues. Ivy and Gabriel live at Pearl’s Alma Mater and Chinese hometown of Zhenjiang， where they not only experience the exotic world that Pearl described in her books， but also witness some of the great changes that have taken place in China over the past century.

During a program for “Jiangsu Riverside Development Week，” Ivy introduced Zhenjiang and Pearl S. Buck at Pearl’s former residence to over 30 noted journalists from China and abroad. The event was aired internationally and Ivy was a shining example of her role as a “human-bridge” connecting East with West. Pearl coined this phrase over 50 years ago and it continues to appear again and again as countries collaborate together through the efforts of dedicated individuals.

The Beautiful and Happy Volunteer

The most famous foreigner in Zhenjiang could just be Xiao Lei. She is frequently on TV or in the newspaper. Her English name is Jaleh M. Zandieh， which has a similar pronunciation and meaning to her Chinese name. She has a deep admiration for Lei Feng， a highly respected and honored man from Chinese history who was a great example of how to live a peaceful and generous life. However， Xiao Lei might be a real foreign Lei Feng in Zhenjiang. She recently graduated from university with a degree in physiotherapy and psychology. Shortly after her arrival in Zhenjiang， she became a volunteer both in Welfare House and Folk Cultural Museum. She loves to spend time with the orphans whenever she isn’t teaching， particularly those who have physical disabilities. Welfare House allows her to use her physiotherapy training and spend time with the wonderful children who live there. She was moved by Pearl’s philosophy of humanitarianism towards children throughout the world， and wanted to come to China and pursue a similar type of work that Pearl dedicated her life to.

Although she didn’t speak Chinese well when she first came to China， children liked to play games with her. As long as she came to the welfare house， it would be a playhouse for those children. Children all strived to be the first to play with her. One girl even asked the pretty foreign teacher to pick her up and hold her. Xiao Lei does physical therapy for these disabled children regularly. After a period of massage or treatment， many of the disabled children have improved perception or movement. Xiao Lei also has a high reputation in her teaching school—Jing Kou District Experimental Primary School.

Zhenjiang Folk Cultural Museum， once honored as “Chinese first storage”， is the only scientific research institution in the province for exploring， collecting， exhibiting and spreading folk cultures. The group of teacher ambassadors visited the museum together and they were struck by the abundant cultural significance of the artwork on display. Jaleh was happy to be a cultural volunteer to learn and interpret for foreigners at the same time.

Besides teaching and studying， Xiao Lei had other interests such as music， dance， and Chinese language. On each of Chinese traditional festivals and celebrations， she was always the star-like focus. At the Mid-autumn Festival， she played a melodious solo My Heart Will Go On on a bamboo flute; at the Lantern Festival， she danced the bright yangge dance in Chinese folk costume; at the Youth and Midlife Peking Opera Competition， she was the only foreign participant in the final， and caught everyone’s attention with her aria The White-Haired Girl. When she watched Peking Opera performances on TV， she felt it had a beautiful unique style， and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about this style of Chinese music. She saw how popular it was with the older generation of Chinese friends， who had a deep love with this traditional opera. Her opera teacher was Mrs. Gao Lizhu， who was a well-known Peking opera actress. In her lessons， she learned the lyrics for songs by using Chinese pinyin， since she did not yet know many Chinese characters. She thought learning Peking Opera would be helpful to learn more about Chinese culture. The kind-hearted Xiao Lei was just like a humming bird that brought happiness wherever she flew.

Other young teacher ambassadors were also full of talent， dedication and enthusiasm. Matthew is a wonderful and versatile guitar player， and has been involved in classical guitar competitions for young people in Zhenjiang. He has also been asked to perform frequently at various events， including a holiday concert hosted by the Zhenjiang government in December. Jeffery graduated from university with a degree in Chinese and Japanese， and also studies the ancient martial art Kung Fu. Jeffery has also frequently spent time playing with the young children at the Welfare House in Zhenjiang in his spare time. Because Jeffery’s level of Chinese is the best in the teacher ambassadors group， he has often assisted others in social and daily interaction as well as in learning more of the language. His helpfulness has been greatly appreciated by the other members of the group.

Setting Up an English Aerial Bridge

The reason why PSBI sent teacher ambassadors to Zhenjiang was to improve communication due to the fact that effective communication is the necessary requirement for successful exchanges and cooperation between East and West. On the one hand， these ambassadors could help the Zhenjiang people learn English; on the other hand， they could have a personal understanding of China and Chinese culture; and this was Pearl’s pursuit of a “Great Harmonious World”. There was a special person among these teacher ambassadors. He doesn’t teach English at a school， but has helped to present the public with standard English news reports aired on television. His name is Douglas Pensak， and he graduated with a degree in Film Media at Temple University in Philadelphia. He has had experience directing films and has worked as a producer-assistant in Hollywood. His films have won the first prize several times in competitions. Doug was in the second group of teacher ambassadors to come to Zhenjiang and was selected to work at the Zhenjiang TV Station as the English language consultant for the new Daily English News program. His colleagues kindly call him “Lao Dao” (Old Doug) and he has quickly become the backbone of his department.

Lao Dao played an important role during the preparation， testing， and advertisement periods before the show went to air. He shared his professional opinions and offered some useful ideas， particularly with respect to authentic English expressions. In order to expand the influence of the program， Lao Dao asked to be the director of the advertisement for the English News program. He invited some of his foreign friends in Zhenjiang to help with this project. They worked hard to make the advertisements as good as possible. Working side by side with his colleagues， Lao Dao has worked overtime without any complaints. When the two newly-hired English News presenters met Lao Dao， the three of them immediately became friends. He told them about his experience in broadcasting and communication， and they have learned much about each other’s cultures and communication styles together. His Chinese colleagues have been deeply moved by his level of dedication and professionalism.

Zhenjiang English News was formally launched on April 26. It took the lead in presenting an English News program amongst other medium-sized cities. Party Secretary Mr. Shi Heping gave an English speech to the audience at the opening ceremony launch. This program has been warmly welcomed by both foreigners living in Zhenjiang and local residents who are avid English learners. It has helped to advance Zhenjiang’s investment environment and establish a bridge connecting Zhenjiang to the rest of the world.

Besides his normal work schedule， Douglas has also worked together with Zhenjiang TV station to make the series documentary “Zhenjiang in Foreigners’ Eyes.” He is also very interested in filming stories about Pearl S. Buck living in Zhenjiang. With the help of the Zhenjiang Foreign Affairs Office， Doug has established an English corner with some other teacher ambassadors and cultural experts. They gather at a western-style dining room every Friday， which has not only provided a western atmosphere for these events， but also an authentic place for English communication to happen comfortably.

In Conclusion

Generally， the teacher ambassadors stay in Zhenjiang from six months to one year. In the beginning， they notice many differences in types of food and certain local customs， but all have quickly adapted to the way of life here in Zhenjiang. They gradually become more accustomed to Chinese life and personally acquainted with similar experiences to those of Pearl’s in Zhenjiang: A famous and historically significant city south of the Yangtze River surrounded by serene mountains， with a long history， simple people， and a profound culture. The rich and colorful life of Zhenjiang leaves a lasting impression on all of their lives. They become so indulged in this city that they begin to consider it a second hometown. After many of them have completed their initial work contracts， they have asked to renew their contracts for another year， instead of immediately returning to the United States. Teacher ambassador Professor Evelyn Bender from Temple University couldn’t help herself sighing with emotion that “I read novels written by Pearl S. Buck when I was young， now I am teaching in China， and read her works again in her hometown. I am deeply moved by her understanding of local people. Figures in her novels were more than a real person. I hope to read more about her here in Zhenjiang.”

PSBI has kept in close touch with these teacher ambassadors and has reported their life in Zhenjiang in its own publications. PSBI is an international organization spreading all over the world. The “PSBI Teacher Ambassadors in Zhenjiang” Project is becoming known by more westerners， which is attractive for more volunteers intent on charitable and educational projects. Moreover， an increasing number of schools in Jiangsu Province and other provinces are interested in joining this program. These teacher ambassadors are following in Pearl S. Buck’s footprints， allowing her dreams and legacy to continue advancing.

（Translated by Shi Hongyun）