a Basketball

Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County is the first minority autonomic region named by Premier Zhou Enlai. The village where Xidatan middle school locates is the remotest and one of the 7 impoverished villages in Tianzhu County. The village has the population of 12,638 and minorities----Tibetan, Tu, Mongolian and Yugu inhabit there. The village is surrounded by mountains and higher in the south than in the north with the altitude between 2,600 and 4,000 meters. The average temperature is around 0.2℃ all around the year, the rainfall is between 350 and 400 millimeter and the period without frost is 130 days. Drought, frost, hail and insect pest often take place under the abominable natural condition. The average annual income is only 564 yuan.

Students in Xidatan Middle School are all from the poor villages. People there are struggling to feed themselves. The tuition is no doubt a heavy burden for the parents who insist on supporting their children’s schooling despite all the difficulties and believe study is the only way that can change their lives. Meanwhile, the tough environment fosters the perseverance of the children.
The summer in 2005 is a special one for the children in Xidatan Middle School. Professor Zhou from Shanghai Social Science Institute was to visit some of the member schools of Town and Talent project. At first Xidatan Middle School was not included in his schedule until he found the website of the school updated information very quickly. Although Professor Zhou only stayed in the school for one day, he was so touched by the students’ diligence and optimism and teachers’ selfless sacrifice and astonished by the backwardness and tatty teaching condition that he decided to give some help to the school.

Professor Zhou was very interested in the computer teaching, e-business and village training after the school joined the Town and Talent project. Yang, the headmaster, gave him a detail introduction. Yang told Zhou that how the school helped local villagers sell mushroom, beef and swetos by means of e-business and advertise local products on 17888.com. And the training program was recognized by the local villagers and government. Professor Zhou was pleased and excited about the school’s achievements and the feasibility of Town and Talent developing western regions project through internet. When Zhou asked about the learning and teaching condition, Yang appeared embarrassed and they happened to come to the playground. Zhou asked ‘Why there is no student play basketball, football or sort of thing.’ Yang didn’t say anything but looked at the plenty playground silently. Pu Chen, one teacher accompanying them explained ‘We once had one basketball, but in last term we found it went flat and could not be played anymore. The same thing happened to the football. ‘Only one basketball?’ Zhou said stunned. Yang responded ‘I am sorry for that. We are really in tough condition. In addition, the art and music class can hardly carry on. The only musical instrument is an accordion that has been used since I was a student here. It can hardly play all the tones.’ Zhou was shocked by the indescribable gap between west and east. However, the headmaster and the teacher seemed getting used to it, because there were too many schools alike in Xidatan. The students and teachers all have been adapted to studying and working in such condition-----no basketball, no football and none of the physical education stuff was available and having the music lesson with the aged and lousy accordion.

In the lunch, Zhou took out 300 yuan and said ‘We came in rush and didn’t take much money. Buy some basketballs and footballs for the children with it. I hope it would do some help. When I go back, I will try to solve more problems for you……’ Soon, Xidatan Middle School received 2,000 yuan for electronic organ by Zhou who expressed he would keep paying attention to the development of the school.

When the students returned school after summer vacation, they had the new knowledge as well as new playing stuff. The balls and electronic organ were very precious in these students’ eyes and they didn’t know how to describe the encouragement and warmth.

The western people live in the land from generation to generation. They have been used to the tough environment. While what we need to do is not just help them solve the current problems but make them know more about the outside world, broaden their mind and stimulate their confidence and determination of developing their hometown. And it is also the target of Town and Talent which brings about new way of thinking and the application of internet. With more attention and finance, the schools are believed lead the local economic development.

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