The county town of Yangshuo is an ancient city with over 1,000 years of history. It's renowned throughout the world for its karst landscape. But this town not only has beautiful scenery, but beautiful hearts too. Our reporter Xiaoyu tells us how the people from home and abroad dedicate their time, money and love to help children in rural areas of Yangshuo.

2009-01-03 Let's Go Skiing Although the word of winter seems to covey anything but warmth, I believe the idea of going skiing is sure to kindle the passion within many people. Today we will talk about skiing. • Decision-making Mechanism Prior to Encouragement of Pursuit of Innovations • China to Step up Efforts to Improve Net Environment • China Highlights New Year Fiscal Emphasis • India handed over evidence of Mumbai attacks to Pakistan • EU delegation holds talks to push for a cease-fire in Gaza

Reporter:

Yangshuo, famous for its abundance of scenic hills and rivers in Southwest China, has attracted more than just backpackers. Many people from home and abroad choose to stay in this ancient town and are deeply involved in the local community.

Eighty-two-year-old Laurie Mackenzie has been living in Yangshuo for five years. About three years ago, the retired professor from Canada initiated the Volunteer English Teachers Program. The program is dedicated to bringing volunteer teachers to poor primary schools to expose the students to the English language, different cultures and the opportunity to mix with people from all over the world.

"We reinforce what the Chinese English teachers are teaching, using their textbooks. Then we work activities, competitions to teach vocabulary, how to put the vocabulary into sentences and how to dialogue with the teacher."

Naomi Cullers is a college graduate from the United States and she has been a volunteer for 3 weeks in Laurie's program, teaching in Fenglo Primary School in rural Yangshuo.

"The kids are the same over the entire world. They are full of energy. You have the ones that have a hard time paying attention in the class and you have the students who are really bright and really want to learn. The kids just have the same kind of enthusiasm and energy as they do in the U.S."

By improving their English, Laurie believes the students will have a greater chance to continue their education and secure employment.

"For example, there is one little guy who was in grade 6 when I started. And I was rewarded when I saw him working as a waiter in a restaurant in the West Street. He is now making money. Not a great deal but he is helping his family and he is living independently. He was a very good student.

He picked up English very quickly. He had no fear for foreigners. He could walk up and talk to them."

The boy has left Yangshuo and is now working in Shenzhen, one of the most prosperous cities in China.

In the past two and half years, Laurie and his volunteers went to 35 different schools near Yangshuo.

Besides Laurie and his volunteers, there are also others donating materials and money to poor families and schools in Yangshuo. Anna Hua is one of them. She is the executive manager of White Lion Hotel in Yangshuo, owned by Jeff Powell from the United States.

"The reason why Jeff opened the hotel is to use it as a window to help poor children and the disabled in the community. If an American can do it, I, as a Chinese, think we should bear more responsibilities to help others. Now the public-interest program has been running for 6 years and we donated about 50,000 US dollars to help more than 600 people."

Anna first came to Yangshuo in 2001 as a tourist. Then she quit her comfortable job in Shaanxi province in Northwest China with a salary twice as much as she earns now and began to help Jeff run the program.

"It changed my life a lot. I never thought that one day, I would live together with children from poor villages. We share the same food, sometimes, even the same bed. When their parents come to visit me, I will tour them around. But before, I thought it embarrassing to walk together with peasants."

Part of the annual profits of the hotel and contributions from their guests are used to support this and other activities in the community.

Liu Yijing is the director of the Tourist Bureau of Luwan district in Shanghai. Three years ago, she attended a meeting in Yangshuo and lived in the White Lion Hotel. Since then, she donated about 200 US dollars per year to help poor kids.

"What I do is not something to be extremely proud of. But I am really impressed by how love spreads. For example, every time I send packages to a poor nine-year-old girl named Yimei, my colleagues will donate their own stuff in order to help other kids. I remember the first time in the post office, a cleaner contributed the mailing package and the post office gave me a discount after they knew the purpose of this package. It has been giving me a discount for 3 years."

There are many others like Anna and Liu Yijing, who are conducting good deeds directly by themselves, instead of via a charity organization.

Anna Hua says that though there are many people dedicating their time and money to help children in poor districts, they still need more volunteers to provide education in various fields to rural kids.