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Making Communities More Beautiful

For those who live in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, in east China's Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Sunshine Arts School is a place with "treasures." The school designs and organizes many interesting courses and activities, for free, in neighboring communities. Covering traditional Chinese culture and information related to various subjects, the courses and activities have become popular among the children, as they can learn information, and make friends, during the events.

Wang Mengting, a piano teacher and founder of the school, has worked in education for more than a decade. She has a unique understanding of both family education and the parent-child relationship.

"Today, children are the core of most families. Families with well-educated children are often harmonious. If there is a problem in family education, children will have problems. We hope, by taking part in our activities and communicating with neighbors, parents will update their family education values, and have better parent-child relationships," Wang says.

In 2020, supported by Hangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau and Hangzhou Women's Federation, Wang's school organized the Hand in Hand, Building Beautiful Communities Project. By holding various colorful activities, involving culture, sports, science and education, within the communities, the organizer hoped the project would nurture children's healthy growth, benefit their families and communities, and exert a positive influence on society.

So far, 185 parent-child activities have been organized in 32 communities in the districts of Shangcheng, Gongshu, Binjiang and Qiantang. Some 5,600 families have participated in those activities.

Attracting Children

While organizing the project, Wang and her team sent out 130 questionnaires, to learn about residents' ideas about community-based activities. The answers received indicated residents, especially children, in some communities, had a low interest in taking part in public activities. The team had to think of ways to improve the activities to satisfy children's needs. The teachers often brainstormed, and they carefully designed the themes of activities.

"Who knows what type of flower is called China Rose?" "Can you give me a word that is both a fruit and a color?" One teacher put such questions to the children during a recent English class, organized as part of the project. The 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou in September 2023. The English class is designed to help create a friendly atmosphere for foreign athletes and visitors who will come to Hangzhou. Children learned English through word games and role playing, and they completed quizzes on good manners.

China's tea culture reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). To inherit and promote fine traditional Chinese culture among children, Wang's team organized tea-themed activities in several communities. During the activities, the children read Song poems, gave a fashion show of hanfu, or Han clothing, and learned about the lifestyle of the Song people. With the teachers' help, the children also experienced Song-tea-drinking procedures.

The team has organized activities to coincide with special days and festivals. For example, to celebrate the Year of Rabbit (2023), an activity was held in February, during which the children created clay works on the theme of New Year blessings. Also in February, an activity was held so children could learn the traditional craft of making cloisonné.

The team has done its best to organize activities in every community near Hangzhou Sunshine Arts School. It has helped the communities establish children's activity groups, and it has shared, with social workers, its experiences in organizing classes and activities.

The Hand in Hand, Building Beautiful Communities Project has been enriching children's lives, and it has been spurring children and their parents to participate in the development of their communities. The project highlights the goal of helping children develop healthy hobbies and a positive attitude toward life.

For Public Interest

"Fostering talents and serving public interests" is the mission of Hangzhou Sunshine Arts School. The school has 118 faculty members, among whom 99 percent are women. As a nonprofit organization focusing on arts-related education, the school has been advancing the spirit volunteerism, especially dedication, friendship, mutual help and progress through charitable activities.

In September 2019, Wang volunteered to assist with poverty-alleviation efforts in Enshi, a city in central China's Hubei Province. She was named honorary head of Maoshan Village, in Enshi. When she visited a primary school, deep in the mountain near the village, she learned many of the students liked taking arts-related classes, such as dancing and singing, but the school's poorly constructed arts classroom, and the simple teaching facilities, failed to meet students' needs. Wang decided to donate money to build a professional arts classroom for the school. After she returned to Hangzhou, she raised the funds needed to purchase materials and equipment — including stereos, mirrors and exercise mats — needed for the arts classroom.

The weather turned cold while the classroom was being constructed. Wang hoped the students would have a new, warm classroom before winter. Eventually, a spacious, and professional, classroom was finished, and Wang presented it, as a New Year's gift, to the school's 60-plus students. Since then, Wang has taught arts classes, online, to the students. She has also provided assistance to four primary schools in Enshi.

Through care-based services, Wang and her team have always done their best to promote the healthy growth of both rural and urban children.

(Women of China English Monthly June 2023 issue) 

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