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A Bailie Schools Old Boy Remembers

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Zhang Xianwei is 98 years old now. He was a student of both Rewi Alley and George Hogg. From 1942 to 1950, Zhang studied and worked in Bailie Schools at Shuangshipu, Chengdu and Shandan as well as in Hunan with UN disaster relief administration. In 2019, his right hand was broken and early last year he hurt his waist. Despite this, Zhang stays well.

December 2 was the 124th anniversary of Rewi Alley’s birth. This old man, with support from accessible facilities, took up his brush to practise his calligraphy so that he could memorialise his teachers. Although his style is not as good as it once was, he remains thankful for Rewi Alley and George Hogg.

The calligraphy reads:

Adhere to school motto of Hands and Minds together, Create and Analysis, love motherland, work hard, and whole-heartedly cultivate talents for China’s socialist modernization drive.

To: Gansu Bailie Vocational College
from: The first group of graduates from Bailie School, Zhang Xianwei at 98 in Xingping, Shanxi Province, December 16, 2021

What a wonderful touching story this is, and yet another example of the impact Rewi Alley, along with George Hogg, had on the people of China.

Thank you to Zhu Yuming, Gansu FAO for this story and photos.