29 June | Shijiazhuang, China
Our official day began with a reception at JingYing High School, complete with a banner and flower bouquets—so beautiful. I wish I could keep the bouquet and dry it, but that’s impossible while we’re traveling.
[column width=”47%” padding=”6%”]After the reception, Minzhi gave many interviews to TV reporters and other members of the media. Her parents were also interviewed. On our part, we interviewed the Vice Principal of JingYing High School, Mr. Gao. We did the interview in his large, sunny office, accompanied by members of the media. He seemed like the right sort of personality to be a principal in a Chinese high school. I could tell he really cares about the students he works with, and that he was so proud of Minzhi’s accomplishments. It was a great interview.[/column]
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Lunch provided for us in the high school cafeteria was very good. Mr. Gao then took Minzhi on a walking tour around the campus, and we all followed. JingYing is a prestigious privately owned education group and has an elementary school, the high school, the Hebei Institute of Communication and a couple of other schools. The campus is large and quite impressive.[flagallery gid=6 name=”Gallery”]
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[column width=”47%” padding=”0″]While most of our group went with Minzhi and Mr. Gao to the library, classrooms, and other buildings to see where Minzhi had attended school and get some needed footage, Peter Chan and I were interviewed by a Hebei TV crew. They were curious to know why we want to do this documentary and what it will be like. I was happy to answer their questions.[/column]
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After the tour of the school, we had a chance to visit more with Minzhi’s family. We went to her parents’ apartment and asked him about the birth of Minzhi and Congzhi. They got out some family photo albums, which helped the conversation move forward. I kept wishing I knew at least some Chinese. It felt like we were getting the right stories.
[column width=”47%” padding=”6%”]During the rest of the afternoon we visited the homes of Minzhi’s sisters. It was fun to see where they live—to see them in their everyday lives setting. Both of them live in highrise apartment buildings in different areas of Shijiazhuang. The buildings are new and the apartments are nice and look comfortable. There are a lot of cranes at work in the city—lots of new buildings going up.
On the way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, one of Minzhi’s former high school roommates talked with Peter Chan about her memories of Minzhi. Lawrence tried to capture as much as he could on camera, but the ride was pretty bumpy. She told some good stories, according to Peter and Lawrence—so even if we can’t use all of the video, perhaps some of the audio will be useable.[/column]
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[column width=”47%” padding=”6%”]We ended the day with a big dinner in a restaurant, hosted by the CEO of JingYing Education Group, Mr. Zhai Zhihai. Our production crew, Minzhi’s family, Huike,, some JingYing officials and teachers, and members of the media attended.
Before the meal began, Minzhi was interviewed with Mr. Zhai by CCTV in another private dining area in the restaurant. Huike, her co-star from the movie, Not One Less, was interviewed by CCTV during the same time. Lawrence was able to capture the interview with the CEO, and then he and Peter had a chance to interview Huike for our documentary. He seems like a respectful, sincere young man who is now quite a few inches taller than Minzhi! It was a fun interview.
During the meal, I had the pleasure of being seated next to Mr. Zhai’s daughter. She is a lovely young woman who enjoys learning, and has been studying English. She practiced her skills with me, and was a very attentive hostess.
Before most of the group adjourned for a karaoke session, we had a gift exchange, and our production crew returned to the hotel to prepare for a day of travel.
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