There have been so many stories happening at GLV in the last six years. It has been my dream to collect these stories and share them with all the friends around the world who have helped me and supported GLV's growth all these years. We did the Chinese version a few months ago and it was well received by all of our students, staff and their family members. I hope that this English version will be popular to our international teachers and their family members as well.

I have grown up with stories. When I was a child, life was very simple. My home town, Hangzhou , is a scenic city south of Shanghai . It is extremely hot in the summer, like other "ovens" in China . Nobody in our neighborhood had a TV or electric fan, let alone an air-conditioner. Everybody slept outside in the open air. Story telling was the best entertainment available. There were a few great story tellers in our neighborhood. I listened to their stories often. I grew up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. All the books of any kind except one Chinese writer Luxun or works of Mao were banned. My second sister, Julia, was a big lover of books. She managed to get hold of some of the banned books. There were also quite a few hand-written or copied books in circulation at that time. These books provided me with many stories that I could share with others. I started to tell stories myself, first to my classmates at the school and later, to classmates and friends of my elder sisters. After some practice, some of the adults in our neighborhood started to like to hear my stories as well.

With the growth of GLV, I became famous as well. Many people call me the " language expert". I have been invited to give lectures about language learning theories. I never took any courses on language study theories and I have never taken any interest in theories of any kind. I only like stories. In the last six years, I have taught only a few English classes.

I do not remember when I started bi-weekly story night. I like to tell stories and I find that many students like to hear my stories. There have been too many stories happening at GLV. It will be an impossible task to collect all these stories as there are just too many. Besides, new stories are taking place every day.

GLV's story is closely linked to the story of China and this special city of Zhuhai . I often tell the following to the new students and visitors to China :

"Europe is the yesterday, America is today and Asia (particularly China ) is the tomorrow.

If you want to know China ' s past, you should visit Xian.(The Ancient Chinese capital with terra cotta warriors):If you want to know China 's present, you should go to Shanghai .If you want to know China 's future, you should come to Zhuhai."

Zhuhai represents a quality of life (versus living standard as represented by big cities), a harmonious life style with clean air, low population density and mild weather. Zhuhai has been truly a gateway to China for centuries. Many important visitors like Edgar Snow and the Jesuits came to China through Zhuhai(via Macau ). Many important people from China went to see the world through Zhuhai: Dr. Sun Yat Sen (Founder of modern China ), Yung Wing( the first Chinese student to go to the USA ), Tang Shao Yi(First Chinese prime minister of Modern China), A Fong(First Chinese Consul to Hawaii ). Many of the early pioneers to the West were from the Zhuhai area. Like many international teachers, I have strong feelings towards Zhuhai. I think Zhuhai has the potential to become China 's special educational and cultural zone where East and West can meet and live in harmony. To settle in Zhuhai for my family and to start the school in Zhuhai has been the wisest decision I have ever made.

Right time, right place and right people are the three most important factors for the success of any enterprise according to Chinese belief. Right time and right place means Feng Shui. Feng Shui has become a popular word in the West now. Right people means Yuan Fen in Chinese. I hope that Yuan Fen(loosely translated as fate, destiny, blessings, relationship) will become an accepted word in English. Yuan Fen summarizes the Chinese culture and our emphasis on relationships and people. It is the Yuan Fen that attracts so many teachers from around the world as well as students and staff around China to Zhuhai, this scenic coastal city in South China , to teach, study and work.

I am 43 years old this year. My growth has been closely linked with changes in China . In 1978, I was a high school student in Hangzhou . I had no knowledge of English and the world. By chance or Yuan Fen, I came to know some foreigners visiting the West Lake in Hangzhou . The meeting aroused my passion for learning English and to know the world. In the last two decades, I have never stopped learning and using English to know the world, to know China and to know myself.

Ping He is the Chinese name for GLV( Gateway Language Village ). It means peace and harmony. All the students, teachers and staff have come a long way to GLV. I like what Confucius says:"to have peace and harmony in the country and the world, one needs to cultivate peace in one's heart and establish harmony in one's family first." The road to peace and harmony will not be an easy one for many people but I think it is the road for the future.

Written in Chinese on May 18th, 2004. Rewritten in English on September 22, 2004