Hong Xiu Ping, a student who received his advanced degree
at Purdue University in the United States, returned to China
to serve in the development of his country. Mr. Hong went
abroad in 1988 where he studied and lived for 5 years. When
he came back to China, he searched for a direction that
would be of the most service to himself, his family, and
to China. Pursuing this goal eventually led him to set up
an English language training school. Named "Gateway
Language Village" (GLV), the school is located in Zhuhai,
Guangdong province. In the three short years since it was
established, GLV has been successful in training thousands
of students from all over China. 
Through our contacts with Mr. Hong, (he prefers to be
called "Ping") we found him to be an idealist,
which is evident in the name he has given his school.
Since the first day of the school, he has had a clear
focus on what he wants to accomplish. It is his vision
to use language training to bring together peoples from
all over the world, friends who share similar ideas and
mindsets who can learn together. When language skills
training is augmented by a communication situational environment,
he envisions there will be a natural movement of the students
to share ideas in many fields - such as art, crafts, drama,
music, as well as social challenges, business vocabulary
and inter-cultural negotiation skills. The concept of
a "village" is one of people working together,
sharing talents for the betterment of all. It is Ping's
dream to build a home for peace in Zhuhai.
He Once Got Zero On An English Test!
Like many successful people, his teachers in Middle School
did not consider Hong Xiu Ping to be a good student. Once
he even got a "zero" grade on an English test!
Now, as the founder and director of the rapidly growing
"Gateway Language Village," Hong Xiu Ping's
total immersion English language school in Zhuhai is gaining
wide recognition for its contribution to English language
education in China.
Mr. Hong's eyes are full of light when he speaks of the
Gateway Language Village School and his dream for its
future. Commenting on the poor grade of his English test
when he was a student in Middle School, Mr. Hong explained
that he is very poor at imitating. He has a strong aversion
to rote memorization of vocabulary and grammar, a prevailing
English learning method in China today. However, Hong
Xiu Ping has a special talent and ability to communicate
and is unafraid to speak up. He has a level of self-confidence
that could be a source of envy to others, but he maintains
that everyone has this capacity and that confidence comes
through practice. Speaking of his childhood in Hangzhou,
he shared with us how he often went to the city's West
Lake parks to spend his time. Even though he could only
say a few English sentences, he was able to use his simple
English and body language to make friends with foreign
tourists. These encounters strengthened his interest and
resolve to excel in learning English. As a result, his
English skills made good progress in senior high school.
Perhaps it was because of his poor performance in the
schools, that when he decided to pursue a major in English,
he recounts, nobody believed him! But he proved them wrong
!
Language Study Is For Communication
Even though he graduated from a leading language college
in Nanjing, he often said, "I did not study English,"
a statement which mystified his friends. What he really
was saying is that he never followed the traditional Chinese
method of studying English as offered in the current school
system. Rather, he put his emphasis on communication,
particularly interacting and communicating with peoples
from other countries. He enjoys sharing his ideas with
anyone who is interested, saying, "Language study
is for communication. But most people put their efforts
into vocabulary memorization and study of grammar. They
forget the essential purpose of language study is to be
able to use it to open doors of communication, friendship
and understanding between peoples."
Hong Xiu Ping could speak English quite fluently after
completing his university study, but he knew this was
not enough. He knew that learning a second language is
a never-ending process, and this meant he needed to learn
more about the cultures of other countries. He is particularly
aware that language is the carrier of culture. Without
the depth that comes with the understanding of the culture
behind the language, knowledge of the language alone is
one dimensional and lifeless.
In 1988, Ping Went To the USA To Study
When Ping arrived in the United States his experiences
and challenges in that country supported his determination
to understand the culture of the Americans. When he first
arrived he lived with other Chinese students. But soon
he decided to move out. "If I live only with Chinese
people, what is the point of going to the USA to study?
I can do that in my hometown, Hangzhou"! He wanted
to make friends, to fit in, to learn. However, his troubles
did not end when he started to live with Americans. He
found he could not make any deep friends, not like the
friendships he had in China. Americans value privacy and
are quite independent. It appeared to him that there was
always a distance between Americans, even among those
who were friends with one another, unlike friendships
in China. "Many of my American friends, it appeared
to me", he said, "did not like to share their
worries with their friends as we Chinese do. At least
I couldn't see this. But then, I didn't have any close
American friends who talked with me!" His eyes twinkled
when he teased, "It seemed to me that they preferred
to seek advice from their psychiatrists!"
People All Over The World Long For Understanding
The turning point in Hong Xiu Ping's life in America
came when he met an American lady, Jene Bellows. Jene
Bellows had been doing Sino-American friendship work for
many years. She had visited China many times over those
years, living, working, eating and studying with ordinary
people in China. When she showed her slide program of
the people of China at Purdue University, sharing her
experiences living there to an audience of many Chinese
and American students, Hong Xiu Ping was very impressed.
Ms. Bellows' appreciation and understanding of the beauty
of the people of China and their culture helped Ping to
realize a very important thing ! He realized he should
not try to Americanize himself in order to be accepted.
He was proud of his Chinese origins! Many Chinese students
tried to live and work like Americans, to fit in, but
he would no longer try to do this.
When Hong Xiu Ping went about living his life as a Chinese
among the Americans, he found miracles! Americans did
not reject him, but accepted and appreciated him much
more. They opened their doors and hearts to him. They
wanted to learn about China and Chinese people from him.
They were his friends! He came to the conclusion that
Americans are the same as people from anywhere. They long
for understanding, friendship and communication.
Hong Xiu Ping said that life after that became very easy
for him. During his five-year stay in the United States,
he visited more than 100 American families and became
close friends with many of them. He has received very
much support from the friends he made in the USA, including
Jene Bellows who is now the senior consultant / advisor
to the school.
Setting Up Gateway Language Village
After his 5 years study in the USA, Hong Xiu Ping and
his Colombian wife, Gerda, decided to move back to China.
Ping had studied Humanities in the United States, and
on his return to China discovered that it was difficult
to find a satisfactory job in this field. At first he
worked for a few large companies, but he was frustrated.
In time he and his wife decided to move to Zhuhai. They
had two small children, and felt that this garden-like
seaside city was the ideal place for their family to live.
It was in Zhuhai that his dream began to fall into place.
In 1999 the Zhuhai government decided to send a group
of officials to study in the United States. Hong Xiu Ping,
always friendly with everyone, had made many friends in
Zhuhai. He was selected by the government to give the
group some English language training and orientation before
they were to go abroad. Ping presented the idea of total
immersion English training to the students. He knew from
his own experience in learning English, that this method
would be very effective.
At first, his proposal met much resistance from his students,
but Ping was determined! "If you want to be my students,
you need to follow my ways. I will guarantee the results!"
He required all his students to "speak English only"
during their training period. The effect was dramatic.
After three months study, all the government officials
could communicate with native English speakers! Their
improved communication skills were very helpful for their
study and internship in different American government
organizations in the USA.
The success of this method of study convinced Ping to
introduce his total immersion English training program
into his school. He realized the name of the school should
reflect his dream and his vision. Since the majority of
Chinese people will not be able to travel outside China,
his goal is to bring the world to them, to build a "village"
that would serve as a gateway for Chinese to experience
the world. Thus "Gateway Language Village" came
into being.
English Only Environment For "GLV" English
Students
Hong Xiu Ping likes to speak of the school as an English
language swimming pool. His idea is to push the students
into the pool and let them find their way themselves.
He has often been heard to ask, "How can you learn
to swim on dry land? What you need is a swimming pool!"
He says, "If you study swimming theory for 10 years
on land, you will not be able to know how to swim. An
ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of theory."
Hong Xiu Ping is very proud that there are more than
20 excellent teachers from different countries now working
at the Gateway Language Village. Some, such as Jene Bellows,
are his friends of many years, friends he has known since
his years in the United States. Some have sold their houses
abroad and moved to Zhuhai! Ping attributes the success
of his school to these colleagues who are professional
and stable. The teaching staff and the administrative
staff, (all of whom are Chinese) are encouraged to share
friendships and work with one another, just as a family
supports one another with one common goal.
The ratio of foreign teachers with students is about
1 to 4. Students can practice English with teachers almost
any time in the school. GLV also employs English-speaking
staff as "Communication Activators" who are
trained to work with the students outside the classroom.
Thus students' oral communication skills are improved,
as they socialize with one another, and discuss many topics
of interest together, speaking "English only, please!"
Students are not allowed to use Chinese any time inside
the school, which is sometimes referred to as "the
village". Those who receive three warnings are asked
to leave the school. Some students do not understand this.
"I paid the tuition and it is up to me to leave or
stay!" Hong Xiu Ping's idea is different. He says,
"Students are the products of our school. We are
trying to achieve a 100% success rate for our products.
We have no choice but to dismiss those students who repeatedly
break our school rules. We must take this stance in order
to ensure the quality of our programs."
Visiting GLV, you will often come upon the following
kind of scene: Five to six students surround one foreign
teacher and they are having a heated discussion. One student
interviewed said she at first thought that the teachers
were very stubborn, sticking to what she perceived as
their "erroneous viewpoints"! She went on to
explain that the students would have to do a lot of arguing
to prove their points. Thinking about this after the class,
she said she suddenly realized that it was a special way
of the teachers to get the students to talk and communicate!
GLV offers courses on 6 levels. Some of the most experienced
native English teachers are responsible for the basic
and beginner classes. Teachers use a lot of body language
to teach the very basic-level students. Students are like
babies when they are learning to speak. At the beginning,
babies cannot speak much but they can understand a lot.
One day the babies open their mouths, and they start to
talk. The schedule at GLV is quite flexible. Students
can enroll from two weeks to 16 weeks. The teachers review
the students' progress regularly; they may be moved up
to a higher level at any time. Students who are at an
intermediate level can communicate with native speakers
fairly easily. Because of its successful programs, TEFL-International
formed an alliance with GLV and now offers TEFL Certificate
training to native English speakers who want to pursue
a career in English teaching in Asian countries. The certificates
are recognized worldwide.
 Creating
A Home For Peace
Since the founding of GLV three years ago, the school
has trained about 2,000 students. Word of mouth brings
students from all over China and parts of Asia. Facing
the ever-increasing numbers of new students, too few classrooms
and teachers can be a challenge for GLV's development.
While dealing with the pressing problems at hand, Hong
Xiu Ping has set his eyes on the future. His dream is
to bring together a group of like-minded friends to set
up an inter-cultural village, which will provide training
in many skills and in the arts. He wants to attract artists
from all over the world to settle in his future village!
He believes everyone has something they can contribute
to society. Personal recognition is not important. He
admires Dutch artist Van Gogh - whose paintings were not
recognized in his lifetime, but who made an indelible
contribution to an advancing civilization. He spoke admiringly
of a famous nobleman in Chinese history called Meng Changjun
who housed 3,000 guests in his home. Meng is Mr. Hong
Xiu Ping's model.
There is a saying in China. "It is noble to pursue
the following goal: "Read 10,000 books, travel 10,000
miles!" But to Hong Xiu Ping, his goal is:
"Travel 10,000 miles, make friends from all over
the world and then read 10,000 books!"
Hong is always a man of action. He likes to do things
first, and then talk about it.
____________________
Note: The original article was published in the
Chinese language; some minor revisions have been made
to accommodate the English language reader.
-5/12/02
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