依依不舍说再见
荣誉学生代表团领队 陈捷
寻根夏令营就要结束了，散团前夕，大家聚在一起，依依不舍，侃侃而谈。
短短的八天，浓缩了太多的情意和欢乐。各级侨办的热情接待，各方工作人员的周到服务，刻意周详的活动安排，饱含着祖国同胞对华裔青少年深深的关爱和情谊，令这些客居海外的中国孩子们找到了“回家”的感觉。
八天里，他们大饱了眼福，心灵受到了震撼。
庄严、肃穆的人民大会堂留下了孩子们的合影；高科技农业园飘荡着孩子们的笑声；民族园里翩翩起舞，泼水嬉戏，体验民族风情；与北京的中学生联欢交流，促膝谈心；参观清华、北大汲取奋发自强的民族精神；游览北京众多的古迹
名胜，领悟中华文化的源远流长，博大精深；做客《人民日报海外版》，看看了他们学中文的园丁－刘菲老师，见见他们爸爸妈妈－一代留学生的知心朋友－陈树荣叔叔。最使孩子们难忘的是：他们冒雨登上了久已向往的万里长城，用汗水体味了中华民族人生拼搏的意义。
短短的八天，孩子们饱览了北京的国粹、精华。展现在他们眼前的这个古老而又生机勃勃的国家，这就是他们爸爸妈妈生长的地方，就是他们的根所在。孩子们在感叹之余，心中觉得，有这样一个伟大的国家屹立他们身后，他们的腰板更硬了。
短短的八天，孩子们感受到了真真切切的亲情
。正如他们所说，这种感觉是去任何地方旅游，也无法感受得到的。
这八天与祖国的沟通，使这些连中文都说不好的孩子们，把中国看作他们生命的一部分了，“一定要学好中文”的意识油然而生
。这是家长、教师多少良苦用心的说教也未必能奏效的呀！
这八天的集体生活，孩子们相互感染、关照，一起嬉闹、谈论，嘀咕些不愿意让大人们知道的事。由此所得到的启示，是老师在课堂上无法教给他们的；那等的快乐是家长无法给予他们的。
寻根夏令营拉近了孩子们与祖国的距离，寻根夏令营给孩子们留下的永远的记忆。就要分手了，孩子们用他们有限的中文词汇，表达了一个共同的心声：谢谢你！为组织这次活动的叔叔、阿姨们！“祝福你，中国，你永远在我心底！”
我的几点感受
荣誉学生代表团 顾小宇
侨办的各位领导：你们好！
首先，我想对你们举办的“相约新世纪---海外华裔青少年2001年中国寻根之旅”夏令营表示衷心的感谢。在国务院侨办举行的隆重开营仪式上，我们有幸参观了人民大会堂，受到了李岚清副总理的亲切接见。北京市侨办在中华民族村为我们举行的联欢使我们认识到了祖国56个民族的特色。海淀区侨办不但为我们安排了参观游览首都的名胜古迹，还给我们提供了与中学生联欢、交流的机会。通过这些活动，我进一步了解到了祖国的方方面面，而我们团仅仅是你们接待的300多个团中的一个。我深信，你们的周到安排和热情招待给我们所有身在海外的青少年留下了极为深刻的印象。谢谢你们帮助我们寻到了自己的根，懂得了作为龙的传人的骄傲！
中国，特别是北京，给了我许多惊喜：
1、跟我三年前回国时比，北京的绿化环保有了明显的进步。特别是从飞机场出来，看到沿途绿树成荫，使人感到心情十分舒畅，相信到2008年奥运会开幕时，北京将会是个绿城。
2、北京的公共交通非常方便，几乎无论在哪儿，附近都有汽车站或地铁站。
3、达到了国际水平的宾馆和酒店比比皆是。除了人多以外，大商场也和国外没有区别。
4、很多高科技都已经和国际接轨，有些甚至都超过了美国。呼机和手机似乎比国外还要普及，马路旁的IP电话亭更是我在美国闻所未闻的。
不过，我认为北京也有一些方面可以而且应该做得更完善一些：
第一是服务质量和态度。我们去的一所全国快餐连锁店，菜单上有几十种不同的菜，可是等我们点菜时，却是点什么就没有什么。另一所在北京的“快餐”店，不知是因为看着我们是孩子，还是看着我们先只要了一碗牛肉拉面，半个多小时以后，等把比我们晚到许多的顾客的面条上了以后，才终于把面条给了我们。我们几次摧问服务员面条何时上，可她们并不理睬。我们准备乘飞机返美，到了机场才知道，连着几天的航班时刻临时被改变，而且一变再变。因此，我在机场等了十多个小时才登机。最后才打听到是中国政府为保大运会的运动员按时到达才打乱了民航的正常航班时间。奥运会比大运会的规模要大得多，按这么推理，那时的民用飞机是不是会推迟几天才能起飞呢？
其次，在美国修路，都是提前铺好绕行路，再开工。而我们在北京遇到的修路，所谓的绕行路是十分狭窄的泥巴道，只要走上了这种路，就必定遇到堵车，有时要为此延误好几个小时，这又是一个做事不替用户着想的好例子。
最后是英语质量的问题。虽然在北京处处都能看到英语，但是英语质量并没有保证。小到服装上的标志和广告牌，大到中学生和大学生的教材，都出现有错误拼法或基本语法不通之处。开放的中国处处能见到英语是好事，但是看到太多的不地道甚至错误的英语，又实在令人难为情，至少对我来说是这样。也许有人认为这不是大了不起的事，但如果考虑到祖国在世界上的形象，就不是小事。其实要解决这个问题也不难，只要领导重视，有关方面注意把关，发动大家都来纠错，这些毛病都是完全可以避免的。
今天，我把自己的这些体会写出来，是想让我们的祖国好上加好，使外国人来到我们的国家，到哪儿都无可挑剔。我也知道这些问题不归你们管，但是我希望通过你们能向有关方面反映，这些问题都不是很难改进的。
我六岁就去了美国，没有在国内受过正式中文教育，有些用词不当之处，请你们多加原谅。
再次感谢你们对我以及寻根之旅三千多人的热情招待！希望我们能保持联系！
祝
好！
全美中文学校协会荣誉学生代表团团员
顾小宇 敬上
2001，9，2 于美国波士顿
虽然我发烧了,但是我还是很喜欢
芝加哥 李姗姗 （9岁）
我的家在美国. 每个星期天我到西北大学中文学校学中文. 我也是一个中国人, 今年暑假我回中国看望了奶奶,爷爷,外婆,外公,等等. 我在中国住了两个月,参加了由中华人民共和国国务院侨务办公室和中国海外交流协会主办的
"相约新世纪--海外华裔青少年2001年中国寻根之旅联欢节"活动.我和我的表妹是三千人里年纪最小的! 我爬上了长城, 看了园明园, 也吃了北京著名的烤鸭,还做了很多说不完的事. 民族园是我最喜欢的地方. 我们早上七点钟起来, 八点出发. 坐了半个小时的车就到了民族园. 一进门就看见一条漂亮的小河. 河边长满了五颜六色的花.我和我表妹爬了一座小山. 山壁上画了很多神仙的画象. 我们也看了一出很有意思的演出.有婀娜多姿的舞蹈, 也有武术表演. 我也参加了泼水节. 我觉得泼水节非常,非常好玩! 到处是装满水的大水缸.每个人拿个小盆子,相互泼水.结果每个人全身都湿透了.我因此发了高烧,
吞了我从来没吃过的大药丸子.虽然为这个生了病,但是我还是很喜欢这次的联欢节活动. 我很希望明年暑假再回中国! (2001.9.6)
难 忘 的 中 国 寻 根 之 旅
博 华 中 文 学 校：魏 思 睿
今年夏天作为全美中文学校协会荣誉学生代表团成员，我荣幸地参加了2001年“中国寻根之旅”夏令营活动。我们这个团由来自美国的二十多名学生和加拿大的数名学生组成。从七月二十一日到二十八日我们在北京停留了一周。
全美中文学校协会的领导和老师们为我们这次活动做了非常充足的准备工作；北京侨办给予大力的支持；特别是海淀区侨办的叔叔，阿姨对我们在北京的吃，住及活动进行了精心安排。我们参观游览了天安门广场，故宫，天坛，颐和园，长城和十三陵等许多地方。另外我们还参观了北京大学，清华大学，人民日报社海外版出版社。还跟北京市101中学和26中学的学生们一起联欢。
最使我难忘的是七月二十三日在人民大会堂举行的2001年“中国寻根之旅”夏令营开营仪式。来自世界各地的三千多名中学生欢聚在北京人民大会堂，国家领导人也参加了我们的开营仪式。七月二十四日是我们登长城的日子，我早早地穿好旅游鞋，做好了出发准备。不巧的是登长城时下起了大雨，但是我们都没有停下来，当我们到达八达岭长城最高点时，大家都被淋湿透了，抬头望去长城就象一条长长的巨龙穿入云端。
这次中国之行活动中我交了许多从美国各州和加拿大来的新朋友。我们从来到营地的第一天起就成为好朋友了，几天的夏令营活动中我们从不分开，我们一起游览玩耍。返回美国的家后我仍然想念他们。
这真是一次难忘的中国之行。 2001 年8月21日
中西餐的比较
荣誉学生代表团学生 王榕泉
我喜欢中餐，也喜欢西餐，可是我一直想看看我是更喜欢那一种。我生长在美国，对中西餐的特色不是太清楚。这一次参加北京的寻根之旅夏令营，在中国呆了一个多月，有机会品尝和比较地道的中国美食。
有一些西餐挺好吃的。我很喜欢吃汉堡包、意大利芘萨饼、炸土豆条、意大利面条，等等。它们各有特色。西餐在美国大部分是从欧洲各国和墨西哥引入的。它们的基本烹调方法是炸、烤、凉拌。肯德鸡是炸的，牛排是烤的，沙拉是凉拌的。其实我最喜欢的是土豆泥，可是许多种西餐都容易吃腻的，因为饭里常常有许多油。
我在美国常吃西餐，不常到餐馆吃中餐，更不常吃地道的中国饭。在北京，我们每天到不同的餐馆去吃中午饭和晚饭，经常能够吃到各种美味佳肴。在餐馆，我们先吃头抬开开胃。头抬有：萝卜片、小咸菜、咸花生、腌黄瓜，等等。这一些头抬看起来都还可以，可是我不太喜欢吃。中国菜主要做法有：炒、闷、烧、蒸，等等。如，炒鱿鱼，闷茄子，烧鸡，清蒸鱼。这些样样都很好吃。但我最喜欢吃的是涮羊肉。我不记得是在哪一家餐馆吃的，但记得涮羊肉的火锅与在美国见得不同。锅的中间凸起来象个大口小底儿倒过来的杯子。这可能是中国传统的火锅。火锅里的水开了后，就可以放各种各样新鲜的食物进去。例如：鱼片、墨鱼片、羊肉、油菜、粉丝、豆腐，还有我们喜欢吃什么就放什么。涮的时候，我常常把要吃的东西夹在筷子里，要不别人还会把它夹走。我很喜欢涮羊肉，因为，第一：好吃，第二：看着它从红变挥白很有意思。羊肉片熟了后再蘸汁子吃。唉，真新鲜啊！真嫩啊!多么好吃啊!
回到美国后，我觉得我妈妈做的饭不好吃了，连我平常最喜爱的菜也不好吃了!现在我才感到还是在中国地道的中餐好吃，西餐是比不了的。中餐的做法千变万化，也是一种艺术。我爸爸告诉我中国的文化是“吃的文化”。嘿，五千年的历史还做不出来点儿好吃的吗？
Deb女士毕业于哈佛大学肯尼迪政府学院，曾在麻州财政部和哈佛大学财政部门工作，现任JK International LLP 公司CEO。她的女儿曾在剑桥中文学校学习，全家由此参加了首次18天的中国旅游 （波士顿剑桥中文学校纪虎民推荐）
Americans
Discover China – Old and New
The Cambridge Center for Chinese
Culture, in cooperation with the China Travel Service, has given us an enjoyable
and enlightening tour of five cities in two and one-half weeks. We started in Beijing, toured Xian, Hangzhou,
and Suzhou, and ended in Shanghai, one of the most exciting modern cities in the
world. We are already planning our
return for the 2008 Olympics. Seeing
is believing!
It is hard to summarize our rich
experience, but a few key lessons stand out.
Modernization. The American press does not cover China very well. Although we have read of the economic reforms,
we had no idea of the scale of these changes. When we arrived in Beijing, our jaws dropped. The new city literally grows every day. This was also true in Xian. And when we got to Shanghai, we felt as if
we were seeing the future rather than the present. The spread of new construction and the size of the government’s
investment in infrastructure were amazing. In Boston, we have a $15 billion USD project to build a one-mile
underground highway that has taken 20 years and is still not complete. In Shanghai,
China has completed 2400 new skyscrapers in just ten years. Through our tours
of China’s emperors’ palaces, we learned
that China “thinks big,” and this approach
continues into modern times. For thousands
of years, the Chinese people have been hard-working, disciplined, and patient, accomplishing
many feats of engineering like the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Soldiers. These valuable traits are still very visible
in modern times, making China a very good place for investment.
Organization. Throughout our tour, our travel was exceptionally smooth. Our Chinese planes were on time, our train
from Hangzhou to Suzhou was clean and prompt, our buses were comfortable. Our hotel rooms were always ready. And most important, our tour guides from CTS were always knowledgeable
and courteous. In fact, our trip was
delayed on only one occasion, and that was when our American flight was cancelled
because of mechanical failures. Overall,
the organization and efficiency in China was remarkable. This outstanding ability to provide reliable
service differs sharply from Americans’ expectations about centralized economies,
and enhances China’s appeal for investment.
Entrepreneurial Spirit. We were
deeply impressed by the ability of so many of the Chinese people to respond vigorously
to the private enterprise initiative launched barely 20 years ago. It seems that almost everyone in China is
a businessman, and this strong entrepreneurial spirit is surprising to see in a
country where the feudal history was long and the models for private enterprise
are so new. We asked our host in Shanghai
how the Chinese people learned to establish private businesses so quickly. She told us that for thousands of years, Chinese people have worked
hard and creatively, and those skills are now directed toward building the new economy
instead of building temples for emperors. Our quick study of Chinese history helped us understand what she
meant.
Unification.
When we began our trip, the U.S. Secretary
of State, Colin Powell, was visiting Beijing. Taiwan was a central issue in his discussions with President Jiang.
Initially, we felt that both countries
were a bit stubborn on this issue. By the time we completed our tour, however, we had a new understanding
of China’s position on Taiwan. Our
history tour taught us that the drive for unification of China has been intense
not for decades or even for centuries, but literally for thousands of years. We also learned of this deep-rooted desire
for connection from our Chinese-American traveling companions. Even those whose
families left China decades ago felt a strong attachment - a desire to study Chinese history, teach
the culture to their children, and support China’s development. We learned that the
primary investors in the new Chinese economy have been Chinese people living in
Hong Kong and abroad. We understand
much better the Chinese determination to have one country that includes Taiwan,
and we are sure that the economic changes in China will be an important force in
resolving this problem. Perhaps instead
of spending just one day in Beijing, our American leaders should take the CTS history
tour. History makes the present much
more understandable.
Preservation of History. We read
in the U.S. press that many of China’s ancient relics were destroyed in the Cultural
Revolution. Although that is largely
true, we found that China is now working to restore and protect antiquities, investing
heavily to preserve significant examples of ancient art and architecture. Given the number, size, complexity, and beauty
of these historic places, we were awed by the size of the continuous investment
required. The Terra Cotta Soldiers
are truly a wonder of the word (though we would put them ninth after the Great Wall);
however, the reconstruction of the soldiers in modern times may someday be
another wonder of the world! It would
seem fair that all of the world – not just the Chinese people – should bear the
costs of preserving the ancient relics. American businesses working in China should be asked to “adopt”
various sites. Such private support
is common in the U.S.
Similarities Overcome Differences. We traveled
in a mixed Chinese and American group and we met the families of some of our Chinese
friends. Our children played together
easily despite the lack of a common language because children everywhere play the
same games. Some of us who work in
real estate investigated Beijing’s real estate system and found that the structure
is similar to ours. We went to a Suzhou
nightclub and found American rock and roll mixed with Chinese folk music. We discovered that many of the stereotypes
that the West has developed about Chinese culture do not reflect reality. For example, women in China are far from
“invisible” and hold many key leadership positions in government and business. As another example, it is clear that the
central government is not inefficient, but rather has been very effective in promoting
rapid economic change. And we saw that China faces many of the same problems the
U.S. has: how to plan comprehensively
for development while allowing private businesses to respond to their individual
economic needs; how to preserve historical architecture in the face of rapid development;
how to invest enough in infrastructure (especially water) to support continued growth;
and how to improve the air quality
without unduly slowing industrial expansion. We Americans
have always learned that China is different, but we found a great deal of similarity.
Opportunities for Investment. China has made a great deal of progress since the economic reforms and opening
policies were adopted in 1978. Still,
a great deal more investment will be necessary to continue the improvements in the
east and spread the progress into the western provinces. The preparation for the Olympic Games in
2008 will also require a massive new investment in sports, housing, hotel, and retail
facilities in Beijing as well as transportation infrastructure in the entire eastern
region. A great deal of new housing
will need to be constructed in order to improve living conditions in the cities,
and the construction materials and techniques will need to be of the highest quality
in order to ensure that new structures are attractive and durable. Air pollution was a significant problem in
all of the cities we visited, and water problems were clearly visible in many places.
All of these challenges present opportunities for investment in China. Everywhere
we went, we found that local officials were anxious to have American involvement,
technological know-how, and business investment in order to help China continue
its economic progress and meet the challenge of the 2008 Olympics successfully.
We found Chinese officials eager to
learn about American business techniques and open to making reforms that will improve
the climate for foreign investment.
Some Suggestions from Travelers. We found
our tour of historical sites invaluable, but we urge that future tours include modern
sites and events. With the opening
of trade in China, tourists are interested in the modern business environment, the
methods of economic change, and the prospects for foreign investment. We visited a real estate office in Beijing,
Overseas Affairs offices in Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai, the Suzhou Technology
Industrial Zone, the Shanghai Planning Department, and the Shanghai Volkswagen plant
in the Pudong district. Americans do
not know very much about modern China, and their stereotypes about China are very
strong. These can be broken down only
if tourists and potential investors are given direct experience of the new, modern
reality in China.
Some improvements would make
travel and business in China more attractive. The hotels should have larger business centers – one computer
for an entire hotel in simply inadequate. Eventually internet access should be available in the hotel rooms
themselves. Credit cards need to be
more widely accepted. More traffic
signals are needed to make pedestrians feel safe crossing major streets. Visas will need to be available in more U.S.
cities with less processing time. (We
had to go to New York from Boston and plan several weeks in advance for our trip,
but business commerce will need more fluid visa systems.)
Thank you, Cambridge Center for
Chinese Culture and China Travel Service, for an important learning experience.
There are many opportunities for investment
in China, and the climate for business partnerships is improving rapidly. We are convinced that the more Americans
learn about China by seeing it, the more likely it is that the problems between
our countries will be solved and economic cooperation will advance. Seeing is believing!
September 8, 2001
Deborah A. Kuhn, CEO
JK International, LLC
17 Hollis Street
Cambridge, MA 02140 USA
Deborah_Kuhn48@hotmail.com
