The Smiling Challenger

--Records of the Sino-Japanese Children’s Island Adventure Summer Camp

____________________________________________

Sun Yunxiao

By chance, I heard something new: a few months ago (in the summer of 1991), the "Ant Cricket" school in Miyazaki and Fukuoka prefectures, Japan, led 142 primary and secondary school students. , came to Qingdao, Shandong, China to hold an adventure summer camp. The Japanese invited 50 Chinese students to participate, known as the Japan-China Children's Adventure Summer Camp. It is said that many interesting stories happened in the summer camp.

This information attracted me immediately. However, I am also wondering why such fresh children’s news has not been seen in newspapers or TV. Almost at the same time as the adventure camp, I was flying to Xinjiang. While waiting for my flight at the Capital Airport, several old Japanese ladies sitting next to me smiled at me politely. So, I nodded and smiled in a friendly manner. At this moment, I was surprised: the sign worn by the Japanese old lady clearly read: "Tianshan Horseback Riding Adventure Tour Group". No wonder these old ladies couldn't hide their pride. Who in the world has ever seen an old lady dare to go on a horseback riding adventure in the Tianshan Mountains? Now, I have received news that Japanese children are exploring China. What does this mean?

Coincidentally, 10 Beijing primary school students participated in the Sino-Japanese Youth Adventure Summer Camp, and their team leader turned out to be my old friend - Wu Hui, a senior teacher and vice principal of a National Meteorological Administration primary school. Most of the 10 students have entered middle school and are facing stressful final review exams. However, Teacher Wu Hui still called them back and enthusiastically accepted my interview.

When talking about that experience, the students were still very emotional, saying that it was a unique summer camp and a particularly unforgettable summer camp. The question I'm asking is simple: Where is the "difference"? What is "especially unforgettable?"

1

Fukuoka and Miyazaki are both coastal cities in Japan, where you can enjoy modern and affluent life everywhere. Why do the Japanese send their children to coastal cities in China? It’s understandable if they come to enjoy exotic scenery, but why did they choose an isolated island in the sea on the outskirts of Qingdao?

Qingdao is a world-famous port city. It is surrounded by the sea on three sides and connected to the mainland on one side. As early as about 100 years ago, when the Germans were preparing to occupy this beautiful and fertile land, they sent people to conduct a secret and serious geographical survey. German experts believe that Qingdao (then named Jiaoao) is China's best port choice. In November 1897, Germany sent marines to occupy Qingdao. The city of Qingdao was "named" by the German Emperor Wilhelm II. However, the Germans' good dreams did not last long. In 1914, World War I broke out. The Japanese had long wanted to occupy Qingdao, so they took advantage of the fact that the Germans were busy on the European battlefield, drove away the Germans, and became the new overlord of Qingdao. Later, although the American army also invaded Qingdao, it only took a few years. However, the Japanese ruled Qingdao for nearly 16 years! In 2016, how could Japan, which has always been greedy, not show its talents?

Today, Qingdao has become an important window for China’s opening up to the outside world and has also become a hotline city for Chinese tourism. Above the blue sea, seagulls as white as snow are flying. Under the navigation tower, a fairy plays the piano; on the Baili embankment, there are red tiles and green trees. A fantasy like a dream, a sentiment like a poem, which wanderer would not be intoxicated by the golden beach? The shame of the colony seemed to have been washed away by the waves, turning into fine foam and disappearing without a trace.

The children from Beijing are so happy! The exams are over, they have been admitted to a key middle school, and they are about to arrive in Qingdao to live a romantic life in a blink of an eye. Who else can be luckier than them? In the sleeper car of the train, they bit into chicken and ham, drank Sprite, and talked excitedly about the mountains.

These 10 senior students are all from the National Meteorological Administration’s Zizi Primary School. The bureau attaches great importance to this event and has specially approved 3,000 yuan for the expenses of 10 children. The cost of the leading teacher will be borne by Japan. Therefore, they have nothing to worry about.

If there is a slight problem, it is that parents are not reassured: is it okay for their children to go away for the first time? One student’s mother almost came along.

It’s time to get off the bus. They threw away their leftover eggs and other food and stayed at the Huanghai Hotel, the first-class hotel in Qingdao. This place is only across the road from the bustling No. 1 Bathing Beach.

On the land of China, the Chinese are naturally the masters. Therefore, 50 Chinese children were arranged to meet Japanese friends. Children in Beijing told me that they never expected to see such an unforgettable scene! Teacher Wu Hui could not help but describe the scene to me several times.

142 children and teachers from Japan came to China by boat. The oldest among the campers was 14 years old and the youngest was only 9 years old. But when they got off the boat, no matter how big or small they were, everyone walked down one by one carrying their own big travel bags. Oh my God! Those 9-year-old Japanese girls, carrying large travel bags that were almost taller than themselves, moved slowly like little turtles. However, they were obviously tenacious and unyielding, and no one screamed. A group of young Japanese teachers did not go to help a group of children. They only disembarked from the boat carrying their own travel bags.

Teacher Wu Hui’s eyes were moist as she stood on the pier. She was thinking: What if these were a group of Chinese children; what if their parents or grandparents saw this scene?

In detail, Qingdao is indeed an ideal city for holding summer camps. It has many bathing beaches for people to swim; it has an aquarium, piers and many scenic spots on Qindao for people to watch; it also has many hotels, villas and seafood delicacies for people to enjoy; it even has There is a high-level summer camp base specifically for the needs of teenagers... However, these Japanese teachers who came across the Yellow Sea had no interest in the above-mentioned excellent facilities, so they chose Xiaoguan Island, an isolated island on the sea that is unfamiliar even to the new generation of Qingdao people. .

The older generation of Qingdao people are no strangers to the name Guandao. In August 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. On October 9, the 6th Division of the U.S. Marine Corps, led by Major General Scheible, landed in Qingdao by warship from Guandao. This marks the history of the US military's blatant invasion of Chinese territory Qingdao, which started from Guandao.

True to its name, Xiaoguan Island is a very small island located in the Jimo Sea with an area of ??only 0.8 square kilometers and is surrounded by the sea. The island is not steep and mountainous. There are only 17 fishermen families who make a living by fishing and growing crops.

When 13-year-old boy Dong Zhiyu talked about his impression of the summer camp, he sighed: "There are Japanese products everywhere!"

Chinese children lived in the Yellow Sea Hotel and watched Japanese color TVs use Japanese refrigerators. When going to a restaurant to eat, Dong Zhiyu felt that it was a little cold with the air conditioner on. When he turned it off, he found that the words on the air conditioner and cooling tower were all in Japanese. When they and the Japanese children went to Guandao Camp, the 13 buses they took were all Hino buses!

Hearing this, teacher Wu Hui felt the same way and said: "Japanese teachers once organized students to come to Beijing to count Japanese cars. The large number made the Japanese proud. They are also conducting patriotic education. ! "

However, the Japanese did not bring any modern ships. Led by teachers, 192 students from China and Japan boarded seven ordinary sailing boats and landed on Xiaoguan Island after an hour and a half of rough seas.

II

Since it is called an adventure summer camp, bravery and wisdom are indispensable. So, in such a contest or competition that is neither announced nor has rules, who will score higher, the Chinese teenager or the Japanese teenager?

For a long time, many Chinese people have been accustomed to calling Japan and Japanese people "Little Japan". This is probably due to the small size of Japan, the short stature of the Japanese people, and some kind of contempt or even hatred. What is the actual situation in Japan today?

From April to July 1986, scientific researchers from China and Japan simultaneously conducted physical fitness surveys on nearly 10,000 students from primary school to university in Beijing and Tokyo. The results show that the weight of Chinese male students after the age of 7 is 0.9-3.8 kilograms lighter than that of Japanese students. In most age groups, Japanese students have wider shoulders, wider chests, thicker legs, and higher weight than Chinese students. Thick arms.

Experts believe that the poor physical fitness of Chinese students has a lot to do with the fact that they spend significantly less time doing physical exercise than Japanese students.

Now, the children of the two countries are gathered together, and the abstract contrast turns into a figurative contrast.

The 192 Chinese and Japanese campers were divided into 14 classes, with a Japanese teacher in each class. Although they are said to be teachers, in fact, most of them are students from the University of Education. They can be regarded as interns invited to help by the "Ant Cricket" school. Five Beijing campers, including Dong Zhiyu, Ge Yi, Duan Ran, Cai Xiang and Shen Yi, formed a class with seven Japanese campers. The first teacher is a fourth-year student at Fukuoka University of Education named Koichi Yasuda.

Kouichi Yasuda is of medium height and has a muscular body. He wore a dark blue jacket with his arms open and a golden eagle on the front and back. After landing, he immediately took the list to look for Chinese campers. Maybe it was because Dong Zhiyu was tall, but Koichi Yasuda walked up to him, squatted down, and asked him to point out his name and read it again. The Japanese teacher listened carefully, wrote down the Japanese pinyin in his notebook, and read it again. He shook hands with the Chinese teenager with a smile and said in Chinese: "Thank you!" - Once he had recognized the Chinese campers, he gestured for everyone to quickly choose a place to camp and prepare a camping tent. After that, he left, as if the young campers were experienced soldiers and there was no need to say anything more.

The children of the two countries quickly became familiar with each other. Even if they don't understand the language, they can still communicate with gestures, expressions and eyes. The 12-year-old Japanese kid Aaki Okuda is a very trendy boy: jeans, floral shirt, red socks, black shoes, hair spray on his head, and a pair of extra-wide sunglasses. He waved his hand like a knight and led everyone up the mountain.

On Xiaoguan Island, although the mountain is not high, it is densely forested and covered with thorns. Akira Okuda was not afraid, he opened his bow from left to right and pushed the thorns everywhere. But Chinese children don’t have that kind of energy. They observed for a while, then pulled away the thorns one by one, and moved forward cautiously. They wonder: Isn't Akira Okuda afraid of thorns?

After a while, they lost their way and were cut off by a wall three or four meters high. Akira Okuda didn't say anything, didn't make any gestures, he jumped up and down! Although most of the Chinese children were older than him, they stuck out their tongues and blinked in fear, and no one dared to follow suit. Finally, he walked around the edge step by step.

Chinese children came to the beach. The beach here is flat and soft. Couldn’t it be used as a campground? They excitedly went to report to Mr. Koichi. Teacher Koichi glanced towards the seaside, shook his head and spoke a few words in English. Seeing that the Chinese children didn't hear clearly, they had to use various hand gestures to express: It will rain tonight and the wind will be very strong at the seaside. If you live here, you will get frostbite. Later, they chose a camp on the hillside, where the high terrain could protect them from rain and the wind was leeward to keep them warm.

The next step is to set up a tent. The materials are all carried by Japanese campers, including plastic mats, sleeping bags, rainproof cloth, cardboard, bamboo poles, tape, etc. This is all the belongings. Teacher Koichi first drew a drawing, indicating how many people per tent. Then, he picked up a piece of cardboard and rolled it into a long piece of paper, and taped it firmly, so a tent pole was made. The Japanese children immediately followed suit. No one said a word, and they kept busy as if they had completed an urgent task. However, the Chinese children still chased Teacher Koichi and asked about this and that. They studied the division of labor for a while before starting to make it. After this delay, the Japanese children have made five or six paper tubes.

The dark night has fallen on Xiaoguan Island. The Japanese child turned on the light on his hat and continued working like a little miner. Chinese children don't have lights on their hats, so the girls have to use the flashlights and the boys do it. After a stressful day, the children were sleepy and tired. They really wanted to fall down and fall asleep. Even closing their eyes for a while was a great enjoyment. However, at 9:30 that night, Teacher Koichi came and was dissatisfied with the quality of the children's work and ordered it to be reworked. The Chinese children cursed in their hearts: Little Japan is so cruel! However, scolding was of no use, so I had to work hard for another two hours.

What makes people laugh or cry is that Teacher Koichi did not use paper tubes soaked with children's sweat. Instead, he tied the four corners of the rainproof cloth to four trees and asked everyone to spread plastic cloth. sleeping bag. Until the end of the summer camp, Dong Zhiyu still hadn't figured it out: Why did Mr. Koichi torment us like that?

Sleeping on a hillside overgrown with weeds is definitely the first time for many Chinese children. There was a Beijing girl who was afraid to lie down at first because she saw a four-legged snake scurrying past her. Teacher Wu Hui had no choice but to encourage her repeatedly and help her zip up her sleeping bag to her neck. However, when asked the next morning, the girl didn't sleep at all and spent the whole night in fear!

Teacher Wu Hui and her students began to understand: the Japanese send their children to China to participate in adventure summer camps, not for enjoyment, but for hardship.

When the children came to the dining place hungry the next morning, what greeted them was not milk, eggs and high-quality bread, but large pots and piles of dry firewood. This silent language tells the children: Do you want to eat? Do it yourself.

Dong Zhiyu recorded in his diary on August 8 how they learned to make fire: "To boil water, you should start with a fire. Starting a fire can become a big problem. Usually, we burn liquefied gas at home, so it's a good idea." Just one match would do. Not to mention one, even ten matches couldn't light a piece of wood. Teacher Wu came to the rescue. She first lit a large piece of paper with a match, and then lit the hay while the fire was still strong. Add some finely chopped firewood, and when the fine firewood is burning, add coarse firewood at the end. Teacher Wu told us while lighting the fire: "You also need to add firewood in a scientific way. If you add too little, the fire will not be strong, and if you add too much, it will burn." Put out the fire. The best way is to stagger the firewood horizontally and vertically, but leave a gap in the middle so that there is enough air inside, so that the fire will burn more and more. 'Sure enough, in less than half an hour, a pot of water will be released. We boiled it. We were so happy eating the instant noodles we boiled in water. "

He didn't write about how we would have eaten the instant noodles for breakfast if Teacher Wu was not present, but it was conceivable. And know.

Japanese children are also busy boiling water. The 9-year-old girl Xihou wears a blue short-sleeved shirt with a wide white embroidered collar. She always likes to play with a yellow balloon and looks very petite. But as soon as she started working, she seemed to be a different person. She took the initiative to fetch water. She fell down without making a sound, but actually fetched a large bucket full of water back. I really don’t know where she got the strength? From then on, Chinese children called her "Little Ashin" with admiration.

What surprised the Chinese children the most was that when it was time to eat, the Japanese children took out their knives to sharpen their chopsticks. It turns out that each of them carries a half-foot-long folding knife, which can be inserted into the waist or hung on the chest, and can be used for cutting trees and wood. Chinese children are attentive and have already prepared tableware, chopsticks or stainless steel spoons. Japanese children, however, find a tree branch and cut a pair of chopsticks before each meal. "Little Ashin" is certainly no exception. "嚓--""嚓--" 142 Japanese children lowered their heads and looked focused, just like in a competition. "Ah, it's bleeding!" One of the Chinese children screamed, causing a slight commotion among the Chinese children. However, the Japanese kid who cut off his hand only shook off the blood and continued cutting without even raising his head. The morning on Xiaoguan Island was silent, except for the sound of cutting chopsticks: "嚓一-嚓--"

三

The Chinese boy gave himself a low score. They are convinced and say this is open competition; they are not convinced and say it is the result of "heredity"!

The summer camp decided to explore Rabbit Island.

Rabbit Island is a very small island in the sea, only one-quarter of the size of Xiaoguan Island. No one lives on the entire island.

There are differences of opinion between Chinese and Japanese teachers: Japanese teachers advocate using car tires to row across the landing, so that children can truly experience the taste of adventure; Chinese teachers firmly oppose it, saying that it is too dangerous.

Children from China and Japan also had disputes: Akira Okuda and "Little Ashin" waved their arms for a while, and made a gesture of wearing a swimming suit, which meant: "Let's swim over"; Ge Yi He and Duan Ran immediately shook their heads and waved their hands, because they couldn't swim at all, and the wind and waves were so violent.

At the end of the debate, China's plan was adopted - taking a boat.

Before making the final decision, several Japanese teachers carried the tires to the beach to try them out, but were beaten back by wind and waves.

In the early morning of August 9, the children from both countries got up without even having time to stretch their backs. They carried water and dry food on their backs and went to take a boat. The wind was howling, huge waves were coming one after another, and the small fishing boat was rocking on the waves. It felt like riding a roller coaster - but it was safe, but no one dared to guarantee it. A ship of 10,000 tons is in danger of sinking, let alone this dilapidated wooden boat! Thank God, we finally landed on Rabbit Island, a group of rocks.

On a midsummer day, the sun on Rabbit Island is as scorching as a fireball. Several very attractive tents have become the best refuge for campers. However, when Teacher Wu Hui sat down, she felt a little uneasy.

Thinking of this, she said to me:

"I sat for a while and suddenly realized that most of the people hiding in the tent were Chinese children and teachers! Japanese children wore sportswear and jeans. , is it possible to keep out the heat by wearing Qiante rubber shoes? But they are all outside the tent, no matter how hot they are, why are Chinese children so delicate?

"However, I am also very conflicted. How much trouble would it be if the children were exposed to the sun? From this point of view, I don’t want them to expose it. Therefore, I took the initiative to call the Beijing children into the tent, but they also became disobedient...

The Beijing children have become familiar with the Japanese children, and they have even given each other nicknames. China's Cai Xiang is the most famous - "Cai (Cai) steamed buns"; Li Na is called "Snowflake Pear", and the Japanese girl Nishihou has another nickname - "Tomato" in addition to "Little Ashin"; There are also two Japanese girls called "Big Pineapple" and "Big Bartender". Interestingly, the nicknames not only ease the language barrier, but also make them very friendly. Xiang had nowhere to hide.

Dong Zhiyu, who saw the sea for the first time, was deeply impressed by his trip to Rabbit Island and said it was the most thrilling day.

He wrote:

"The west side of Rabbit Island is where the wind and waves are the strongest. Big waves rolled in one after another, making a deafening sound. With the courage of "a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers", we came to a rock that was washed smooth by big waves. In the distance, a huge wave is brewing. Sure enough, as the rumbles came closer and closer, a daunting wave appeared in front of us. The wave was more than 8 meters high, rolling towards us and hitting the rocks with a 'pop' sound, making our whole bodies wet. The moment the wave hit me, I almost flipped over into the sea! At that moment, I was so scared, but then I felt so happy!

"Looking at the vast sea and the vast sky, my heart is filled with love for nature."

Dong Zhiyu's feelings are undoubtedly real and representative of. Imagine living in a city far away from nature. The noisy environment and the pressure of going to school make children like birds in a cage. Now, when they embrace the waves, how can they not be filled with thoughts and emotions?

However, why do Chinese children have so many regrets when they are with their peers in a foreign country? Just when they were evacuating Rabbit Island, another little thing happened that embarrassed the Chinese children and teachers: Japanese children habitually took out their waste bags and put away the rice scraps or peels and other waste that the Chinese children had dropped, - Put it in a bag and tape it tightly to take it back.

Looking at this scene, the faces of the Chinese teachers and children warmed up slightly: We are Chinese! It's the master! Why do we act like uncivilized guests and let Japanese children clean for us like hosts? Where has the love for the motherland that we have always shouted gone?

Yes, how did these countless embarrassments happen?

Let’s do a comparison.

40 Qingdao children were selected from all over the city. The 10 Beijing children were selected from the 570 students in the school. I happen to have a "Brief Profile of Students Participating in the Sino-Japanese Youth Adventure Summer Camp" on hand.

Judging from the recommendation materials, all of them are good students with excellent academic performance. Some have been among the top three students for many years in a row. Some have won prizes in the National Hua Luogeng Gold Cup Mathematics Competition or Olympiads, and some have served as captains or middle school students. team leader. In terms of non-intellectual factors, most of them are "strong thirst for knowledge", "brave to explore", "brave to endure hardship" and so on.

Completely different from Chinese children, all 142 Japanese children signed up voluntarily. As long as they sign up and pay the fee, any child can participate.

This means that in the current competition field of summer camp, it is actually an unfair competition: the Chinese side is an excellent player, and the Japanese side is an ordinary player. However, is it necessary to say who loses and who wins?

Children in Beijing are very self-aware and frankly admit that they have lost. They rushed to tell me:

"Japanese children are better at doing things than us!"

"They can endure hardship better than us."

"They are better than us. Enthusiastic and willing to make friends! "

"Japanese children are brave!"

"They are not afraid of getting their clothes dirty, and they even dare to put ink on our teacher's face. Too careful!"

"When we were sharing the watermelon, they ate it loudly. We kept in mind the rules of foreign affairs and were not allowed to make any noise when eating. As a result, we ate too little watermelon. ! "

"Japanese children talk less and do more. Chinese children are just the opposite. They talk more and do less."

Hearing this, I just want to cry. It should be said fairly: the National Meteorological Administration's primary school education and teaching work is at the forefront, and these students are also very cute - considered outstanding among Chinese primary school students. The question is: Why do our good students in good schools show so many weaknesses?

Before the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War, China’s naval equipment level was no worse than Japan’s. However, when German experts boarded a Chinese warship to visit, they found that Qing soldiers were drying clothes on the gun barrel, and when they touched the gun barrel there was still ash, they immediately concluded that the Chinese navy would be defeated by Japan. Later, this prophecy became a huge tragic reality.

Contemporary politicians and educators all assert that the future competition is the competition of talents, and the key to the competition of talents is the competition of quality. In this sense, doesn’t the weakness in the quality of Chinese children expose the weakness of the Chinese nation and the weakness of Chinese education? Can this be considered a minor issue?

I tried to let the students analyze the reasons for themselves, and Dong Zhiyu blurted out without thinking:

"Hereditary!"

"Hereditary?" I was startled. . I really didn't expect that he couldn't restrain his excitement and started talking eloquently.

He said:

"When doing things, they always look forward and backward, think twice before acting, and only do it when there is no harm in doing it. Isn't this how the Chinese people have been like this since ancient times? To this day, grandma doesn't I'm not allowed to start the fire. The natural gas stove has an electronic ignition. What's the danger? I'm not allowed to do it! I usually live in my grandma's house. What can I do if I can't just learn? I can do housework. What kind of housework does she ask me to do? Sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, washing dishes, cleaning shoes, etc. I am not allowed to touch electricity, fire, water, or knives. In fact, it is not that Chinese children cannot do it, but that parents do not allow it. ! As an only child, what if something happens? You may not believe it? My grandma is a retired primary school teacher. She understands the principle very well, but in practice, how can we not achieve high scores?

"Although the Japanese are so proud, I don't feel inferior when I am with them. It's a fact that they have good conditions, but that's because of others. Let’s fight when we grow up! I don’t believe it, we Chinese are always lagging behind. I hope parents and teachers can be more relaxed and rest assured, and let us go for it. Even if our heads are broken, we are willing to do so! "

Listening to Dong Zhiyu's powerful words, I couldn't help but look at this passionate young man carefully. Although he is only 13 years old, he is already 1.7 meters tall, with thick black eyebrows and a slight cyan color on his upper lip. , it seemed that the furry beard was faintly sprouting.

I suddenly had an idea: a young eagle with its wings bound was looking up at the blue sky anxiously.

It has not found a way to untie or break the rope, although that is not difficult to find. However, there is hope as long as you are willing to look for it!