City woman leads artistic rural life
By Hengky Li
For Miss Lee Ri Yee, the small southern Chinese city of Lianan, with its Yiu Zhu culture, is a beautiful place.
“Lianan is my second home. It is part of my life,” said Miss Lee, a Hong Kong insurance agent.
She saw a promotion by Pu Yin Association for the Advancement of Education seeking volunteer teachers to work in China. She was curious and joined it beginning with the Chinese Lunar New Year 2001.
During her six-month stay in Lianan, she taught village students drama and singing in Nangong Middle School.
There, she became fascinated by the unique culture of Yiu Zhu, a Chinese ethnic minority living in Lianan.
“The place offered me inspiration to write poems because of the close contact with nature,” she said.
When she was there, she wrote three plays, all based on true stories in Lianan.
“The objective of my plays is to preserve the traditions of Yiu Zhu.
“Students can explore their cultural heritage through participating.
“They should be proud of and even promote their culture to the outside world,” she said.
Miss Lee, who is single, is eager to talk about her plays, but one arouses sadness.“The play is about a little girl. She was called Little Peach tree in the play.
“I was told the story by my student Tang Shan Miu. It was a real experience involving one of her classmates.
“It happened last year, while we did not have any volunteers in Lianan.”
She said Shan Miu and the girl were once good friends and they used to study together. Though life was difficult, they were happy.
Unfortunately, something traumatic happened to the girl.
“The girl was forced to give up her studies by her father in order to work on their land,” she said. “It was a blow to her life.”
Desperate to study, after working in the field every day she stared at her classmates from outside their classroom. She memorized every word she heard from the lessons.
“I could understand her grievances and indignation,” Miss Lee said.
Her simmering grief finally exploded. Depressed, the girl began acting strangely.
Once she climbed to the roof of the school, threatening to jump. Sometimes villagers saw her murmuring to herself outside the school.
Miss Lee said that the girl’s mental problems were hard on Shan Miu.
“Shan Miu thought she was guilty because she could not help her friend.
“She tried not to remember their happy days. Whenever she saw the girl, she closed her eyes so as not to see the girl’s face. She could not hold back her tears, however,” said Miss Lee.
Sometimes the girl smiled at Shan Miu.
“It made Shan Miu wonder if the girl could remember her,” said Miss Lee.
For Shan Miu, Miss Lee’s play was a relief.
“I think the play offered her an opportunity to release her grief.
“Acting as that girl, Shan Miu could freely express her depression,” said Miss Lee.
The villagers have let Miss Lee knew that the girl is now leading a normal life.
“The girl was later sent to a hospital for mental treatment, and she gradually recovered.
“Sympathizing with her ordeal, a Han doctor offered her money to support her study,” she said.
“Later she married the doctor’s son.
Miss Lee is not entirely confident at what she has heard, however.
“I can just wish her a new, happy life,” she said.
The life of the girl in this story may have a happy ending. Nevertheless, Miss Lee said her tragedy is recurring in most Yiu Zhu families.
In Miss Lee’s eyes, her students are smart and competent, but they lack opportunities.
“Although most of them can achieve good academic results, they fail to study in high school.
“The school fees are very expensive and their parents cannot afford it.”
Unable to enroll in high school, some students prefer to work in their fields and others strive for a job in large cities.
Lee Ri Yee (pink T-shirt) helps Lianan students preserve Yiu Zhu culture through drama. Miss Lee finds Lianan students competent but lacking in opportunities. “It is regrettable to see their talents are wasted in sweatshops,” she said.
Prejudice is another problem in Lianan.
“Yiu Zhu are severely discriminated against by the Han people. Yiu Zhu are considered to be inferior,” she said.
She considers herself responsible for protecting her students from prejudice.
“Sometimes they are derided by Han people on the street.
“Whenever it happened, I stopped it by telling the crowd that they were students because in Liana, literate people are highly respected,” she explained.
“That’s why my students are want to study.”
It was unbearable for her to leave.
Said she: “The most memorable moment was the night before I left. My students held a farewell party for me.
“It touched me deeply when I heard the song played by one of my students with a harmonica.”
Miss Lee can still remember the song he played — Wish You a Smooth Journey.
“We all burst into tears,” she said.
Although she wanted to stay longer, she didn’t.
“I should make more money now. I will be grateful if I can contribute part of my salary to support their school fees,” she said.
Miss Lee will not stop pursuing her goal.
“I may be a teacher in Lianan or I may go to other rural places in China,” she said.
There are many things she treasured during her stay.
“Lianan is a unique place with wonderful views of nature. People there are nice to me; they all treated me whole-heartedly,” she said.
Above all, Miss Lee valued the experience with her students.
“I hope we can preserve the close relationship even when my students grow up,” she said.
For Miss Lee, being in Lianan was an experience that will not be erased. In fact, she is trying her best to keep it going.
It is easy to feel this from parts of the following poem by her:I am a teacher with flaring enthusiasm and innumerable ideals;
What I am pursuing is nothing but a dream
Evoking my wonderful days in the mountains.
