On August 19, 1996, the Honorable Board Members Choir and Tzu Chi Youth Choir went to Beijing to bring a special message of love to fellow countrymen in China through beautiful music and the Tzu Chi spirit. One of the members of that delegation gives her impressions.

China Rehabilitation Research Center

The China Rehabilitation Research Center was our first stop. On the morning of August 20, we were given a tour by Vice Chairman Wu Hsun-guang, a kind, energetic gentleman who co-founded the center in 1988. Although the facilities might look plain or even humble by our standards, we were impressed by the staff's devotion to creating a most adequate and accommodating environment for their patients. The ultimate goal is to help patients to return to the work force and to resume social responsibilities.

When we were shown the multi-function therapy room, we noticed a chubby boy of 10 or 11 walking on a treadmill. His pace was fast, but he seemed relaxed. He was a little bashful, but his friendly smile and chubbiness, so common in adorable children of his age, made his presence in the room out of place. I wondered if he was the naughty son of one of the patients in the room, enjoying the fun of exercising on the treadmill while visiting his parent. My eyes swept down to catch sight of two metal shanks between the fluttering, hollow trouser legs and a pair of sneakers worn on wooden shoe trees. At that very moment, I felt my heart cramp, unable to relate these non-flesh shanks and feet to his sweet face. His mother said that he had been run over by a train three months earlier. They came all the way from Guangdong to Beijing for treatment.

The sights at the research center give one a poignant feeling that life is indeed fragile and precious. I guess the boy and the other patients in the center are among the luckiest of the over 60 million crippled and handicapped in China. But compared to them, we must be thankful and feel so blessed to be healthy and to be able to follow in Master Cheng Yen's steps and dedicate ourselves to Tzu Chi's missions.

Cultural Exchange Evening

Our only formal performance was given at the City Library Hall on the evening of August 20. Despite the drizzly weather, the event still drew a good turnout. Our conductor, Prof. Kuo Mong-yun, suffered from a sudden, severe stomachache at hearing our rather unmusical rehearsal. However, when the curtains were raised, we were miraculously able to bring out our best sense of music. We interpreted Master Cheng Yen's teachings and her messages of love in beautiful melodies that moved the audience deeply.

China Rehabilitation Center for Deaf Children

On the morning of August 21, we paid a visit to the China Rehabilitation Center for Deaf Children. We were impressed by the center's carefully designed rehabilitation programs and its staff's loving patience and devotion to their work and to the children. There is a preschool education program in which deaf children are mixed with regular students in the classes. This is designed to equip the deaf children with the skills necessary to adjust smoothly in regular schools.

The success of the rehabilitation center owes much to the leadership of Prof. Wan Hsuen-rone, who became an authority in this field because of her own deaf son, Hsiao-kuen. She gave us a touching speech about her evolution from a mother of a deaf son, desperately searching for help and hope, to a professional dedicating her life to helping thousands of other deaf children to resume regular education and normal life. Word by word, she taught her son the skill of lip-reading. He did not disappoint his mother's love and painstaking effort: he has competed with regular rivals in public speech and recital contests and has won first prizes.

After Prof. Wan's speech, Hsiao-kuen also spoke to us, telling of his gratitude for his mother's generous love. He even quoted the Master's teachings from Still Thoughts. The speeches of Prof. Wan and her son pounded in my heart. Their struggle was a testimony to the transformation of personal misfortune into courage, strength and even devotion to helping others, to the unselfish giving of love to known and unknown, and to ultimate respect for life.

Peking University

On August 22, we went to Peking University for the most memorable visit of this trip. We started our visit with a two-hour lecture on Chinese literature given by Dr. Yuen Hsin-Pei, an alumnus and recognized authority on Chinese literature. I sat formally in a lecture room again for the first time since I left school 16 years ago. I felt like a young student once more, reminiscencing about my college days. How nice it was to relive my student experience in such a prominent school! Peking University is renowned for its scholastic traditions in liberalism, its leadership in the famous movement of May 4, 1918, and its production of great literature and pacesetting thought in modern Chinese history.

We made a grand tour of the campus after lunch. It is the most beautiful and romantic campus I have ever been to. It is well wooded and its landscape reminds one of a Chinese painting. Unnamed Lake is on the campus, so called because no name could describe the beauty of the lake. By Unnamed Lake, we came across the remaining facade of a temple, on which was carved "Tzu Chi Temple." We could not believe our eyes. The mystical coincidence of the name of the temple with that of our organization seemed like an omen of predestination. Our hosts, who were also amazed, said that the facade belonged to a temple built more than 200 years ago. Would this coincidence hint at the reason why many of us had such deep feelings towards Peking University?

A get-together was held at the university's newly completed student center. After introductory speeches, the room was soon pervaded with the noise of lively conversations. A good exchange of views and experiences went on for some time before each side gave its musical performances.

Most of the university's student representatives were members of their "Love Club," which was organized in November 1993, and whose mission is to extend love to all people and to the environment. The Love Club has received tremendous response and support from many colleges in China. In March 1995, a nation-wide Committee on Love was held here at Peking University, which was attended by over 30 similar organizations. Now there are over 500 Love Club organizations in China. The current president of the club gave a detailed account of the numerous activities the club had sponsored since its organization. Although members lack the benefit of the guidance of a spiritual teacher like our Master, their self-aroused realization of the need to create a more loving society and their earnest devotion towards that end prove that the thirst for love is a universal human quality. It was truly encouraging to find so many young companions in China who, unmoved by the lures of a growing economy, have chosen to dedicate themselves to the illumination of their society.

Tzu Chi Village in Zhangjiakou

On the morning of August 23, we left for the six-hour drive from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, where we were to attend a dedication ceremony for a newly completed Tzu Chi village the following morning. In ancient times, Zhang-jiakou was a provincial capital and an important station on the Great Wall. In the evening, we had a cheerful dinner with local college students and government representatives.

The next morning, we set off for Hongchiying ("Red Flag Village"). It was a chilly, drizzly day. Our buses took us to some foothills in the countryside. From there, we walked almost two hours on a winding track along mountain slopes to reach Hongchiying Village.

If our visit to Peking University was the most memorable of the trip, then Hongchiying Village should count as the most touching visit. Although the weather was wet and cold and the track was muddy and slippery, it was the most wonderful trek in my life. In front of our eyes was a green expanse of hilltops. The beautiful, peaceful scene of wheat, sunflower and sorghum fields on the slopes spoke of the industry and humble livelihood of the locals. I felt as if I were walking in meditation, absorbed in the tranquillity and selflessness of Mother Nature.

When we finally approached Hongchiying Village, we could vaguely hear the sounds of drums and gongs in the air. As we got closer, the noise became louder and louder. All of the villagers came out of their homes and lined the only path through their village to welcome us. They stood in the rain and greeted us with firecrackers and hearty applause. Most of us were moved to tears. I personally had made no contributions to the well-being of these villagers. Except for the Master's wisdom and guidance or the dedication of other Tzu Chi members, I did not deserve such a greeting. How grateful these villagers were for the bare help Tzu Chi had given them. The Master has taught us that timely help is always the most precious. Tzu Chi extended a helping hand to the villagers when they needed it the most. For those villagers whose homes had been destroyed by floods, Tzu Chi helped rebuild new and better homes.

After a short "door-opening" ceremony for the 70-unit Tzu Chi Village, we distributed some clothing and snacks to the villagers. At the outdoor get-together, college and elementary school students from Zhangjiakuo danced and sang. Despite the chilly weather, our spirits remained high. Though we wanted to stay longer, we had to rush back to Beijing for the farewell dinner.

A Trip of Hope and Gratitude

The Honorable Board Directors Choir returned to Taipei on August 25, while the Tzu Chi Youth Choir continued their mission in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Every one of us returned home with a heart loaded with hope and gratitude. I saw hope in China for figures like Prof. Wan, Vice Chairman Wu, the members of the Peking University Love Club, etc. They all have a common quality of generous love, a quality typical of a Tzu Chi person. If they could be organized to do in China what Tzu Chi members are doing elsewhere in the world, then they would form a growing force of virtuous values and deeds that could awaken China in the midst of her economic growth (and its adverse consequences). Since China is the most highly populated country in the world, and since it will be an influential figure in the 21st century, such self-awakening is necessary to ensure the evolution of a peaceful China.