Build a Better Future with Love

——On Kasukabe City Japan-China Friendship Association’s Donation of a Hope Primary School in Gouxicun Village

If everybody dedicates a little love to others， the world will become a delightful Eden.”

On a winter weekend， bright sunshine warmed my room. When I turned on the radio， a familiar song wafted from the speaker. The passion of the performer in singing the above words took my mind back to a certain group of friends; familiar faces and moving scenes flashed before my eye.

The song reminded me of friends of the Kasukabe City Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA) and the touching story of their efforts to build a Hope primary school. Kasukabe is a charming city located in the eastern part of Saitama Prefecture about 30km from Tokyo. The JCFA branch in Kasukabe has only a few members， but they always unite as one to frequently organize performances of Chinese traditional musical instruments， exhibitions and lectures to introduce Chinese culture to local people. Very often， they warmheartedly help and care for young Chinese students studying in Japan and living in the city. What is most touching is that through more than three years of efforts， fund-raising and soliciting of donations they helped to build a Hope primary school in a poor mountainous area in northwestern China. A few years later， they visited the school， bringing with them stationery and toys， to see the pupils studying there—a touching tribute to China-Japan friendship.

The story started six years ago. In the autumn of 2004， Shizuo Teshima， President of the Kasukabe JCFA， (and currently Vice-President of the Saitama Prefecture JCFA) contacted me through the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo to tell me that， through three-and-a-half years of efforts， the association had finally managed to raise enough money to build a Hope primary school. The Council of the association had decided it should be built as soon as possible in a poverty-stricken area so that local children could study in bright and spacious classrooms. I was deeply touched by this gesture. I know that most of the members of the local JCFA are pensioners and not necessarily very well-off， and some of them even have to live on a very tight budget. But they love China and like Chinese culture， and are willing to work for Japan-China exchanges and help to publicize Chinese culture. They think that cultural exchanges between the two countries will help deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and promote good relations between the two countries.

After careful consideration and investigation， we chose a primary school in Gouxicun Village， Zhaozhuang Town， Dengcheng County， Shaanxi Province， and recommended this to the Japanese friends. Gouxicun Village is a provincial-level poor village. In the previous year， the village had suffered a once-in-a-100-years storm disaster and three primary schools there were seriously damaged. There were cracks in the schools’ gates and many parts of the walls surrounding the schoolyards had collapsed; classroom roofs were leaking badly， seriously threatening the safety of the pupils. Indeed， the school authorities had moved some classes to rented farmers’ houses， and pupils of two classes had to study in temporarily set-up tents.

The Kasukabe JCFA accepted our suggestion. One month later， Shizuo Teshima and three other members of the association came to Beijing， briefing us about how their fund-raising was carried out. Mr. Teshima said modestly that their association was not a big organization and did not have the ability to carry out influential activities. But the members hoped to do something concrete and make some practical contributions to Japan-China friendship. After much discussion， they unanimously decided on the Hope school project and began seeking funds. They held a series of activities such as Chinese film shows， erhu recitals， lectures on Japan-China relations， etc. At every activity， they placed a donations box in a prominent position and members of the association often met expenses from their own pockets. In this way， through unremitting efforts and with the generous help of about 5，000 local people of various circles， the association raised three million Japanese yen needed for building a Hope primary school. Mr. Teshima said they now wanted to build the school with the money as soon as possible so that children in the poor area could have their lessons in bright and spacious classrooms.

I felt even more surprised when I learned that， in order to save money， he and his party didn’t stay in a hotel in Beijing， nor did they try to fly to Xi’an. Instead， regardless of the fatigue from the journey， they took an overnight train to Xi’an， followed by a very bumpy ride along country roads to Gouxicun Village. The local leaders showed them around the school construction site. Later， during the actual construction， the village authorities reported by letter at regular intervals to the association. Mr. Teshima himself visited the construction site three times and wrote articles with illustrations and photos about the construction progress for the Good Friends， a newspaper published by Kasukabe JCFA so as to keep everyone fully informed how the project was progressing. When the construction was completed， the association provided new desks， chairs and lecterns for the school. On September 1， 2005， children in Gouxicun Village attended school in the beautiful new building for the first time. The children who had been transferred to the schools in a neighboring village returned. The school campus was once again filled with youthful laughter.

At the end of November， a 13-member delegation of Kasukabe JCFA led by its President Shizuo Teshima visited Gouxicun Hope Primary School. On the gate of the new school was hung a shining brass plaque on which was written “Kasukabe Japan-China Friendship Association Gouxicun Hope Primary School”. On one side of the gate was the slogan: “Always Remember the Japanese Friends’ Kind Deeds” and on the other side: “Welcome Japanese Friends of the Kasukabe JCFA”. All the teachers and pupils of the school lined up at the gate to welcome the delegation. The school specially held an inauguration ceremony. Local leaders also made a special trip to the school to express their thanks. At the ceremony， Mr. Teshima said he was deeply moved by the warm welcome extended to them by the teachers and pupils of the school and villagers. He gave a briefing about the fund-raising activity carried out by the Kasukabe JCFA. He hoped that the children in Gouxicun Village would study hard in the safe classrooms and become useful to society and contribute to China’s development and the friendship between Japan and China when they grow up.

Time flies. Five years have passed in the blink of an eye. Currently， Shizuo Teshima serves as Vice President of the Saitama Prefecture JCFA. Yuji Tominaga， who visited Gouxicun Hope Primary School together with him， has taken over the presidency of the Kasukabe JCFA. They have always shown concern about the Gouxicun Hope Primary School and care for the pupils there. So， the Kasukabe JCFA organized a delegation to visit the school again. They brought with them not only stationery and toys but also their warm hearts.

After returning from the visit to Gouxicun Hope Primary School， the delegation specially came to the China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA) in Beijing. They told us what they had seen and heard in the school， and how deeply they were moved when having talks and exchanges with the children there. Mr. Tominaga said with emotion that， this time， they specially brought some paintings and calligraphy works created by children of a primary school in Kasukabe. After studying them， the children in the Gouxicun Hope Primary School produce their own calligraphy to be carried back to Japan. This was a very meaningful exchange， he said. He hoped that these Chinese and Japanese youngsters would become friends in the future and a bridge for the exchanges between the two countries when they grow up. Members of the delegation who visited China for the first time said， they felt very happy when seeing the children study very hard at school， and from children’s rubicund faces and clear eyes they seemed to find a long-lost feeling. They would continue to bring books and stationery to the children and visit them again. The Japanese friends also expressed their thanks to the CJFA for the help it rendered to them during the construction of the school.

I listened to their story earnestly and was deeply touched by these friends with such kindness. I remember in 2004， at the time when they suggested building a Hope primary school in China， Sino-Japanese relations were somewhat troubled， as the then Japanese leaders stubbornly persisted in erroneous practice related to historical issues. Affected by it， the friendly feelings between the two peoples declined obviously， and it was extremely difficult to carry out friendship-with-China activities in Japan. But， the friends of the Kasukabe JCFA， holding firmly to a belief in friendship with China， went ahead with their dream to build a Hope primary school and thus have a guaranteed place in the history of China-Japan friendly exchanges. Today， with concerted efforts of the two countries， China-Japan relations present again a good momentum of development and are facing new opportunities and broad space for development. However， we shall never forget these friends who still adhered to and had great enthusiasm for the cause of Japan-China friendship and earnestly practiced what they advocated at the time when the relations between the two countries were in difficulty. It should be said that it is the numerous Chinese and Japanese people with dedication， persistence and efforts like the friends of the Kasukabe JCFA that have laid foundation for and enhanced confidence in the bilateral relationship and helped it overcome difficulties， return back to the track of sound development and advance further.

More than three months have passed since the friends of the Kasukabe JCFA returned home. How are you going on， my friends?

Beijing， March 4， 2010