(Written by Hugh Ao, a high school student in Beijing)

          You’ve written that one of your students has complained of feeling depressed.  That’s understandable.  Oftentimes Chinese students have tremendous pressure.  It fills them with anxiety.  There are so many people in China that all of us feel the competition keenly.  The National Education Department once tried to lighten the load for students, but up to now the problem hasn’t been resolved.

          His preoccupation about a person’s life being short is obviously true.  Our arrival in this world is fortuitous, but it is inevitable that we will die.  Most people struggle all their lives – feel anxiety, even despair.  That’s what it’s like to experience life fully.  I don’t think one should envy the ones who are spared those hardships; they merely exist, aren’t truly alive..

          Most of us fantasize about having a trouble-free life - a harmonious family - but darkness exists everywhere.  We cannot avoid it.  When I surf the websites for social problems, I see complaints everywhere.  It’s a kind of battlefield strewn with the wrecks of broken dreams, dead hopes and shattered illusions.  That’s because somewhere along the line the people haven't faced reality.  It’s far better to avoid complaining about one’s situation; finding a good way to solve the problem is a better solution.   

          This weekend I read an article in which readers were advised to live each day as it comes and avoid borrowing trouble by dreading the morrow.  The writer wrote, “I put that dread from me because experience has taught me that when the time comes that I so fear, the strength and wisdom to meet it will be given me.”  If her words are true, we should live with the knowledge that every day in our lives will be good.  That is what we will expect.

(Written by John, a high school student in Beijing)

          When the bus from the military camp arrived at our school, I went to the carbarn to get my bicycle.  I hadn’t used it for seven days and missed the feeling I get when I ride it.

          The weather wasn’t very good.  It was raining a little bit, and as I didn’t have a raincoat, I got soaked on the way home.  Everything I passed seemed different since I’d been away; I just didn’t seem to fit in this old environment.

          I felt very tired when I finally arrived.  I took a shower and then had a pizza for lunch.  It was strange that it didn’t taste as good as the military food.  The whole afternoon was very boring in my eyes; I couldn’t find anything that interested me.

          At about six o’clock, my mother came home from work.  She was very happy to see me and asked a lot of questions about what we did during training.  I told her all of the most important things that had happened, and she was very excited that I got the Nei Wu pacemaker.  In reciting all of that, however, I wasn’t as happy as my mother; I felt kind of lost; it was so strange to be back home.  So I told her that I was tired, that I just wanted to sleep.

          I got up very early the next morning, and folded my quilt in the way my officer had taught us to do it.  I hadn’t quite returned to my life as a civilian.  When my parents woke up, they were shocked to see the folded quilt, and mother said that the army had changed me.  I agreed with her.  It seemed that no matter what I did, I thought first of how I would do it in the army.

          The training experience had obviously been very meaningful.  It hadn’t been only a physical exercise; it’d also been a mental challenge.  It helped me to understand that collective advantage is more important than what an individual can do – especially in hard times.  We have to learn to stand together to fight any difficulties that arise.  I also learned how to control my mood when someone or something makes me unhappy.  The army had been quite different from other places I’d been.  The order from an officer is inviolate; no one can change it – even if it is wrong..  

          Next year we’ll have Farm Learning.  It will undoubtedly be another challenge.  I wonder what will happen then.

(Written by John in Beijing)

On the last day of our military training, I got up very early, but found that my classmates were already up and busily talking together.

          “Wow, you finally got up”, Hu said with a smile.  “How lazy you are.”

 “Oh, come on”, I said lazily, “It’s only 5 o’clock”.

           “Don’t you know what day it is?”  He was smiling.

           “Sorry” I lied, “I have no idea.”

           “Oh, come on!  You must be crazy.  Everyone knows it’s the last day.  We’re really happy about it…..aren’t you?”      

           “Well, I’m not all that happy.  I’ve liked the army and most of the officers.  I know that today is the end, and I’ll miss it.  I want to finish up everything perfectly.”

           He was amazed as he listened to me and said, “I understand how you feel, but have you forgotten the punishments?  At times it was terrible for all of us.”

           “Exactly, but I think we deserved what we got.  You know why we got punished; it wasn’t as if it was unfair.”

           “All right…all right” Hu said as he gave in, “Let’s finish the day perfectly.”

          When we assembled in front of the dormitory, the commander and officers were waiting there for us.  The commander said, “Today is the last day of training.  Your head master will be here to watch you march.  Then we will meet with him to discuss the recognition you will receive.   Move on to the playground now.  He will be there in thirty minutes.” 

 We had never stood in formation like that before - all of us in uniform and looking like real soldiers.  When the motorcade came, the commander ran to the first car and opened the door with a salute.  The headmaster replied with an informal salute and the commander took him to the rostrum where the teachers and officers were to sit.     

          The commander announced that the headmaster would inspect the trainees and music started.  The headmaster was smiling as he walked past each of the lines with the commander, and we heard him ask how we had been taught to stand so straight.  When he finished the inspection, he announced that he had been informed that we’d all done a good job and he hoped we’d keep the spirit alive after returning to our classrooms. 

          The command “Left face” was given, and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army March began to be played.  The officer in the first class shouted “Quick March” and we all strode forward.  When we passed the rostrum, the order was changed to “Goose Step”, and our footsteps could be heard “Pa…pa….pa” as we returned the salute from the rostrum by turning our heads that direction. 

          We heard the head master shouting “Very nice!”.  He couldn’t contain his admiration of how much we’d learned. 

          When we finished marching, the Boxing I and II groups gave a demonstration, and then it was time for my group called Kong Fu I to perform.  The commander ordered us to the front of the rostrum and there we showed the various moves we’d been taught.  The teachers were amazed at the skill with which we performed the difficult maneuvers.

          Afterwards, it was time to receive recognition, a most important part of our training.  An officer seated us in front of the rostrum, and I could see that Zhao Zhigang had a lot of certificates.  He was smiling when he announced that as names were called we were to come forward. 

          Soon I heard “Zhu Yi” shouted, and though I was shocked, I stood and walked to him.  “You got a Nei Wu pacemaker, boy.  Good job!” 

          I was very happy and replied, “Thank you, sir.”

          It was unfortunate that Hu’s name wasn’t called.  He had hit a student on the fourth day so all the work he’d done wasn’t recognized.

          The bus that would take us home had arrived, and as we boarded it, I took a last glimpse of the army post and the soldiers who had trained us that week.  My mind was filled with thoughts of all the things I’d remember about the experience as the bus passed through the gate and we began the long ride back home.