Training the Heavens

Chapter 348 Supporting the Southwest
Exams are all things for the future. Now there is a rather special guest who has come to Shanghai to ask for support from Aurora University. He has been warmly received by Zhang Xingjiu. He is Dong Ze from Yunnan.

Dong Ze, whose courtesy name is Yucang, is from Baofeng Town, Yunlong County, Yunnan Province. He is 33 years old this year. In his early years, he studied at the Class A Agricultural School of Kunming Gongyuan, Yunnan Province. Later, he was admitted as a government-funded student to study in Japan and enrolled in Tokyo Dobun College. A few years later, he returned to China and joined the Xinhai Revolution Movement. After making many contributions, he returned to Yunnan and served as secretary of the Yunnan Military Governor's Office.

After working for a while, he was admitted to Columbia University in the United States to study politics, economics and education. During this period, he sometimes returned to China to participate in the revolution and sometimes returned to the United States to continue his studies. Last year, he obtained two master's degrees from Columbia University and returned home with honors.

Although Yunnan is located in the border area and has a backward economy, the locals have a desire to develop education. They have proposed to build a university in Yunnan since a long time ago. Dong Ze and other Yunnan students who have studied abroad have invested a lot of effort in this and made many efforts. Finally, they got the support of Yunnan’s leaders and decided to set up a new university in Kunming.

However, the resources that the local area can provide are limited. Land is definitely not a problem, but funding for campus construction is more difficult. China has been plagued by warlords for years, and most of the taxes that were collected with great difficulty were spent on the battlefield, leaving very little for this university.

The problem can be solved with money. Although Yunnan is poor, there are many local elders who are enthusiastic about education. When the government gives some money and the local elders raise some more money, the school building will be built.

But to open a university, it is not enough to have a school building, but also to have a group of excellent teachers. Dong Ze is in a very difficult situation. Although he has a master's degree in education from Columbia University and has several friends who have returned from studying abroad to help him, how many students can he teach with just these few people?
Now that he heard that Aurora University strongly supported universities across the country, Dong Ze rushed over immediately. He traveled all the way from Yunnan through Myanmar and then took a boat north to Shanghai. Without even taking a rest, he went to Zhang Xingjiu for help.

Zhang Xingjiu was quite moved after hearing this. "It's been more than ten years since the founding of the Republic of China, and a border province like Yunnan still doesn't have a decent university. This is really inappropriate. Yu Cang has traveled across mountains and rivers to seek help for the education cause of his hometown. If I don't agree, it will chill the hearts of Yunnan students!"

"How about this, I still have some money left from my Nobel Prize money, so I'll give Yu Cang 50,000 yuan to take back. It's also my gift to the students in Southwest China. Yu Cang can use this money to build school buildings and recruit students." Donating school buildings to Yunnan is not only for Yunnan's sake, but will also benefit Guizhou, Sichuan and other places. The entire Southwest will benefit from it.

Dong Ze was so moved that he almost cried. He and many of his friends had suffered so much hardship and fatigue in order to set up the school, and had even been looked down upon for fundraising. He didn't expect that when he met Zhang Xingjiu for the first time, he would give him 50,000 yuan. How many school buildings could he build with that money?

"Mr. Zhang is so righteous. I am very grateful to him. I would like to thank Mr. Zhang on behalf of tens of millions of people in the southwest!" After saying that, Dong Ze bowed deeply. If he was not worried that Zhang Xingjiu did not like the old etiquette, he would even be willing to kneel down to Zhang Xingjiu.

"As for the teachers, I'll also try to help you solve the problem. Tomorrow I'll gather teachers and students from the southwest and others who are interested in going there to develop education. We'll have a meeting. Yu Cang, you should first talk about the current situation in Yunnan, focusing on the difficulties faced by students in the southwest and their desire for university. I'll also help you drum up support and try to convince more teachers and students to go to Kunming to help you run your school!"

"I've discussed this with the school board and decided to donate some teaching materials and laboratory equipment to this unestablished university as a token of my appreciation for the development of education in Southwest China."

"Then I'll send invitations to the gentry in Shanghai, as well as businessmen and employees from the southwest who live in Shanghai. I'll hold a fundraising event, and Yu Cang will talk to them again. Maybe they can get something out of it."

Hearing this, Dong Ze was so excited that he didn't know what to say. The man in his thirties burst into tears and could not speak clearly. He could only bow to Zhang Xingjiu repeatedly, "Mr. Zhang has helped me so much, I really don't know what to say. I am grateful for your kindness. If you can be of use to me in the future, I will not frown even if it costs my life." "I just hope that all the students in China can have the opportunity to study. The southwestern provinces are also part of China, and they should have a university." At this point, Zhang Xingjiu couldn't help but sigh secretly. It is not easy to let all the students in China have the opportunity to study. He didn't know whether he would have the chance to see it in his lifetime.

Dong Ze was lost in fantasy when he heard this, "How wonderful it would be if such a day really came!"

He stayed in Shanghai for half a month. Zhang Xingjiu took him to meet the teachers, students and directors of Aurora University, and also visited gentry from all sides and fellow villagers from various hometown associations in the southwest.

When Dong Ze came to Shanghai, he only had some loose change on him, but when he left, he took away more than 100,000 yuan, a carload of teaching materials, a carload of experimental equipment, and dozens of outstanding teachers and students from Aurora University and other institutions.

With these resources, Yunnan is not far from having its first university.

When the news came out, educators from all over the country, especially those in remote provinces, immediately regarded Zhang Xingjiu as a timely helper for the education sector and were eager to go to Shanghai to ask Zhang Xingjiu for help.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xingjiu immediately published a statement in the newspaper, saying that he had spent all the Nobel Prize money and that he would go to Xiamen to preside over the establishment of Xiamen University, so he was really unable to provide any other help.

Many people beat their chests and stamped their feet after seeing this, deeply regretting why they did not act earlier. If they had arrived in Shanghai before Dong Ze, they might have been the ones to return to their hometown with a large amount of money, materials and personnel to establish a university.

At the same time, more people began to send their blessings, hoping that Zhang Xingjiu could win another Nobel Prize as soon as possible. In this way, they would have another chance to ask Zhang Xingjiu for help.

Thanks to this series of events, Zhang Xingjiu has gained great reputation in the country, especially in the hearts of young students, who regard him as one of the most respectable people in China.

This also provided him with many conveniences in running the school. When he arrived in Xiamen and was ready to discuss school matters with other school directors, all the directors expressed their willingness to follow Mr. Zhang's arrangements.

(End of this chapter)