Together with “Ambassador Programs”, we organized numerous seminars and forums of small and medium scale. At the same time, we also conducted several bilateral meetings between China and the United States. There is a big difference between bilateral meetings and international association conferences. For these China-US bilateral meetings, China Star did not just provide services, but was also an organizer and decision maker, which helped China Star raise its organizing ability and resilience.
Compared with the international association conferences, these China-US bilateral meetings were planned with more creative ideas, more moving details and more sensitivity.
In 2008, China Star organized the China-US Nursing Forum with the Ambassador Programs. Ten days before the event, Wenchuan in Sichuan Province was struck by a violent earthquake with a huge casualty. . Although the mourning period had passed, the Chinese organizer still cancelled the closing party of the conference. China Star believed that though we were deeply grieved, we should continue living our life and we should still treat our American guests with normal courtesy when they were here with us. China Star decided to arrange the entertainment for the closing party in a correct and educational manner. China Star team specially created a performance " Olympic Dream of Hundred Years " and decided to have China Star employees perform it at the party. The performance told the story about the Olympic Dream of China from the Qing Dynasty to the day that China won the bid for 2008 Olympic Games.
The last performance was a chorus “Ode to the Motherland” :
Five-Star Red Flags flutter in the wind,
How clear and bright are the sounds of victory songs;
Singing for our dear motherland,
From now step towards prosperity and strength…
The American guests spontaneously stood up with tears in their eyes when the melody started. Although none of the Chinese counterparts attended the final banquet, China Star’s contagious idea touched the Americans’ emotions, and helped them understand more about the Chinese nation’s attitude when facing a great catastrophe.
The most memorable event was the Sino-US Education Guizhou Forum, which was jointly organized by China Star and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in 2008. About 300 American educators and their family members participated in the Sino-US Education Guizhou Forum held in Guiyang, Guizhou Province. This was the largest number of Americans who had ever visited Guizhou for one single time in its history.
To allow American guests to meet Chinese people and have face-to-face communication, we sent them directly to the People’s Square from the airport to give them a chance to talk and interact with local people in a natural environment without any intervention. This activity improved the understanding between Chinese and American people, which was precisely the purpose of "People to People”. The square was full of laughter with happiness. Everyone present, regardless of nationality and ethnicity, fully enjoyed the moment of joy.
The Sino-US Education Guizhou Forum was held in Guizhou Normal University. During the forum, we arranged for student volunteers of all ethnic groups to provide one-on-one services and offer them the most opportunities possible to communicate with American educators. Volunteers in their own national costumes accompanied the American guests to visit the classrooms, libraries, laboratories and other. school facilities, and had lunch together in the student cafeteria. They asked each other questions about learning, living, hobbies, family, etc. They also discussed the differences between Chinese and American education systems and their understanding of being a teather.
The classrooms were used for the parallel sessions, and tea breaks with local tea and cookies were arranged in the corridors of teaching buildings. These activities were so harmonious and appreciated by the meeting attendees.
While holding a conference in Guizhou Province, a poverty-stricken area, we also fulfilled our corporate social responsibility, and donated 100,000 RMB to the Hope Project in Guizhou. Meanwhile, we encouraged the Ambassador Programs to sponsor 50 teachers from remote mountainous regions to attend the Sino-U.S. Education Guizhou Forum in Guiyang, the capital city of the province.
The highlight of the forum was the visit to the Changjiao village primary school in Anshun, Guizhou. We arranged the post tour for all American guests so that they could interact with the teachers, hand out kits and share their joy with the villagers.
Changjiao village was a poor village of Bouyi nationality. The teaching buildings of Changjiao village primary school were shabby and its facilities were simple. Ambassador Programs and China Star provided financial and material assistance systematically to the Changjiao village primary school, built a teaching building, donated TV sets, books, and sporting goods, etc. The villagers were very grateful and returned their love to American guests. They spontaneously performed local opera and dance which greatly moved the American educators to engage in a performance of their own. They also taught the students to play American children’s games that amused all the villagers. All of them had a great time. China Star’s efforts gave everyone on the scene an unforgettable moment of life.
