Continuation Seven: July 16, 2009 (Thursday) - Organizing Books
Photo Description: Books donated to the mountainous area elementary school in Yunnan are being organized.
Photo Description: Books donated to the mountainous area elementary school in Yunnan are being organized.
Photo Description: Books donated to the mountainous area elementary school in Yunnan are being organized.
Photo Description: Books donated to the mountainous area elementary school in Yunnan are being organized.
Continuation Six: July 10, 2009 (Friday) - Preliminary Statistics and Summary
1. According to the book list, all available books have been fully prepared, totaling 40 packages, 513 varieties, 1503 sets, and 1757 books. Original price ¥58,532.54.
2. Thanks to the strong support of Guanghong Education Bookstore in Nanhai, with meticulous coordination, the discounted price after the promotion is actually received at ¥40,951.78, saving ¥17,570.76.
3. In addition, 2000 adhesive labels were printed for sticking the names of donors on each book, costing ¥230.00.
Continuation Five: July 4, 2009 (Saturday) - List of Love Donors (Total: ¥42,000.00)
Nanhai: (Total: ¥10,944.82)
He Guangjing ¥10,000.00
Members of the Nanhai District再生 Resources Association ¥944.82
Li Shengzhi 3000 pencils
Shenzhen: (Total: ¥4,700.00)
Fu Hongmei ¥2,000.00
Xu Tao ¥2,000.00
Chen Yilong ¥500.00
Yang Guanghua ¥100.00
Zhang Dongjiu ¥50.00
Liu Junjie ¥50.00
Last year's remaining funds from Sichuan disaster relief donations: (¥26,355.18)
Here again is the list of Nanhai benevolent individuals who contributed money, materials, and efforts:
Luo Jing, Xu Guanxing, Chen Faqiu, Mai Haoqiang, Li Yongbiao, Li Jianfeng, He Weicheng, Li Minhui, Li Ben,
Liang Shaoying, Chen Biwen, Du Yansheng, Li Shengzhi, Qin Da, Jian Yuhong, Lu Zhenlong, Liang Manjian, Chen Guang,
Huang Fuhua, He Yiying, Liang Zhijiang, Xie Xiugan, Lü Zhi'an, Liang Jianhong, Chen Xianrong, Wu Jiayue, Laoguishih,
Zhang Shengqiang, Liang Shuhua, Li Bixia, Li Xia, He Jiemei, Foshan City Nanhai District再生 Resources Association,
Foshan Meikangxin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Foshan Northern Optoelectronic Metal Co., Ltd.
Others:
Kunming Deng Xiaoxia, Guangzhou Zhou Ying, Guilin Jiang Xiaohua, Zhanjiang Shen Yun
The above list from last year's disaster relief can also be found at the following websites:
Understanding Guangdong Foshan Volunteers - Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Student Volunteer Essay (Part Four)
http://www.scgqt.org.cn/Special/2008/kzjz/NewsShow.asp?ID=ex_2008617847495667.475
http://www.cdutcm.edu.cn/Get/xyxw/185826216.htm
A long road to rebuilding, we will return soon (Southern Daily, June 27, 2008)
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/epaper/nfrb/content/20080627/ArticelND04002FM.htm
Attached Photo: In the winter of 2007, "Laogui" delivered quilts to Taiping Village Primary School in Ludian Township, Yunnan.
See Southern Daily December 28, 2007 D04 Edition.
Attached Photo: Scene of delivering books to Taiping Village Primary School in Ludian Township, Yunnan in November 2007.
See Southern Daily November 30, 2007 D04 Edition.
Continuation Four: July 3, 2009 (Friday) - Arrival of Books and Old Fu's Donation
At four o'clock in the afternoon, my phone rang, and I saw it was a call from Long. So as soon as I answered, I said, "Hey, I'm driving again, so it's convenient to talk!" I could hear Long laughing on the other end of the phone.
I haven't used up an entire tank of gas within 24 hours in a long time, even though this year I still changed to a 3.0-liter car. But over these two days, that happened again; less than 24 hours later, I had used up 87 liters of gasoline, unknowingly covering 630 kilometers. When I got home that evening, I felt like I was falling apart, and my whole back was stiff.
In the phone call, Long said the books had already arrived in Nanhai, now stored in the bookstore's warehouse, a total of 40 packages, asking where they should be placed. I said there were so many, maybe we could temporarily borrow space from a primary school to store them. Or we could bring them to our office at work, or simply organize them directly in the warehouse to save trouble. Still, I reminded Long to confirm the price first. He agreed and hung up.
Less than five minutes later, the phone rang again. He apologized, saying that the first batch had used up all my money, about 56,000 yuan originally priced, but after a 75% discount, it came to around 40,000 yuan. The next week, another batch would arrive, accounting for about 10% of the total booklist, requiring about 5,000 more. Well, I had mentally prepared for this beforehand. Actually, many friends were paying attention to this matter, and money wasn't an issue. However, I guess I'll just hold off on buying a computer. I believe the remaining funding gap will be resolved soon. Long also mentioned that since there was no air conditioning in the bookstore warehouse, they agreed to lend us a packaging binding machine for convenience in organizing and packaging for transport, to avoid dirt or damage. I said we might as well deliver them to our office at work, after all, it's right next to the bookstore storefront, separated only by a wall. Long said, let's set the pickup date for Monday. "No problem! Let's go ahead with Monday then!" I made the final decision.
There was another unexpected event, due to too many calls, by lunchtime, my phone battery was drained. During this period, I probably used my phone too much, and I started feeling a slight headache on the right side of my head. After lunch, I plugged my phone into the car charger and turned it on. As soon as I did, I received a QQ mobile message from a hiking friend - Old Fu, offering me 2,000 yuan. At the time, I didn't take it seriously because I was rushing and hadn't replied yet. But truly, this was a sign from heaven! After receiving Long's call, while stopping to refuel, I quickly sent a polite text message to Old Fu. She responded very readily, simply saying, "Then send me your account details." It's hard to explain this feeling, but true soulmates often connect in such mysterious ways. I was deeply moved; heaven has indeed been kind to me. A grateful heart will accompany me on my journey ahead, always along the way.
Tomorrow and the day after are Saturday and Sunday, but I will still be occupied with work-related matters. It's also time to prepare the donor list and stamp it. Oh, Feng called wanting to meet me tonight, but I guess he'll be alone this time. Haha! Anyway, he brought back over 200 discs, so he won't burn through them anytime soon. Li Peng also called wanting to discuss tea exchanges, but I had to bluntly say I was busy, sparing even a few extra seconds to talk. Another friend called, hearing that I was busy, and since I've been unreachable for five consecutive working days this week, directly asked if I'd seen a ghost, zxy_Sina Blog A! Haha, we all laughed it off and hung up. However, I believe all these are close friends who will accommodate me. Gratitude is everywhere!
Additional Note:
On Saturday morning, Old Fu sent two consecutive text messages: "Wait a moment, I'm trying hard to reach 2600, see if I can get more by tonight," "Now I have 4600."
Below is an excerpt from Old Fu's blog post:
"Today I woke up very early, don't know why, I hardly slept from last night to this morning. I sincerely hope to help the elementary school students there do something, hoping they can have books to read, suitable books for them. Of course, I hope one of those books can change his or her life, opening their future. So I spent the whole morning calling my friends, thank you -- my kind-hearted friends, your selflessness, generosity, and benevolence!"
Continuation Three: June 30, 2009 (Tuesday) - News About the Books and Unexpected Pencils
Yesterday and today, good news came in. First, yesterday afternoon, Long called me mysteriously asking if it was convenient to talk. I said yes, I was driving, and then with excitement in his voice, he told me that about 80% of the books according to the list had been found, and they would arrive in Nanhai within the next two days. Additionally, 10% would be secured within ten days. What to do about the remaining 10%? Hearing this news, my mood brightened immediately despite being stuck in traffic in the city. Human effort makes things happen; doing what we can, since we've tried, finding 90% of the books according to the list is already excellent! The remaining 10% not being found, I estimate no one will complain, after all, we've already managed to prepare nearly a thousand books for each elementary school library!
I reminded Long to give me a quote so I could prepare the cash. Long said money isn't an issue! Annoyingly, every time I ask friends for help, they're never in a hurry to collect payment. Is this also a kind of blessing? Haha, borrowing without owing, those who mix with others eventually have to pay back. Laughing, I told Long that I hate owing people money, and since this money comes from everyone's donations, I mainly need to know the rough budget because I still want to buy a computer. Then we discussed temporary storage issues. Long suggested using his connections to find a primary school to help store them temporarily, since we still need to organize them and stick the donor's name on each book. I thought it wasn't a big problem, not a decisive difficulty, we'll figure it out when the time comes.
In the evening, another friend saw my trip to Yunnan through social media and asked via QQ if we needed pencils, if a thousand would suffice. He wanted eco-friendly ones, directly contacting pencil factories for unpainted ones, which aligns with my views. After all, anything usable works, and unpainted ones are indeed environmentally friendly. I was delighted and naturally accepted everything. However, I made a request: a thousand isn't enough, at least we need fifteen hundred.
Unexpectedly, the friend personally delivered the pencils tonight, a box, a total of three thousand pieces. Thank you!
Continuation Two: June 25, 2009 (Thursday) - Initial Travel Plan
D1 July 30, Thursday - Depart at 4 PM. Via Yunfu, Deqing, Wuzhou, Nanning, Baise, Fushan, Mile.
D2 July 31, Friday - Arrive in Kunming at noon, rest and adjust.
D3 August 1, Saturday - Head to Lijiang, stay in Shuhe or Ancient Town.
D4 August 2, Sunday - Head to Ludian, contact the central primary school and Taiping Village Primary School, build a library, stay in Ludian.
D5 August 3, Monday - Enter Machang Primary School, investigate feasibility of educational assistance, stay in Ludian.
D6 August 4, Tuesday - Via Tacheng, Weixi, Yunling, arrive in Deqin, stay at Feilaishi.
D7 August 5, Wednesday - Via Baimang Snow Mountain, arrive in Zhongdian, stay at "Camel's" home.
D8 August 6, Thursday - Return to Dali, stay in Dali.
D9 August 7, Friday - Return to Kunming towards Simao, stay in Simao or Menghai.
D10 August 8, Saturday - Head to Lao Ban Zhang, stay in Lao Ban Zhang.
D11 August 9, Sunday - Return to Menghai.
D12 August 10, Monday - Head to Bang Wei.
D13 August 11, Tuesday - Return to Kunming.
D14 August 12, Wednesday - Return to Foshan.
Continuation One: June 20, 2009 (Saturday) - Progress Summary
The customs reissued its Order No. 61 of 2003 conference exactly one month ago today. If last year's price crash was a natural disaster, then this time we've encountered man-made calamities. Others ask me if the entire industry has come to a halt. I say no, it's immediate suffocation. Because it concerns survival.
Work has become immeasurably busy, thus preparations for the Yunnan trip have correspondingly paused. Nevertheless, there are still some things that must be confirmed, especially the issue of books.
Dangdang.com has a group-buying customer service representative, and the so-called "quality service" written online initially gave me great hope. However, after sending the book list email for a week, the customer service representative called me to inform that I would need to look for each book individually online and place orders myself. I said I have limited time and energy, and she replied, "Just get more people to help!" Haha, it left me both crying and laughing. Unwilling to argue further, after all, change what you can, accept what you cannot, if you cannot accept, learn tolerance, if you cannot tolerate, abandon. I cannot abandon, so I have to think of other ways. Joybuy doesn't have a group-buying service section, and I can't harbor any illusions anymore. Time is pressing closer and closer, but Long's suggestion relieved me greatly. He suggested letting the education system bookstore help me solve it. After seven days, Long's reply was that the book list was too scattered, but they were still trying. Hmm, together we expect solutions in the process...
Because the helping bookstore is in Nanhai, Long and I planned that ideally, all the books should arrive in Nanhai before July 5th, to be sorted and categorized here, and the names of those who funded the purchase printed on the books, then shipped via logistics to Lijiang, and then we would go there to meet up.
Additionally, Sister Wang sent the "Rural Youth" magazine to Yunnan this week, asking me to confirm the receipt situation there. She casually asked about my book situation, and I truthfully replied that the book list was too scattered, making it hard to find the books, and estimated that getting discounts would be difficult to negotiate. But we are still in the process of trying.
Work is too busy, leaving home early and returning late, but I hope the preparation of the books can still be successfully completed.
May 21, 2009
Last year's Sichuan earthquake donation left a balance of ¥26,355.18. Originally, I intended to return this year and spend this money on school construction there. However, upon understanding the current actual situation, more than 20,000 yuan is merely a drop in the ocean for them, not much use. On the other hand, the civilian forces and government disaster relief efforts are currently very comprehensive and detailed, especially the school-to-school aid reconstruction, which is carried out very effectively. After experiencing confusion and contemplation, I decided to add my own contribution to make it up to 30,000 yuan, to buy books and computers and send them to the relevant primary schools in Ludian Township, Yunnan, where we have been providing ongoing assistance.
Forgive my flip-flopping, but this decision has caused me much internal conflict, and I have carefully considered it. However, I believe that the people of Sichuan will understand my feelings. I just want to put the bread into the hands of those who need it most urgently. And helping children in Yunnan will allow you to share in the joy of helping others and a grateful heart! Thank you!
Yesterday at noon, I just happened to connect with Wang Yue on QQ, naturally discussing the issue of buying books, wanting their Overseas Chinese Education Fund to provide some advice and draft a book list for me, so I can buy books suitable for children's education and growth. Since they have been involved in rural school library construction for many years, they are quite experienced. She readily agreed, but due to division of labor, she needs to consult with her colleagues responsible for books before informing me. Additionally, she told me a piece of good news, they publish a free magazine - "Rural Youth", which can be sent to the schools I wish to assist based on the ratio of one copy per ten students. Naturally, I accepted it without hesitation, but I need to first confirm the number of students at the schools in Ludian, Yunnan.
I immediately called Principal Ruan Xueyong. He has now been transferred to the Central Primary School as principal, while the original Taiping Village Complete Primary School is now led by Principal Wang Jiajun. The Central Primary School has over 480 students, Taiping Village Complete Primary School now has 228 students, and additionally, the most difficult Ma Chang Primary School, which I didn't enter last time due to time and distance (a 2-3 hour hike), has fewer than 30 students, with only two classes opened.
After confirming the numbers and the magazine quantity with Principal Ruan over the phone, I immediately informed Wang Yue via QQ and provided detailed contact information and addresses. Of course, during the phone call, I also informed Principal Ruan about my plan to visit them this summer and bring computers and books. Moreover, I really want to visit Ma Chang Primary School. I believe, the deeper into the mountains, the greater the urgent need for help.
After finishing the call, I waited for Wang Yue to provide the book list. I summarized the content of the phone call with Principal Ruan into two mobile text messages to Principal Wang Jiajun. These included the delivery of "Rural Youth" magazines and my summer plans. I also thought about how to find a wholesale book vendor to bargain according to the book list. Initially, I planned to negotiate with dangdang.com for a discount, with the advantage of online payment. They could categorize and package them according to my requirements and ship them directly to Lijiang. In Lijiang, we could find a warehouse for temporary storage until I arrived to organize and deliver them into the mountains.
Regarding the computers, one host + monitor per school, one voltage stabilizer, plus a dot matrix printer, should be a good combination. However, I need to consider maintenance and warranty issues. How is Lenovo service in Lijiang? Or should I choose Dell? This requires consulting a classmate who works at Dell for more information and comparison.
During dinner tonight, I met Mr. He Guangjing. Last year, he sponsored disaster areas and also supported the Lions Club's cataract recovery project in Yunnan. I shamelessly asked him for money, haha, and he generously offered to sponsor me with 10,000 yuan, haha, thank you! Thank you, I will not disappoint your trust!
As usual, all expenses for this trip will be disclosed online, welcoming everyone's supervision. I'll write up to here for now, starting a new chapter, and will update with any new developments. Work has been extremely busy recently, goodnight.