Reporter's diary: Confucius and finding friends from afar

World
Europe

02:59

Do you know that Chinese President Xi Jinping is quite familiar with the teachings of his country's ancient philosopher Confucius?

Well he is ... so much so that the gala for world leaders at the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in the coastal city of Qingdao on Saturday is based on a pronouncement by Confucius.

“How pleasant it is when friends come from afar” is the starting point for the gala so I thought I’d go in search of some young people as they prepare to learn more about the teachings of Confucius.

In the Qingdao suburb of Chengyang I found a group of cute eight to nine-year-olds taking part in a preparatory class that will eventually lead on to studying the teachings of Confucius in greater detail.

Now when I say cute, I really mean it – heartbreakingly so.

A group from the city was dressed mostly in red uniforms, while those from the rural areas were dressed in blue.

They sang “Di Zi Gui” a traditional Chinese song that explains how to be a good student and other poems that are associated with Confucius and his teachings.

Wuren Tuya tells me “Di Zi Gui” is one of her favorite songs while Wu Kexin demonstrates her remarkable ability to speak English, “SCO Qingdao summit, I’ll be there!”, she tells me.

Teacher Yang Jian says China represents one of the four great ancient civilizations and is also a place where courtesy and good manners are respected. Learning the song helps students understand China better and the teachings of Confucius.

At the back of the room Zhou Yujia and Wang Jiankun are both demonstrating Chinese calligraphy. Afterwards they give me their work as a gift, which I will take home to New York and treasure forever.

At the end of the class all the children join me outside on a set of steps overlooking a green colored lake.

The children chant and sing, holding up banners and signs that have words on them like respect, courtesy, good manners and virtuous behavior.

They sing their own version of Confucius’ phrase about friends from afar. It brings a smile to my lips ... “friends from afar, how happy we are”, they intone.

If only world leaders attending the SCO could meet these kids ... how happy they’d be!