UK Vision on the Way Team

前途出国外联部总监、美国哈佛大学人类发展与心理学专业硕士 本文作者 萧明颢

21 days, 4 countries, 18 cities, 19 higher education institutions, 4 secondary schools, over 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) driven, over 100 wake up calls, countless number of selfies, and now we have arrived at the end of our journey - the end of our quest to showcase the best of the UK, and I believe we were successful.

The gang on Day 1 at University of Glasgow. Excluded from this photo are Frank (Dongwei) Wu and Elvis (Dejian) Piana Zhu

Within our group of ten, we had an elite group of UK experts. With a combined experience of nearly thirty years in the UK, there was certainly no shortage of stories, jokes, and moments of sentimentalism and nostalgia. For my final writing task on this trip, I am honored to share my perspective on each of my dear colleagues, to showcase a side that perhaps some of you may be surprised to find out. Each piece is paired with several photos – perhaps a faux pas for those who are experienced in journalism and media (as 30% of our team was) – but one picture is not enough to capture the essence of these honorable individuals…

Note: No bribes or hot cocoa drinks were accepted in the writing of this. However, for future reference, Starbucks’ signature hot chocolate, non-fat, no whip, extra hot is my favorite kind. Grande size please.

Chenggang Zhou

COO, Beijing New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. and CEO, Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co., Ltd.

A man on a quest for excellence, achievement, and adventure, not only for himself, but those who also surround him, Mr. Zhou – or Zhou, as he will affably introduce himself as – is about as low key as you can get for someone of his stature and position. Second-in-charge of the largest private education organization, Mr. Zhou is charismatic, sharp, driven, and overall, a truly down-to-earth type of guy. Not too bad of a traveling companion, eh?

Although he is slightly camera shy, Mr. Zhou’s photos are certainly not. A self-taught photographer, watch him find the right angle for a photo or finally see a ray of sunlight break through the blanket of clouds commonplace in the UK, and it is like witnessing a boy who has stumbled upon his favorite toy store. Look at his photos and you will see a professional artist in training. No need to use those popular photo adjusting applications on your iPhone or Android. Have Mr. Zhou take a photo of you, and you will be taking sneak peaks at those photos for days, months, and possibly years to come.

Blenheim Palace (Photo: Chenggang Zhou)

His seemingly endless energy – putting us all junior to him to shame – has been the engine to the trip. One of the early risers. One of the most punctual. Mr. Zhou’s professional life correlates strongly with this achievements and success. Personally, he has a voracious appetite for the adventurous – traveling to six of the seven continents, the one left over is South America. Yes, South America. Ask him about Antarctica, and he will tell you about his encounters with the Empire penguins, swimming in ice ponds (with or sans clothes, you can decide), and the beautiful isolation reminding us, like Shackleton, why so many seek to travel to this giant piece of ice land.

As much of a globe trotter he is, Mr. Zhou is, a Jiangsu boy at heart, easily satisfied with a good bowl of noodles, and a table filled with heartwarming, authentic Chinese dishes. A young journalist for BBC in 1998, Mr. Zhou found himself staying in London for three years before returning to China to enter in the entrepreneurial phase of his life. His cultural fluency is to be envied and imitated, and enjoyed by those who have the fortunate opportunity to meet him.

Victor (Qingrong) He

Director, Department of International Affairs, Beijing New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.

To me, Victor is a bit of an enigma. If you know his background, you may be intimidated by the fact that he has lived much of his adult life abroad – 18 years in the UK – and now manages and deals with some of the most complex of partnerships and deals between the largest education organizations and publishing houses in the world. Once you meet him, you will never forget him. Ask the University of Cambridge punter (the person who chauffeurs the punt, a type of boat) who, when entertained by Victor’s stories and jokes, informed him that out of the 3,000 clients he has had, Victor is the most memorable.

On this trip, Victor returned to his journalistic roots and his home away from home. Spending 11 years at the BBC in London, one should not forget the hand that feeds him, and Victor does not. With a memory as acute as a hawk – coincidentally, he enjoys ornithology (study of birds) – you may walk upon a run of the mill building or stand on a non-descript street and Victor will begin sharing the history and/or the significance of it. Victor’s work and schooling has taken him all over the UK – out of the all the cities we traveled to, the only place he had never been to was Stonehenge. Impressive.

Yet, there is a softer side to Victor beyond his gruffness. As he was grinding out article after article, my sense was that Victor was reliving his young adulthood and years spent in this country. In certain moments of the trip, the nostalgia was apparent. In the small Chinatown neighborhood in Newcastle, Victor shared with us a photo he took of a restaurant which he took his oldest son (one month old at the time) for the first time. In Coventry, while the rest of us were resting in our hotel, Victor was off in a taxi to visit the restaurant/bar in which he worked as a student when he was studying at the University of Warwick. When we arrived in London, and about to take a tour of King’s College London, we happened to park outside the Bush House, the former location for the BBC – there Victor passionately told us again about his time here, and pointing out his various smoking spots.

Whether or not this trip has changed and altered the way Victor sees the UK, those of us who have traveled with him are certainly going home more knowledgeable. With Mr. Zhou’s gentle fashion encouragement, Victor will return to China trendier and more stylish, flashing his brick reddish Clarks’ Oxfords and faded Tommy jeans. Travel with him, hear his stories and jokes, see him as he wanders off searching for memories and meaning, and you will see a man who has a passion for learning - for culture, history, and simply, to understand the beat of everyday life.

Faye (Feifei) Yan

Director, UK Counseling Programs and Services, Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co., Ltd.

Take a look at this woman and you will see a person on fire – literary from the color of her tresses to the energy she affects with those around her. She is a straight shooter and no nonsense, so be prepared as nothing escapes her razor sharp senses. Mostly educated in international school settings, Faye spent six years in the UK as a young high school student and stayed all the way through to her post-graduate days at the University of Cambridge. Yes, that Cambridge. The school that we all dream about – well, those of us who are Chinese at least. Hear about the intensity of the studies from Faye, and walk about the magnificently beautiful and equally charming campus, and you yourself will be ready to line up to sign up for her services and guidance. Be ready for some open and honest advice. There is no other and better way.

Instrumental on this trip not only as our poster child for UK education, Faye played the unofficial role of caretaker to all of us making sure that we were all well-fed with (nearly) authentic Chinese food (95% of our meals) throughout this trip. Ensuring that each of us had our favorite dishes to eat, we will now all come home happy and fattened up, attesting that Chinese students will have places all over the UK to go to satiate their Chinese food cravings and appease their homesick hearts.

Most notably, with her experience and travels as a student, Faye is a walking reference guide to economical luxury brand shopping and the queen of stylish photo poses. Quoting the best bargains, before you leave for the UK, check with her – whether to buy from Bicester Village or Regent’s Street or London’s Burberry factory store, look no further than a call to Faye – your wallet will thank her. If you are stiff as a board and camera shy in photos – work with this Queen of Camera Poses, and you will start to feel like a fashion model yourself. Whether you are stuck in poses which look painful (tooth pain – palm of hand on side of mouth; waste pain – both arms folded on waist, slightly bent over), the photographic result is priceless.

Kidding aside, Faye will tell you that she does not have any plans to live abroad. Her preference is to stay in her home country, something that is becoming more common as Chinese students find the draw of returning home to be more exciting than staying abroad. But see her step onto the beautiful red-brick campus of her (undergraduate) alma mater – University of Birmingham – and you see the wave of nostalgia that hits all of us as we are reminded of a memorable time in our past. Endearingly, you will hear her say, “I don’t want to leave this place”.

Wilson (Bing) Wang

Manager, Department of International Affairs, Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co., Ltd.

Imagine trying to deal with nine different personalities, emotions, moods, ways of thinking everyday along with handling the logistics of two Mercedes Benz caravans, 20+ odd pieces of luggage, and handling visits to over 20 educational institutions over the course of three weeks for 18+ hour days…in addition to your normal job. This was the workload for Wilson. In Chinese, his role on our team was the ‘guan jia’ (管家) which literally translates into ‘care for household’. However, this title is not apt for what Wilson, or Bing Bing, or Bing Ge (brother) accomplished. He, in fact, was our Master Planner. Our unofficial guide throughout the entire trip.

Always multiple steps ahead – if you recall one of the later scenes in the film “A Devil Wears Prada”, where Anne Hathaway’s character begins winning over the witchy Miranda Priestley – Wilson was securing the unpublished manuscript of the next Harry Potter book even before you realize you wanted it. Moreover, watching him in action with his Nike backpack, like a fashionably trendy Baby Bjorn, he is the Mary Poppins of traveling – from phone adaptor chargers, to student/faculty gifts to cold medicine, and Japanese eye drops, with him at the helm, we all felt at ease. Not an easy accomplishment considering the complexity of arrangements, different bladder sizes, coffee requests, and lifestyle patterns. Yet, Wilson was always there, ready and prepared.

Aside from this unenviable position, Wilson became the photo darling of the group. Amongst the countless number of selfies, and the target of jokes regarding our ballooning waist lines, he soon became the target of Mr. Zhou’s camera – not an easy feat given the meticulousness Mr. Zhou takes with his subjects. A commendable performance, Wilson has one last task before his mission is complete – to send us off back to China – something, if I were him, can hardly wait to do. Well done Wilson, well done.

Grace (Peipei) Zheng

Supervisor, UK Counseling and Programs – Xi’an Branch Office, Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co., Ltd.

Watch out for this woman – she is beautiful, petite, and sweet-looking, with a voice that draws you in and holds you captive – which may explain why she is one of the top sales performers at New Oriental Vision Overseas. From the historic city of Xi’an, my assessment of Pei Pei is that she speaks with her results and action versus words. Her dedication to details, fastidious nature, and direct, yet soft delivery of feedback (recall the magic of her voice) are the reasons why she was chosen as one of the key contributors to this group.

Observe Pei Pei interview Chinese students studying in the UK and you will see them open up to her about their lives and seek her advice as a mentor and teacher. An alumna from UK’s Royal Agricultural College, now Royal Agricultural University, Pei Pei will share with you stories of her days surrounded by animals. Her experience, which seems widely disparate from her role as a study abroad counseling supervisor is only a testament that life and career do not follow a single path.

Pei Pei’s sweetness and clear outlook on life is genuine. Quiet and calm, I would want her on my team in any type of crisis, and for any photo, her voice guiding throughout each “painful” pose.

Frank (Dongwei) Wu

Marketing, Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co., Ltd.

Frank or Xiao Wu (Small Wu – small is used as a term of endearment in Chinese nicknames) was tasked with the all-too-important assignment of capturing all our main video footage. Agile on his feet, carrying a tripod in one hand, a professional camera around his neck, and video equipment in the other hand, Xiao Wu would dash ahead of us and around us getting different angles and stories in the hope of creating a flawless piece of imagery to amaze our Chinese constituents.

A bit less talkative than the rest of us, Xiao Wu will, when behind the lens, speak with control and command, evident that he knows exactly what he is doing. Rarely getting a full night’s rest throughout this entire trip as he provided us with the photographs and video footage each day, Xiao Wu does not stop until the job is done.

However, get Xiao Wu talking about football – his favorite team is Arsenal – and you start to see a different side of him. His sum up of the Liverpool-West Bromwich football game during our stop in Liverpool was that he had never seen anything like it before. In the rare occurrence when he lets even looser for a pint or two, you find out that not only does Xiao Wu see the world through a different lens than those from non-art/media backgrounds, but that he does quite a good rendition of “California Love” and other songs from favorite artists like Tupac, Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z. Having only been with New Oriental for six months, Xiao Wu’s background was not in the education field, but in the media/telecommunications industry. His work experience and sharp eye for a good story combined with his professionalism are what have impressed us as we have traveled with him.

Qing Huang

Training Manager, Guangzhou New Oriental School, Beijing New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.

They say it is hard to find a woman who has brains and beauty and yet, this sought after combination can be seen in Qing, one of two faculty members from the New Oriental Schools selected to be part of this delegation. As my designated roommate on the trip, I had the opportunity to see the different side of Qing, or Qing Jie (sister) as she is known by her online and on-screen moniker.

A genuinely sweet person with a slight habit for self-deprecation (as the Brits would appreciate) – or it is a mechanism? – Qing is the real deal, balancing the feminine with feminism. With an educational background in Chinese Medicine, Qing chose to pursue a master’s degree in Hong Kong to teach English as a Second Language. Her command of English is impressive, especially when you realize that, like her counterpart on this trip, Arlis Mao, she has never studied abroad. Prior to joining New Oriental, she was selected to be a spokesperson for The Gadget Show and spent time in Beijing as well as London as a spokesperson on the program. Inspired by the experience, she has hosted her own English lesson videos which also led her to join the New Oriental family where she leads a team of corporate trainers as well as provides VIP and small classes.

Easygoing and effortless to talk with, Qing is unabashed in her interactions with others, and places others at ease instantly with her gregarious nature. A voracious appetite for life, including complimentary hotel snacks, Qing dives in deeply and with an enviable metabolism (for those tasty snacks, of course). Qing is someone who you should get to know – either in person or through her online/on-screen personality. Whether it be to dancing to pop Korean songs in our hotel room, leading a team of Chinese men in kilts through a routine of “Little Apple” atop a hill in Edinburgh, Scotland, or extracting life stories from Chinese students and faculty alike around the UK, watch out…Qing Jie may be coming to a screen near you.

Arlis (Longfei) Mao

IELTS Faculty, Chongqing New Oriental School, Beijing New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.

Introduce yourself to Arliss (Hebrew for “pledge” or “promise”) and you will receive a friendly response, “Hi, I’m Mao” at which there is a moment of pause as you process whether this guy is joking or is truly the descendant of the Chairman and Founder Father of the People’s Republic of China. Understandably not the latter, don’t be fooled by Mao Mao’s (our team’s affectionate nickname for him) clean cut, innocent, and wide-eyed friendliness. He is the second of the two selected New Oriental faculty surviving and thriving through several rounds of intense selection and online voting before being part of the Vision on the Way UK delegation.

Certainly easy on the eyes (I take a peek every now and then), Mao Mao is the avid and inquisitive listener, which is helpful considering he specializes in teaching IELTS listening. With each school tour and meeting with institutional representatives, I was impressed with his preparedness and research, asking questions that would please the best of professors and bosses. Coupled with his perfect complexion – a nod to his spicy Chongqing roots – and naturally flowing British accent, you would not realized that Mao Mao has never studied abroad and in fact, that this is his first trip to the UK.

As with any trip where you are thrown together for 15-hour days, you realize that Mao Mao’s model-like looks are driven by a highly intricate daily routine. Rigorous attention to food intake, Mao Mao is a machine in the gym, dashing between pieces of gym equipment with agility and intensity. Feel his biceps, and my goodness, you start to feel a little faint and weak in the knees. But don’t be fooled by his charm and friendliness – those of us enamored by these traits realized that Mao Mao is quite the taskmaster in the classroom – no smiles, all business. Perhaps this combination is what secured his place in this delegation and certainly we are all lucky for it.

Elvis (Dejian) Piana Zhu

Prospective Post-Graduate Candidate, Imperial College London and Student Representative for Visa Inc.

When Elvis first introducedhimself to me, I thought he had said his name was “Elvis Panda” and I just thought this was another case of a Chinese student creating English names out his favorite heroes or animals. Turns out that given some still-to-be-determined background story on his family, Elvis, who is 100% Chinese, also has a separate German-rooted surname, “Piana”. Newly added to make up the final member of our team, Elvis was selected to be the Visa Inc. student representative. Chosen most likely based on his strong academic credentials and potential study program (admittance to the top ranked Masters of Science in Finance and Accounting program at Imperial College London) as well as his physical appearance based on his submitted photo, meet him in person and you will realize why he quickly gained the nickname Xiao Pang (translation: Little Fatty or Little Chubby).

But do not be fooled by his cherub-cheeky face – only to have grown even cheekier over the past few weeks thanks to some healthy and robust Chinese food and his love for chocolate. The visit to the Cadbury World certainly did not help his waistline. Look at him and you think he may be only in his late teens. Watch him shop and talk about his life, and you will instantly see that this young man has the wisdom and know-how of someone at least a decade older although he is only fresh out of his undergraduate studies.

A multi-faceted personality – going from quiet and shy to spinning around in a kilt and gyrating to the Chinese song “Little Apple” on the steps of the National Monument of Scotland on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Elvis is a flower that is starting and eagerly waiting to blossom. Elvis will have no shortage of opportunities, and my guess, with his sweet personality and wise-beyond-his-years views, no drought of admirers. My hope is that he takes the time to stop and smell the roses. There is much in life to be enjoyed!

Ming-Hao Shiao

Director, Department of International Affairs, Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co., Ltd.

And, finally, as the author of this article, and relatively camera shy throughout the trip, I would say that it has been an honor and privilege to have traveled with this team and to represent an organization which is never satisfied with the status quo and always seeking higher achievements.

Having only been to London prior to this UK trip, our travels have brought upon many lessons and certainly shifted the paradigms that I have held about the UK and its citizens. Over ten years ago, I stepped afoot in this country – my first time traveling on my own and as a young professional in the first six months of my first full-time job. London and its vicinity are dear to my heart. A walk around Windsor in our final days brought back immense memories once so distant, and so vivid as I walked along the sides of Windsor Castle, looked into the book shop where I bought my Paris tourbook after making the rash decision to hop on the Eurostar to cross the Chunnel, and stepped into the cavern-like Sir Christopher Wren hotel. For me, London and the UK represents a time in my life where I finally felt free and afraid at the same time.

With the UK “Vision on the Way” wrapped up, what we will take back to China will be suitcases of lessons, memories, and stories to share with our Chinese students and families in China. For many of us, we will also be laden with gifts from Bicester Village, Regent’s Street, Oxford Street, Heathrow Airport, and possibly for some urgent last minute shoppers, the Duty Free store at Beijing Capital International Airport. I can only imagine what Chinese students and their families feel when stand at the departure gate in the airport, especially that anguishing long walk in Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital Airport. A long journey, unimaginable experiences and challenges, and unforgettable moments which will last a lifetime

My sincere and heartfelt thanks for everyone involved in the planning and organization of this trip – specifically, a special thank you to New Oriental leadership who have allowed so many of us to take time out of our busy schedules to participate in such a unique experience. To Vision Overseas’ Marketing team who, nearly a year ago started planning and fielding sponsorship and saw through every planning detail. To our drivers throughout the past 21 days – your hospitality, kindness, local expertise, humor, patience, and constant supply of bottled water has made you just as much a part of our team. To the institutional representatives and our students – your experiences, honest views are instrumental in showcasing and clarifying perceptions about this wonderful and historic country.

Lastly, I want to thank you, our dear readers, who have supported us with your literary support and comments. For those who are considering the UK as a study and/or living destination, I hope that we have been able to provide you with the energy and muster to make that tough and exciting decision.

Cheers to all – it has been a great adventure!