Helping Hands
Commitment to community service. Spreading Warmth through action
At the Forbidden City
The learning process
When I was young, I went to the forbidden city weekly or even daily to attend lessons and simply wanted to get to know more about the palace. I met a lot of teachers along my journey, and they have all great mentors to me. They were like tour guides, explaining the profound history of the forbidden city. However, I didn't even imagine that perhaps one day in the future, it will be me who's standing up there as a tour guide, giving brief introductions to the tourists there.
Service in action
As I grew older, I saw the opportunity of being a voluntary tour guide, being able to put what I've learned before into practice and achieve my initial goal, to spread the culture of China to the tourists there. At first, I was a bit shy and nervous talking to strangers, but as I try and practice more, I felt confident expressing and presenting myself to the tourists. I even started talking with the foreign tourists there, introducing the forbidden city to them and let people from other countries truly understand the profoundness of this magnificent architecture
Stories
When I sat on the bench, resting, I saw a group of foreigners coming in to visit the nine dragon wall. I thought to myself, why not present forbidden city to them, to let people from other countries understand the culture and tradition of the country of China. I came up to them and asked if they wanted a brief introduction of the nine dragon wall, and they seemed eager to get to know more about the forbidden city from a 14 year old Chinese boy.
This was a 10 year old child having his first visit at the forbiden city. He was curious about the nine dragon wall and its history, and even wanted to know more after my brief introduction. I introduced him to the same learning program I attended, and hoping that he would one day become a voluntary speaker standing in front of the public, introducing the forbidden city to more and more people
This was an couple from ShanDong, and they were here trying to learn more about the forbidden city as it was their first time here. I talked about the basic information of the forbidden city and a few of the palaces inside. After that, they were more intrigued by the wonderful culture and history of the archietecture, and wanted to visit other famous palaces inside the forbidden city
Duke of Edinburgh Award
This was a program I joined at my school, as it consisted of developing a new skill, participating in sport activities, joining a service program, and ending with an adventurous journey in QingDao, where we got to practice our outdoor survival skills for four days. In the winter of 2024, I received the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and to me, it is an important recognition of outstanding contributions to community service. This award is not only an affirmation of past efforts, but also a motivation to continue to devote myself to social service and personal development. By participating in various community service activities, I not only help others, but also grow in my service.
Stray Cat and Dog Rescue
I had this opportunity to participate in a voluntary service program, where I got a chance to make the temporary shelter for the cats and dogs during winter. I brought my own blanket and put inside, hoping to improve the living conditions of stray animals in cold whether.
Apple Field Trip with Migrant Workers' Children
When I was young, my mom since she was from the Apple company, brought me to one of the voluntary field trips organized by Apple. At my time there, I worked with students at migrant workers' schools, helping these children gain better learning opportunities and personal development space. Through organizing various interactive activities like programming a robot, it's a great opportunity to help these children feel the care from the society while cultivating their interest in learning and comprehensive abilities.
Making Gifts for Children in Poor Area @ Daliang Shan
Through artistic creation activities, I helped the autistic children to start to express themselves while making heartfelt gifts for children in Daliang Shan. To me this activity was very unique, as it not only allows autistic children to experience the joy of creation but also teaches them to care for others and spread love.
