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Nation
Print Edition> Nation
UPDATED: April 12, 2010 NO. 15 APRIL 15, 2010
Ordos Takes Flight
Anna Chennault discovers new dimensions of China's development during her recent visit to the hinterland of the country
By YAN WEI
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Cultural links

 

PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF: Ordos in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region epitomizes the nation's changes over the past three decades (LI YUNPING) 

Chennault has identified education and foreign affairs as her major areas of interest.

The CIC, co-founded by Chennault and Kaufman, aims to "promote understanding among nations and improvement of living standards for the well-being of all peoples." It operates an educational foundation in Beijing and has spent millions of dollars to help improve China's educational system by building schools and training teachers.

It has also established awards for Chinese teachers through collaboration with the Ministry of Education honoring 300 outstanding teachers annually.

In recognition of her contributions to public welfare and China-U.S. relations, more than 10 Chinese media organizations—including Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV—jointly presented her an award at a March 27 ceremony in Beijing. A TV series featuring Chennault's life and cross-cultural marriage will soon premiere in China as well.

Both China and the United States, said Chennault, stand to learn a great deal from each other. "China is an old country and has a culture dating back thousands of years," she said. "The United States is a new nation. Between the old and the new, they can share a lot."

As American interest in China peaks, there has never been a better time to showcase Chinese culture to the West, she said. Recent years, for instance, have witnessed an increasing number of Chinese artists, performers and scholars visiting foreign countries.

China has also established Confucius Institutes around the world in order to promote Chinese language and culture beyond its borders, while Chinese young people have added the effort by promoting their traditional culture when traveling abroad.

Despite this progress, Chennault believes China still has far to go to make Westerners fully understand and identify with its culture.

She made the recommendation that China establish research funds at major American universities to sponsor studies in Chinese history and culture.

It is in this way, she said, that researchers and scholars can play a major role in presenting the true China to Western people through their academic research.

Kaufman added that one of the biggest motivating factors for the CIC has been the sincerity and dedication of its Chinese collaborators.

"We think this will influence people in the United States or in Europe," he said. n

Ordos

Ordos, meaning "palaces" in the Mongolian language, is located in the southwest of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It lies from 106°40' to 110°45' E and from 37°38' to 40°40' N, covering an area of about 87,000 square km. Of its 1.59 million people, about 170,000 are ethnic Mongolians.

Ordos is one of China's main energy producers. Its proven coal reserves amount to 167.6 billion tons, accounting for one sixth of the national total, while its proven natural gas reserves reach 1 trillion cubic meters.

Anna Chennault

Anna Chennault, or Chen Xiangmei, is the widow of World War II aviation hero Lieutenant General Claire Lee Chennault. The American military aviator commanded the "Flying Tigers" fighting against

Japanese air forces in west China and Southeast Asia in the early 1940s.

Anna Chennault was born in Beijing in 1925. She worked as a journalist before marrying Claire Lee Chennault in Shanghai in 1947. After her husband died in 1958, she pursued a career in politics, business and the media in Washington, D.C. Dedicated to helping strengthen ties between China and the United States, she has paid frequent visits to China over the past three decades.

 

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