The third day in Dalian, China. (29th October)

We went to the Dalian Nationalities University in the morning to interview nine students. We interviewed three students in the morning and six students in the afternoon.



I noticed several students were walking, reading a textbook aloud. I asked a teacher what they were doing. He told me that they were memorizing sentences. It was the best way for mastering a language to memorize the whole textbook, said he. The corridor is full of students reading a textbook every morning, which I missed to witness.

The series of interviews went well. Every student was enthusiastic and spoke very good Japanese. Some of them only started learning Japanese two years ago and still spoke the language fluently. I was impressed by their energy spent for acquiring the skill. As I had time after finishing the interviews, I looked around the school.



It was an ordinary scene which you may find in any other places called college or university.


One interesting thing was that students put on a cover on their shoes when they entered computer rooms. We might rather ask students put off their shoes in Japan. Such a subtle difference amazed me.



The computer rooms were full of students, too. They used computers to run teaching materials. I understood that the kind of technology was useful when a small number of staff have to teach a large number of students. If you are short-staffed, computers are indispensable.



We went out to visit some other buildings. The square was so spacious and the distance to the library was felt rather long. I wondered why they needed such a large space in the middle of the campus.


From the library, you can look through to the entrance gate, which seemed to be far away. Few cycles we found. I did not know why they opted for walking, but the campus would obviously be overcrowded if everyone rides on a bike.



The library looked modern and well-organized. Students occupied their seats to read something. We went out of the library to stroll into other places.



Students seemed to be enjoying their campus lives. They met friends, looking for something interesting. I suppose that they are rather talented and wealthy to the nation's standard. Studying at a university must be a privilege for the young. I believe that they live their lives under some restrictions, but the option is probably far better than others and they are contented with their choice. We should be pleased to see them opt for coming to Japan to continue their studies.



We were treated with nice choices of Chinese foods in the evening. The exchange with Chinese staff that night was inspiring. We were all agreed on that it is most important to exchange people between the two countries to promote mutual understanding. We are after all neighboring countries and cannot ignore each other. For us, friendship comes first. Diplomacy next. 　

The second day in Dalian, China

I woke up hearing a Chinese flute played outside my room. A guy was playing it on the street. My room was on the ninth flour, but the melody was still audible.



Looking for the guy, I noticed a group of people were practicing Tai-chi in the square down the street. I walked down there to watch how people perform the 24 path. Some of them even practiced swards, whose style I had never seen before.

It was a strong contrast between the modern and the traditional. I wondered how they compromised themselves with those modern offerings while they practiced Tai-Chi. They never minded them at all, I suspect.

We visited the Dalian Nationalities University on the second day, 28th October. It took about 40 minutes to reach there by car and I was amazed to see the modern buildings lined out continuously while we drove outskirts of the city.



The university was also huge. I was told later that 13,000 students studied in the campus.

With Prof. Kunifuji, I interviewed nine student who wished to come to our institute, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. I did not know what drove them to apply for the program, but was impressed by their decisiveness. They were after all very young girls, whose ages were around twenty. They examined their future seriously and tried to change their ordinary course of lives. I could sense strong family ties behind them and how well they were cared for by their parents.



I had better keep myself from commenting on the series of interviews as the result is yet to be known.



I just walked around several times during the breaks and observed how students spent their time. The number of students was enormous and everyone was struggling for a better life.

After a pleasant dinner, I wondered around the city corners alone and stepped into a street where many shops were open. They mostly sold foods. A small girl was playing in one of the restaurants looked after by her parents, carrying a chair, which was too big for her to carry around. I thought how she would grow up and hoped the situation surrounding her would be better.

Four days in Dalian, China

I spent four days this week in Dalian, China, from 27th to 30th October. It was my third visit to China and the last one was the moment when I have been to Beijing probably three years ago.



I had not been to Dalian before and was a bit curious to see how it looked like. The city was huge. It was also very young as most people walking in the streets are twenty's or younger.



The traffic was rather heavy and I had to negotiate my way very carefully when I got across the road.



Main front was occupied with the lines of tall buildings. The scales were rather big compared with those applied in Japan, which made me feel as if I were a sand in the ocean. No wonder people here are struggling to survive every day.



Contrary to its modern face, the back corners still preserve a tranquil atmosphere with a faint idea of ordinary life.



I did not feel alienated though I had traveled for three hours by plane and got across the boarder. People's appearances were, of course, not so different from Japanese, which might be a reason. But I suppose the essence of being human is universal, wherever you go on the earth. (to be continued)