Journey to the Northwest - A Trip to Gansu Province
We impacted thousands of students... but perhaps we received even more
"‘It's meaningful, they deserve to be seen!’ I said to myself before the trip. Half a month before the departure, I began to look forward to it, not only because of the love and longing I have for my homeland, but also because I longed to see the young faces again. I am a child of the mountains, so I know exactly what the students there need.”
These words were uttered by the Z Club’s first scholar - Kayla Bai.
Indeed, we have seen the light in this first ever trip to Gansu province. I saw the vigorous vitality of the Loess Plateau, and witnessed the hope in the eyes of the students who lived there.
Since the establishment of Generation Z Investment Club (Z Club), we have been adhering to the purpose of providing resources and platforms for young people who want to become excellent value investors, building a high-quality community, and passing on the correct value investment orientation, so that students can become long-term responsible investors with vision and passion.
With the efforts of the club members, in 2020, we first launched the charity project Generation Z Scholarship Program (later renamed to the Next Gen Scholarship Program). The funds for this scholarship program come from the investment income of the funds managed by the members as well as donations from partners who support the club.
While helping students from low-income families enter university and receive better education, scholars are also invited to join the Z Club to learn about investing and improve their financial quotient. 2023 is also the third year that we have established the scholarship. The good momentum built in previous years has led us to decide to expand the size of the scholarship program.
On 24 May 2023, we followed Kayla to her hometown in Qingyang, Gansu Province. At her high school, Sancha High School, we held our scholarship campaign with a twist - by donating 100 books of 《大赢家》to the students! We ventured into the mountains of China for the most authentic countryside experience.
"Departing from Hunan, the moment I boarded the plane, I felt my mood gradually calm down. From south to north, from cold to hot, from the rainy Hunan to the clear and bright Gansu, I saw the texture of my hometown for the first time. The veins are beautiful and shocking, with thousands of ravines and endless ravines." - Kayla Bai
Kayla and I (Billy Zhang) met for the first time in person in Lanzhou in the wee hours of the morning, in the hotel lobby. After greeting each other, we took the car to Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport together. Before boarding the plane, we tasted the famous Lanzhou beef ramen and other delicacies.
More than an hour later, we landed at Qingyang Airport and drove to Sancha High School together. The journey is long, the road is rough, and the car ride was tumultuous - but nothing could dampen our excitement. The scenery on the road is beautiful - blue sky, loess, white clouds, flying birds, the magnificent scenery unique to the Loess Plateau made everyone fervently click their camera shutters. We chatted about the Z Club, rural revitalization, investment and shared our own stories.
In the car, Kayla started to share with us more about herself and how the Z club changed her life. Kayla said that she used to be an introverted and shy girl, which has something to do with the environment in which she grew up. As for investment, she has never been exposed to it. The unstable income of her family meant that all excess money must be put into savings to help tide over sudden difficulties. Therefore, Kayla's family did not have extra wealth to consider investing, and the topic of investment was unheard of in the environment where she grew up in.
At the start, Kayla was terrified to touch investing at all. But later, the friendly atmosphere of the Z Club and the inclusive culture made her gradually open her heart and integrate into the world of investing. She started to understand investment systematically, and read up on great investors like Charlie Munger and Peter Lynch. She became confident and cheerful, and now wants to pursue investing as a career. This is the change brought about by the Z Club.
After five staggering hours of rocky road, we safely arrived at Sancha High School.
The event was carried out in an orderly manner. Shinya started with his unique sense of humor and described the benefits of using manga to learn about investment, which aroused applause from the audience. Tiffany talked about the establishment of the Z Club and the origin of the scholarship program. Manga was integral in the change she went through in her life. We also distributed nearly a hundred copies of《大赢家》 that we co-published with Tsinghua University Press to the students in the audience. Then, Kayla shared her story with Z Club, including how she joined the scholarship program and how she gradually transformed into her confident self. I (Billy) also shared my stories in the Z Club, learning skills and life experiences. In the question-and-answer session at the end, the students were active and enthusiastic, which was completely beyond our expectations. The original 1 hour duration became a robust 2.5 hours.
"In my impression, the children in the mountain villages are always shy. They broke my assumption. The students are a group of new youths in the new era. I ran around the stage, picked out questioners, linked topics, and stood with them. My heart was pounding. Under the national flag, I secretly wiped my tears for the first time. They are innocent and childish; they are warm and brave; they make me feel that this trip is worthwhile!"
"I am very happy, but also regretful. I am happy that there are a group of students like them in this small town, who are enthusiastic, simple, and thirsty for knowledge; unfortunately, our time is limited, and I am not able to give everyone who raised their hands an opportunity to ask questions. The children here have red faces, they are real and fearless, this conversation does not end in silence, but leaves with cheers. At the end of the event, I left them my contact information. Admittedly, I was moved by them, I saw their clear and bright eyes, I saw my original self, I saw their hope for change. I hope to do my best to help these lovely people here. Many of them also stayed behind after our formal dialogue ended. They asked one question after another that had bothered them for a long time, and we also took many group photos.”
- Kayla Bai
Maybe this is the reason why we do what we do? We build a bridge of communication between the city and the countryside, and do our best to help the children in the countryside see the bigger world.
In the evening, we had dinner with several teachers who received us. We exchanged ideas at the table, chatting about the growth history of the club and the backward education in rural areas. The principal said that many problems are actually rooted in material conditions. He is very smart and has his own dreams, but he doesn't have enough money and good educational resources, which makes many students unable to realize their dreams. This also makes us sigh. We talked about our scholarship program, hoping to further cooperate with the school to support more students, help them fulfill their dreams, join our club, and move forward with more outstanding people.
The principal said something that moved me: 'It's been a long time since Sancha High School had students from Tsinghua University come to the sharing session, and it was never our turn in the past because the conditions here are not good.' I was silent for a long time. The problem of uneven distribution of educational resources has been around for a long time, but as a student of Tsinghua University, I have never had a real connection with this problem. It was not until I saw all this in person, and interacted with the students who worked hard, while witnessing their enthusiasm, desire, and hard work. Then, I truly realized the significance of what the Z Club does. Universal education is by no means a one-time achievement, especially for investment-related knowledge. The barrier to entry is higher, but someone must start the work of closing the gap. Everything we do will eventually let students see more in this vast world - after all, a single spark can start a prairie fire.
Featured above, Kayla’s parents warmly hosted us over delicious farmed produce. Kayla’s family stays in a unique Yaodong cave structure where it is cool in summer and warm in winter.
At this point, this event is over. We know that the access to educational resources cannot be achieved overnight, but we can only hope that we can contribute our strength and shine a light on this long road a little at a time, to brighten the way forward for these students!
《大赢家》 is an investment education manga led by Shinya Deguchi. This manga is adapted from the multi-million bestseller manga "Investor Z" in Japan. It is written by the famous Chinese manga artist Revolver. The story of making the right investment to change destiny was launched in October this year on Kuaikan Manga, Bilibili, Tencent Animation, Weibo Animation, NetEase Lofter, and Futu Niu Niu. At present, 《大赢家》is published by Tsinghua University Press.
If our journey to the Northwest has touched you, we welcome you to also play a part! Through the following links, you can purchase 《大赢家》 and contribute to our scholarship program:
Here’s how your purchase will help:
For every 20 books sold, we will donate 1 to Educating Girls of Rural China or a non-profit organisation of your choice.
If you wish to purchase《大赢家》just for donations, please reach us at admin@genzclub.org and we will be glad to assist you in the matter.
Through the Gansu Charity Tour, the Generation Z Investment Club is committed to promoting investment education, popularizing correct investment concepts, and providing educational support and opportunities for children in poor areas. We believe that by investing in the popularization of education and the implementation of funding programs, we can change the fate of more young people, stimulate their potential, and contribute to the sustainable development of society.
We would like to thank all our partners and donors for supporting us, and it is because of your support that we can achieve these meaningful charitable activities. We will continue to work hard to continuously promote the development of investment education, cultivate more outstanding investors, and pass on the power of social responsibility and caring through this process.
In the future, the Generation Z Investment Club will continue to expand our influence, carry out more similar charitable actions, and provide help and opportunities for more children in impoverished areas. We firmly believe that every child has the potential to be a future leader and change maker, and investing in education is one of the tools that provides them with the tools to pursue success and change the world.
Let us go hand in hand and work hard for a better future, let the light of investment education illuminate every corner, and contribute to the success of the next generation and the prosperity of society. Thank you all!
Originally written in Mandarin by Billy Zhang
VIP Greater China Chapter, Class of 2024
(Edited and translated by Persis Hoo)
Further notes from Kayla
"The flame is more than a twilight, the twilight also has a huge glow"
Departing from Hunan, the moment I boarded the plane, I felt that my mood gradually calmed down. From south to north, from cold to hot, from the rainy Hunan to the clear and bright Gansu, I saw the texture of my hometown for the first time. , Beautiful and shocking, thousands of ravines, endless stretches.
Lanzhou was the transit point for our first stop. I arrived there very early, and the other three members also arrived one after another at night. Early the next morning, we met in the lobby and went to Zhongchuan Airport together. There, we tasted the unique flavor of Gansu—Lanzhou Beef Ramen and other delicacies that I can’t name, but it’s okay, I’m back , This is the supreme joy!
Afterwards, we boarded the flight to Qingyang. Over an hour was neither long nor short. I overlooked the land that raised me, and wrote a diary on the plane for the first time. , I wrote my best wishes from the bottom of my heart. I didn't write about Guotai Min’an, or Shengshi Taiping, but I wrote "I wish you get out of the mountains, and I wish you embrace your own life". Maybe it's setting foot on the long-lost homeland, or maybe it's rushing to a grand and beautiful agreement, so the eye sockets are particularly sour!
The plane arrived in Qingyang soon, and we drove to Sancha Middle School, which is a rural high school located in the most remote southeastern tip of Gansu Province. The road was bumpy, and I suffered from motion sickness. At the beginning, I was able to chat with my partners, and the letter also said "Your hometown is so beautiful". I was very happy at that moment. To be honest, I was worried that they would not adapt to the environment here, but it seemed to be okay. , They are very happy to see everything here!
Staggering, we finally arrived at Sancha. After entering middle school, I saw the teacher I hadn’t seen for a long time. He was still the same as three years ago, with a smile on his face all the time. After I expressed my intention to come, he quickly summoned the students. Standing in the porch on the first floor, I saw them brimming with youth. While complaining about their ugly school uniforms, I envied them for being young!
We had dinner with several teachers in the evening, and we talked a lot at the dinner table, including politics, the international situation, and personal growth and transformation, but what moved me the most was the issue of educational resources. I have experienced the gap in education more than once. The high schools in the county can never stand on the same level as the high schools in the townships. Not only teachers, but even activities like clubs, the high schools in the county will always have the priority to be selected. The teacher said something that touched me very much. He said, "It has been a long time since Sancha Middle School has students from Tsinghua University to do sharing sessions. In the past, it was not our turn because the conditions here are not good." I was silent for a long time, and found that Indeed. But I always feel that everyone has their own advantages. Although in this remote area, the transportation is inconvenient and the educational resources are backward, the children here have incomparably beautiful qualities. They are positive, hardworking, and honest.
Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
~ Albert Einstein