Shanghai Cricket Gives Back

Shanghai Cricket Hope Elementary School Opens in Sichuan

School Visit Report by Ainsley Mann

The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake saw an unparalleled response from the Government, Corporate and NGO sectors as well as private philanthropists. However not many sports organisations were able to mobilize themselves in the way the Shanghai Cricket did, a fact made all the more unusual by cricket’s almost unknown status in China. Shanghai Cricket’s endeavors finally bore fruit this month when the Si Pan Village Elementary School formally reopened. The school also carries the name of Shanghai Cricket Hope Elementary School in recognition of the partnership between Shanghai Cricket and the China Youth Development Foundation’s Project Hope rural schools programme.

Si Pan is a farming community about 30 km from Guanyuan City in North East Sichuan Province close to the border with Shaanxi Province. The village sits on the banks of the Bailong River and is buttressed by step terraces growing a wide variety of crops. Access to the village is via a single track part concrete part dirt road. The school sits on the crest of a rise overlooking the rest of the village, over 90% of which was rebuilt following the Earthquake. According to the local district Communist Party Secretary Yang Lubin the village only suffered a handful of fatalities but most households suffered injuries. Like many other communities we passed on our journey, Si Pan has clearly shown remarkable resilience in restoring life as close as possible back to normal. We were informed that the new school had not only been an important part of the Si Pan’s resurrection from the ruins of the Earthquake but a focal point that galvanized the entire community.

As we approached the school we could hear a cacophony of noise. The source was revealed as we walked around the corner to the start of the incline leading up to the entrance. All of the school’s 200 pupils lined the path and were chanting in unison “shanghai ban qui peng you huan ying” (shanghai cricket friends welcome) whilst waving colorfully decorated tambourines and rings. As in most rural Chinese communities the ruddy features of the children seem to exude more sparkle than their urban counterparts and that just made the entire scene more memorable. Their parents stood at the entrance to the school applauding. Before entering the school 2nd graders presented us with the traditional red Chinese school neckties and then we were greeted by Headmaster Yang and his staff.

Prior to the Earthquake the school had been a single storey brick building with three classrooms all of which doubled up as dormitories at night. The new school is two storey reinforced concrete structure and boasts six well equipped classrooms, a new dormitory block as well as a new canteen that was under construction at the time of our visit. Following the Earthquake until the reopening of the school the students were taught in tents.

As the token foreigner in our party Headmaster Yang decided it was time to test my Chinese language skills against his finest students in the kindergarten class. After struggling through 15 minutes of exchanges I was mercifully given a reprieve and asked to host the 5th grade English class where I took upon myself to teach the kids a wealth of valuable words such as Scotland, cricket, Bashers, bat, ball and Coca-Cola. Overall we spent a couple of hours with the classes and handed out various gifts, the most popular of which were The Bashers Cricket Club (a Shanghai team) caps all of which seemed to gravitate towards the most mischievous of the pupils. It takes one to know one I suppose.

Back outside in the schoolyard it was time to plant four ceremonial trees and exchange formal gifts with the school and the China Youth Development Foundation who project managed the rebuilding of the new school followed by a quick unveiling of the plaque acknowledging Shanghai Cricket’s support.

Just before leaving I was introduced to former Headmaster Zhang who told me he set up the school 22 years ago and ran it until early 2008. Prior to the donation of US$160,000 from Shanghai Cricket the funding for the school came directly from the local farming community all of whom are close to the bottom rung China’s economic ladder. An emotional Zhang said that in his lifetime he had never expected to see a school in Si Pan as good this new one. Unfortunately our conversation was cut short when out of the classrooms poured all the kids to wish us good-bye and present us with the drawings and paintings that they had done with the new crayons and paints we had earlier given them.

Headmaster Yang made me promise to return and host the school’s sports day in September and by way of an incentive he suggested I sample his wife’s finest Sichuan cooking. The incentive was not necessary as in my eight years in China this was definitely one of the most rewarding so returning is going to be a pleasure. The meal was of course outstanding.

Shanghai Cricket would never have been able make this terrific contribution to the Sichuan Earthquake relief effort if it had not been valuable support from many organizations and individuals all of who probably deserve a mention but we can only really single out a few. Firstly, it was Coca-Cola and their generous sponsorship of the Shanghai 2008 Cricket Sixes as well as their introduction to China Youth Development Foundation that was the catalyst for this extraordinary effort. Secondly, in Hong Kong we were fortunate to get the support of both KPMG and the British Chamber of Commerce who hosted a very successful fundraiser. Nor can we forget Sir Ian Botham and Allan Lamb who agreed to come to Hong Kong and Shanghai to spearhead the fund raising efforts as well as Merv Hughes and Ian Healy who joined them in Shanghai.

Finally in a little village deep in rural Sichuan there is a class of 3rd graders who went home today believing that The Bashers Cricket Club from Shanghai are the World Champions and that the World’s best player comes from Scotland.