Yiqiao Huang, Grade 11
UWC Changshu
When I was small, I enjoyed hearing “adventure stories” which my mother tells about her father, Shihe. I was intrigued by the exotic sights he witnessed and the wondrous photos he took, and I often heard his words of resolution to travel around the world. Up until now, he has visited every sovereign country in the world. His lifelong dedication to the exploration of different cultures and recording world cultural heritages inspired my passion for humanities and diversity.
My grandfather grew up in a rural family in Xuzhou, China. He was intrigued by foreign comments and drawings in his village’s magazine since his childhood, secretly spending his money on comic books about “strange, exotic tales”. He was especially fascinated by ancient history, including Chinese emperors, Greek kings, Egyptian Pharaohs, and European nobles, among others, and as his knowledge expanded, so did his curiosity and interest.
“Cultural Revolution” began in his adolescence (Phillips) . His favorite fiction such as Les Miserables and The Wuthering Heights became illegal along with the recordings from his tiny radio. He hid his books well and continued to steal radio waves into other programs apart from political slogans and broadcasts. I was inspired by his ability to have maintained his interest in such a chaotic time and his courageous thirst to learn about differences, which became his driving force for future explorations, and now, mine.
During the “Reform and Open Era” of China, he traveled to the Yellow Mountain in China on one of his business trips (Times) . When he realized his passion for travel, he set forth to find ways to go abroad while still tracing the source of his own identity by viewing every province in China in turn. when the international relationship with China improved, he would spend more than half of a year abroad, recording forgotten corners of the world and natural wonders with his camera.
For example, he visited Antarctica eight times in his life and experienced a shipwreck, but after his mood soothed, he set out again within two months. In his future visits, he witnessed the life of the emperor penguins in spring (Huang) . His dedication to preserving natural scenes is equally strong as his humanitarian dedication. In October 2016, he came to the border of Turkey and visited the ancient city of Ani, which he had long yearned for. The World Cultural Heritage Foundation has repeatedly listed the ancient city of ani on the list of endangered world cultural heritage. There was a vast expanse of white in front of him. Only the spikes of several churches were scattered on the ice and snow wasteland. Later, he stepped on the snow on the wilderness path of the ancient city to explore the remaining churches, castles, and ruins. From the few exquisite buildings, the remaining murals, and sculptures, he imagined the glory of Ani in the past (Xuzhou Morning News) . His perseverance in such difficult times inspired me to continue my passion for cultural preservation.
At home, he would show me his collages and often expressed the wish that I would some word day view every one of the heritages and participate in volunteering work to protect them. Currently, through researching diversity and hearing tales of his exploration and determination, I have the strength to keep that burning desire to travel around the world like him inside me, and someday, make it come true in my way.
Citations
Huang, Shihe. “Nomad Mania - Shihe Huang.” Nomad Mania, https://nomadmania.travel/profile/17345.
Huang, Shihe. “圆梦南极拜会帝企鹅 [Realizing the Dream to Meet the Emperor Penguins in Antarctica].” 旅游纵览 Tourism Overview, no. 11, 2016,
https://wenku.baidu.com/view/eafd640bba4cf7ec4afe04a1b0717fd5370cb2cf.html.
Phillips, Tom. “The Cultural Revolution: All You Need to Know about China’s Political Convulsion.”
The Guardian, 11 May 2016. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/the-cultural-revolution-50-years-on-all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion.
Times, Global. CPC’s Reform and Opening-up Policies Overcome Major Hurdles and Change China, the World. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231304.shtml.
Xuzhou Morning News. 徐州最会“玩”的大爷,环球旅行17年!看棕熊抓过鱼、寻过大猩猩, 还在南极沉过船 [Xuzhou’s Most “Fun” Grandpa, Who Has Been Traveling around the World for 17 Years! He Had Seen Brown Bears Catch Fish, Searched for Gorillas, and Experienced
Shipwreck in Antarctica].
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1666644477102652008&wfr=spider&for=pc.
https://www.sohu.com/a/397872999_369772
My grandfather grew up in a rural family in Xuzhou, China. He was intrigued by foreign comments and drawings in his village’s magazine since his childhood, secretly spending his money on comic books about “strange, exotic tales”. He was especially fascinated by ancient history, including Chinese emperors, Greek kings, Egyptian Pharaohs, and European nobles, among others, and as his knowledge expanded, so did his curiosity and interest.
“Cultural Revolution” began in his adolescence (Phillips) . His favorite fiction such as Les Miserables and The Wuthering Heights became illegal along with the recordings from his tiny radio. He hid his books well and continued to steal radio waves into other programs apart from political slogans and broadcasts. I was inspired by his ability to have maintained his interest in such a chaotic time and his courageous thirst to learn about differences, which became his driving force for future explorations, and now, mine.
During the “Reform and Open Era” of China, he traveled to the Yellow Mountain in China on one of his business trips (Times) . When he realized his passion for travel, he set forth to find ways to go abroad while still tracing the source of his own identity by viewing every province in China in turn. when the international relationship with China improved, he would spend more than half of a year abroad, recording forgotten corners of the world and natural wonders with his camera.
For example, he visited Antarctica eight times in his life and experienced a shipwreck, but after his mood soothed, he set out again within two months. In his future visits, he witnessed the life of the emperor penguins in spring (Huang) . His dedication to preserving natural scenes is equally strong as his humanitarian dedication. In October 2016, he came to the border of Turkey and visited the ancient city of Ani, which he had long yearned for. The World Cultural Heritage Foundation has repeatedly listed the ancient city of ani on the list of endangered world cultural heritage. There was a vast expanse of white in front of him. Only the spikes of several churches were scattered on the ice and snow wasteland. Later, he stepped on the snow on the wilderness path of the ancient city to explore the remaining churches, castles, and ruins. From the few exquisite buildings, the remaining murals, and sculptures, he imagined the glory of Ani in the past (Xuzhou Morning News) . His perseverance in such difficult times inspired me to continue my passion for cultural preservation.
At home, he would show me his collages and often expressed the wish that I would some word day view every one of the heritages and participate in volunteering work to protect them. Currently, through researching diversity and hearing tales of his exploration and determination, I have the strength to keep that burning desire to travel around the world like him inside me, and someday, make it come true in my way.
Citations
Huang, Shihe. “Nomad Mania - Shihe Huang.” Nomad Mania, https://nomadmania.travel/profile/17345.
Huang, Shihe. “圆梦南极拜会帝企鹅 [Realizing the Dream to Meet the Emperor Penguins in Antarctica].” 旅游纵览 Tourism Overview, no. 11, 2016,
https://wenku.baidu.com/view/eafd640bba4cf7ec4afe04a1b0717fd5370cb2cf.html.
Phillips, Tom. “The Cultural Revolution: All You Need to Know about China’s Political Convulsion.”
The Guardian, 11 May 2016. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/the-cultural-revolution-50-years-on-all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion.
Times, Global. CPC’s Reform and Opening-up Policies Overcome Major Hurdles and Change China, the World. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231304.shtml.
Xuzhou Morning News. 徐州最会“玩”的大爷,环球旅行17年!看棕熊抓过鱼、寻过大猩猩, 还在南极沉过船 [Xuzhou’s Most “Fun” Grandpa, Who Has Been Traveling around the World for 17 Years! He Had Seen Brown Bears Catch Fish, Searched for Gorillas, and Experienced
Shipwreck in Antarctica].
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1666644477102652008&wfr=spider&for=pc.
https://www.sohu.com/a/397872999_369772
www.unitedworldwide.co