Wang Xinfeng: a well-known taxi driver in Beijing
Guo Jiawenzhang represents a young generation bringing a new vision to volunteerism in China. They are bringing professionalism to volunteer work so they can benefit more people in a more effective way. Wang Xinfeng and Guo Jiawenzhang, these two men might be different, but both of them are laudable for their contribution they're making to the public good.
Guo Jiawenzhang takes an interview from China Plus on Feb.18, 2019. [Photo: China Plus/Jianfu]
Wenzhang: Hi there, my name is Wenzhang. I'm currently 27 years old. I studied international development studies, both for my bachelor and master degree. And after graduation I was involved in work with the United Nations, and currently I’m employed by a consulting firm, a consulting firm.
Manling: You got a master's secret degree outside of China?
W: Yeah, I did my master in Netherlands, but with internship experience in Ghana, in African countries.
M: Wow, at such a young age… so why international development becomes your major?
W: Well, it's really a coincidence because at first I was major in engineering at the beginning of a bachelor, but my university organized sort of entrance exam that if you succeeded in the exam, you got the chance to choose freely between all the majors. And I think that maybe engineer is not my future. I just want to be more open to various opportunities. So I took part in the exam and succeeded, and then I chose international development as it sounds like a very open program for me.
M: So you just want to leave China and go into the world to see the world yourself, right?
W: Yeah, exactly.
M: So actually that major, international development, it is the international part that attracted you, right?
W: Yeah. Because all of my previous life was centered in this region, and I did not get opportunities to see the world.
M: And where are you from?
W: It is in the northern part and my hometown is called Tangshan in Hebei province.
M: Tangshan. Does that ring anything to everybody?
W: Yeah, I think so. If you're familiar with China, you must know Tangshan. An earthquake happened in Tangshan last century, in 1976.
M: And you were not yet born. (No.) But how much you heard about the devastating earthquake?
W: Until now it is the most extremely severe disaster happened in China, with a lot of people dead, and also the whole city was ruined; but what is really positive is that people there, in my hometown, they tried to rebuild the city. And currently I should say that Tangshan is a top ranked city in China in terms of economic development.
M: Do you think that this devastating earthquake has left something in the blood of Tangshan people?
W: Actually we have a memory square in the center of city. So it's kind of landscape in Tangshan. And it reminds people the disaster and how people managed to rebuild the city and the joint efforts of people.
M: Do you think this is one of the reasons that you actually decided to go into volunteerism?
W: Yeah, I think that is really deeply rooted in your heart, if you grow up in such a circumstance, you are more likely to contribute to efforts to others. And also you were influenced by your family, and this will further add more rationale for your choices. After I entered my university, I realized that there are lots of problems existing in the world like poverty, gender inequality. So I think why not just contribute my efforts to the development of the world.
M: When did you start to do the volunteering thing at what age?
W: Well, I should say that voluntarism is not really what you've done through a formal organization; it is in every part of your life. So even as a little child, you could also do volunteerism. And I still remember that when I was young, I could help other students, like have them dealing with their study, to help them resolve problems happened in class. I was also responsible for coordinating issues happened between my classmates.
M: Later, you went into profession. And which one is a landmark action you took?
W: Yeah, of course the one I think I should mention here is the one with the United Nations. Well, after graduation in 2016, I found a volunteer opportunity with the United Nations Volunteer program.
M: Where did you get to the knowledge of this opportunity, somewhere on the internet or introduced by friends?
W: Yes, on the internet, but also in terms of my major, because I studied international development studies. It's quite concerned with the UN system and NGOs. And so I tried to look up opportunities in such organizations. And then I found this volunteer opportunity, it is quite a perfect combination of my past professional experience about research and also in terms of my desire to work in international organizations.
Guo Jiawenzhang works as UN volunteer in 2017. [File photo provided to China Plus]
M: So what were the unforgettable experiences and stories you can share with us while working as a UN volunteer?
W: Actually my title was researcher. But I actually got the chance to work in various fields like human resource, project management, HR, finance. That's also due to the lack of people right now. I got a chance to enter so many different fields, it is really a valuable experience (Cross-fields experiences) Exactly.
M: And you're a researcher and I’m curious about what sort of researchers you do.
W: Well, this is concerned with a publication called state of the world voluntarism reports. It's a flagship publication of UNV. I was responsible for doing one of the case studies in China and this is the first time that China was included in the report.
M: Why it took so long for us to be included.
W: Well, in the past, China was also included. But it's not like a case study; it is just general descriptions...
M: You go deeper into independent cases now. So what was the case that you find it unforgettable when you write about it?
W: I have two research fellows which are university students， and also have a tutor, it's like a national tutor and but generally just like me dominate… (You are the team leader.) A small team leader. (Okay, the main pen.) Right. I actually contributed two cases. And the first one is in the urban area just in Beijing. And it's called shag Xiaguangli in Chaoyang District. And what I found very interesting is that the residents in the communities get together to resolve the problems generating in the communities, via the way of voluntarism. They spend a lot of time coordinating residents, governments, and funding partners to help them resolve their infrastructure issues.
M: But who initiated this program? What do you want to promote from their example?
W: Yeah, I think, this is just a small part of the Chinese community that the residents now are dominating their own issues in communities rather than some sort of formal organizations. They try to raise their own ideas and ways of solving problems. I think this really precious.
M: Who initiated this program?
W: The platform was dominated by the government, but the members are selected by the residents themselves, and also the way how they work depends on their own willingness.
M: So there's an obvious shift from the government-oriented effort to people themselves are motivation.
W: Yes, they try to motivate themselves and try to work together with government.
M: How successful they were in your eyes?
W: Well, I think it's pretty successful. And also, I think this community sets a mode in Beijing. I know that Beijing and many other cities in China have already issued policies to support the establishment of such platforms.
Guo Jiawenzhang (left 1) works as UN volunteer in 2017. [File photo provided to China Plus]
M: All right, this is the thing that you've done. It was the first time that a section about China was included in the UNV state report. Is it significant?
W: I do think it is significant, because China is playing a bigger role in the world. Not only international organization like UN, but also a lot of countries are paying attention to what is happening in China. By doing case studies in China, we can present the good ideas of volunteerism and good models of volunteerism in China to the world, and also exchange with other people.
M: And what have you learned from doing volunteering jobs?
W: Well, the first one is that I think volunteerism, from my perspective, is not simple about providing direct services, it's also in terms of making use of your professional knowledge. This is the most significant difference I see from foreign and domestic volunteerism: in china, many people are delivering direct services to people, they call this volunteerism; but in the worldwide many people, like retired people, they make use of their previous knowledge and they try to contribute themselves to the society.
Thank you for listening to the first episode of Selfie. Next week we will tell you another story about two young individuals who are chasing their dreams despite all the difficulties. One is a chicken farm owner who has gained popularity online; the other runs a small restaurant in Beijing along with her family.
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