Daily Report - 10th April 2015, Zhou Luo

Three cars of accordion teachers drove for about 2 hours	out into the countryside into the mountains
with beautiful waterfalls, scenery	and rivers.
We arrived at the very poor and isolated town of Zhou Luo.
We were shown to the local council building where they had set aside one room for Prof. Guo Weixiang to teach accordion classes and for the local school/accordion teachers of Zhou Luo Cun Primary School to take daily accordion rehearsals. Prof. Guo Weixiang, was a former president of the Hunan Accordion Association. He had retired (over 60 years) and he had selected this school at Zhou Luo in a very poor area, very far out in the country (2 hours drive) from the city and started the project in November 2014. This school has 109 students (about 2,300 people live in the area) and Prof. Guo personally purchased 20 new accordions, music, stands so that 20 selected children could learn. Prof. Guo also assisted to get a full time teacher of accordion so that they can have practise every noon. Once a week, Prof. Guo would drive at his cost, for 2 hours each way to give these children free lessons. This is an area where many of the parents go to the big cities to earn better money and leave the children with grandparents while they do that, to earn their own home. Life in the country is not so busy and the children must learn to make their own fun. The parents and children really cherish the opportunity. Prof. Guo was telling us that he never felt tired while driving to and from the school to help the young people. The beautiful scenery and the young people energised him instead. It takes him a whole day, to drive to the school, give lessons and then drive home. The Prof pays all the costs of the fuel and the road tolls.
Up on the nearby hill was Zhou Luo Cun Primary School where the accordion students go to school.	The accordion class room. Because Prof. Guo had given so much, the local council had made available a new room for the accordion teaching in the Council building.
Meeting in the local Council Building above the teaching room where we met the local Council officials and the school teachers and education department officials.
CIA Vice-President Kimmo Mattila making a presentation to the two local accordion teachers Qiu Li (red coat) who is the local Head Teacher and Lin Li (yellow coat) with Prof. Guo looking on.	We then went to visit the school. The young children were stopping for break and they line up for their lunch.
and have little lunch rooms	with nice nuitritious hot lunch every school day.
The 20 selected young children for the accordion project sit ready for Prof. Guo.
Prof. Guo gave his lesson,	a moving,
engaging, active,	positive teacher
who held the young childrens'	attention fully.
Some of the smiling faces
showing the joy these young people	were getting from their accordion opportunity.
CIA Secretary General Kimmo Mattila talking to the young children with Crystal Wang translating.	Area School Headmaster accepting the gift of 40 uniforms for the next performances from the Hunan Musicians Union.
Group picture with all the visiting teachers, school teachers and officials plus the young accordionists
Kimmo Mattila and Crystal Wang saying thank you to the two local teachers, Lin Li (yellow coat) and Qiu Li (red coat) and then we drove to the middle school, which is 10km away.	Middle school, grade 1 to 9, has some 700 plus students, including 16 accordion students.
Lin Li	Prof Guo Weixiang
The middle school headmaster.	Kimmo Mattila talking to the students.
Picture of all the group and the students.
Kimmo Mattila and Harley Jones signing autographs	with Kimmo being almost swamped by little people.
And so ended a really interesting day as we drove 2 hours from the countryside, back to the city. Guo Weixiang and the local teachers are doing such excellent work for these young people in the very isolated Zhou Luo Cun Primary School and its really heartening to see how keen and happy the young children are to have this opportunity and also heartening, to see the support for the school that the teaching of Prof. Guo has attracted to the area.