(Continued from issue #288)
written by Sunny Hsieh
The musical performances came next. Two students, Wenqian Zhang and Yinxian Li, played the piano. The melodious sounds were very appealing to the ears. The audience applauded enthusiastically in encouragement of their wonderful performance. It was noteworthy that despite their busy schoolwork, the students still managed to find time to practice on the piano, and share their talents, expressing their gratitude to their teachers through music. Shortly following was the duo performance by Dr. Wu, Vice Principal of Developing Virtue Secondary School, and her husband, Dr. Lee. They played a piano-and-violin duet of Chinese classical music. The dynamic blending of the musical sounds was like heavenly music filling the air, truly enthralling! This was indeed an unparalleled music feast. Everyone couldn’t have enough of it!
After the musical performances, Yinjun Li and Wenqian Zhang took turns taking the stage and delivering speeches fluently in Chinese and English. They expressed their gratitude for how the temple has been taking care of them, how the school has been fostering their growth and development, how the teachers have been teaching and guiding them over the years. Their earnest sincerity and gratitude were beyond words. Wenqian Zhang is a senior student and is about to graduate. He has lived in the temple for many years and has deep connection with it. From the perspective of a young student, he recounted how he has grown from an adolescent to a mature and the confident person he is today. He spoke from the bottom of his heart and everyone in the audience was touched. In today’s society, morale is corrupted and school violence is becoming more rampant without peaceful days in sight. If all students can respect their teachers and bethink their teachers’ kindness, schools will naturally be peaceful. Only by reflecting on the wisdom of ancient sages and instilling them in education can we turn around the current tide and bring peace and blessings to societies and countries!
The last was the performance of Tai Chi Kungfu Fan by five male students from Developing Virtue Secondary School. Dressed in traditional black and white kung fu costumes, they all looked valiant, bright and brave. They threw punches and waved fans, fast and strong, vigorous and confident. They showcased Chinese athleticism, revealing a different side in contrast to their usual gentleness. It’s very impressive how they can be skillful athletically and also proficient academically! The performance ended with warm applause.
Happy moments always fly by quickly. As the three-hour event was coming to an end, small gifts carefully made by students were given to the guests one by one as a token of their sincere appreciation. It was hard for the guests to say goodbye but they all left fully loaded – fully loaded with this touching celebration and with the heavy responsibility of instilling education. Undoubtedly, this was a meaningful and memorable celebration of Teachers’ Day.
(The End of the Article)