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One Foundation Joined Hands with Tencent Mobile Phone QQ in “Warm Winter Operation” |
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2011/2/18/ Friday |
January 22, 2011, cloudy. The snow falling over Chengdu finally stopped. As One Foundation's project staff member, I was entrusted by Tencent Mobile Phone QQ – the donor of “Warm Winter Operation” to be vanguard for this mission. Due to frequent rain and snow in the past days, the planned departure time had been delayed once and again. So today I took advantage of the good weather and left for the beneficiary of this operation and the western gate of Sichuan – Batang County of Ganzi Prefecture.
Vehicles carrying donated material departed Chengdu and travelled along National Highway 318. The convoy passed Ya’an and got close to the famous Er Lang Mountain Tunnel by noon. Although snow had stopped in Chengdu, the roadside on Er Lang Mountain was still wearing white and shrouded in heavy snow. The road surface was covered by thin ice, so tire chains were installed on large vehicles and small two-wheel-drive vehicles to ensure safety. On the other side of the tunnel, we were greeted by the warmth and comfort coming from bright sunshine. It was amazing that a 4km tunnel was all that needed to separate two drastically different weathers.
 Vehicles on the road near Er Lang Mountain Tunnel
 Vanguard flag flying at Zheduo Mountain Pass
January 23, 2011, clear. Such good weather of the highlands: with the broad sunshine, blue sky, fresh air and white mountains, all we could feel was “comfort”. Behind the Jian Zi Wan Pass (4,659m) and Ka Zi La Mountain Pass (4,718m), Litang – the “World’s Highest City” appeared before us. At the county town where the altitude was above 4,000m, physiological reactions of high altitude anoxia showed up as we experienced weakness, dizziness and thirst.
 In Litang – the “World’s Highest City”
A beautiful grassland rolled out before us as we continued our journey. The grass was brown in the deep winter, but there were still numerous yaks strolling in the meadow, leisurely “chewing caterpillar fungus and drinking mineral water”.
The Haizi Mountain was still an ice world, and on the way down we saw the Eyeglass Lake that appeared on the cover of Chinese National Geography magazine. At 16:00, we finally reached the project’s destination – Batang County.
 Overlooking the Eyeglass Lake at the foot of the Haizi Mountain
January 24, 2011, clear. The donation ceremony of “Warm Winter Operation” jointly launched by One Foundation and Tencent Mobile Phone QQ was held at the Second Elementary School of Batang County at 13:00. Participants of the ceremony included representatives of Batang County government and charity-minded individuals in the county. Students of the Second Elementary School performed Xianzi dance during the ceremony to express their gratitude towards One Foundation and Tencent Mobile Phone QQ.
The donated material included 405 cotton-padded clothes and 405 pairs of gloves, most of which would be distributed in Deda School and Bogexi School by Batang Education and Sports Bureau. Both schools were located at the foot of the Haizi Mountain, where the altitude was high and weather was extremely cold. For example, in the morning when we passed by the temperature was about -12°C. The students were mostly children of local farmers and herdsmen. Their families were poor and they had to live in the school for long period of time, which meant they lacked necessary care and clothing. Many students had frostbites on their hands and ears, as well as chaps on their faces. However, the children were still diligent about their studies under such harsh conditions, and these two schools had been supplying talents for the development of the Tibetan area.
 Donation ceremony
 Children of the school
 Students performing elegant Xianzi dance
Note: Xianzi, also called “Xie”, “Ye” and “Ba Ye”, is a kind of musical instrument (an okhiim) unique to the Tibetan people, typically played by men. Xianzi dance, which is also called “Xianzi”, is a Tibetan performing art integrating singing, dancing and music and being accompanied by the musical instrument Xianzi. Batang is renowned as the Home of Xianzi. During performance, men play Xianzi and women dance with their colorful long sleeves. Both song and dance change vibrantly along with the Xianzi’s rhythm. The lyrics of Xianzi generally cover welcoming guests, meeting friends, praising beauties, expressing love, bidding farewell and giving wishes. The melodies are numerous and dance steps are varied. During dancing, the men and women’s teams form semi-circles respectively, which gather or separate from time to time while the song goes. Focuses of the men’s dance are the dancing boots and foot stamping to show boldness and toughness, while focus of the women’ dance is the beauty of soft and stretching sleeves.
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