Medog County is located in the city of Linzhi in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, far from the rest of bustling China. Here, a group of loyal Chinese border guards are dedicated to their mission. Their living and learning conditions are always of great concern for the Bayi School of the Open University of China (OUC Bayi School).

On the afternoon of 23rd May 2018, a delegation led by Wang Chunli, deputy director of OUC Bayi School, began their journey from Beijing to Medog County with the trust of director Zhang Yichen. It took them two days to reach the county. They flew and then drove, climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing canyons, finally reaching Medog model camp border region to launch a book donation activity.

At the book donation event, Zhang Yichen sent a video greeting to the military officers in Medog. He said: ”showing concern for our border guards and caring for the growth of young officers has always been one of the main missions of the OUC Bayi School for 18 years. The Medog soldiers work in harsh conditions, guarding the frontier and paying with their youth. The OUC Bayi School has a responsibility to serve the soldiers and officers and contribute to their growth and progress."

After watching Zhang Yichen’s video, the border defense officers and soldiers said that even though Medog is remote and lacks cultural stimulation, all levels of the military authority and local authority have show great concerns for their welfare, kindling their motivation. The Bayi School's book donation activity has not only enriched the cultural life of the border guards, but also strengthened their determination and confidence. The officers and soldiers will strengthen their ideals and beliefs, constantly improve their cultural level, study hard, train hard, and protect China’s borders.

The members of the delegation were inspired by the dedication of the officers and soldiers. The Bayi School trekked along kilometres of muddy road to enter the post and and deliver the books to the soldiers. They communicated extensively with the border officers and soldiers. Dong Haili from the Bayi School gave a management lecture during which the officers and soldiers took notes and actively participated. The delegation gave detailed answers to the questions raised by the officers, giving them detailed introductions on the development and advantages of distance education for non-commissioned officers.

Song Bin, a frontier defence cadre for the Tibet Military Region, said in an interview that "the Medog border region has insufficient transport connections and other resources. The Bayi School has sent a large number of useful books to Medog officers, which has enriched their cultural life and will inevitably stimulate their interest in learning."

Gong Hui, a model camp soldier in Medog, said, "As a grassroots monitor, I feel that the lecture given by the tutor from the Bayi School will greatly improve my future management."

Zhang Binzhou, a model camp soldier in Medog, said, "Today, the tutors at Bayi School carried out the book donation activity, and many books were presented, covering various fields such as literature and weaponry. This has not only enriched our extracurricular cultural life, but also helped us a lot with our studies."

In order to organise this book donation activity, earlier this year the Bayi School launched a book donation activity for military frontier defence officers. Everyone was enthusiastic about the donation activity. Some tutors who didn’t have a suitable book to hand even went to the bookstore especially to buy some books. The donation activity was also supported by Mr. Feng Bo, general manager of Beijing Anpaike Health Management Co., Ltd. and Ms. Chen Yuan, as well as other military supporters who are concerned about national defence construction. Although the number of books donated was limited, they were carefully selected and are highly suitable for officers and soldiers.

During the week-long trip to Medog, the delegates not only witnessed the strong waves of the Yarlung Zangbo River, but also felt the enthusiasm, optimism, and loyalty of the soldiers in Medog. It is hoped that the officers and soldiers here will be able to actively participate in distance education learning for non-commissioned officers while they are guarding the borders, making use of the Bayi School's learning platform to improve themselves and become a knowledgeable, new-type soldier.

By Zeng Jianhua and Zhang Leibin, OUC Bayi School