Deng Yangqing enrolled in the junior-college Agricultural Economic Management programme at the Shaxian workstation of Fujian Open University (Fujian OU) in the autumn of 2021. He was born in December 1928, and this year will see his 93th birthday.
Deng graduated from Langkou Normal School in Shaxian County in 1948, has been an educator since February 1952, and has been named an Advanced Educator of Fujian, Excellent Communist Party Member of Shaxian County, "Model Worker Devoted Wholeheartedly to Work" in the second moral-model selections of Shaxian County in 2012, and a "Lifelong Learning Star" at the 15th Lifelong Education and Learning Summit in 2018.
A model of lifelong learning
According to Mr. Deng, "Both the young and the old should spend more time learning." He has practiced what he preaches, and is adept at using smart phones, computers, and learning software.
In the summer of 2021, when he signed up for the aforementioned programme, he immediately caused a sensation among his young fellow students, who called him Grandpa Deng to show their affection.
On the morning of 23 September, Grandpa Deng formally registered at Fujin OU with the help of Mr. Ban Yuling, a teacher in charge of Agricultural Economic Management, who also explained the forms of instruction at Fujian OU and the operations of its learning platform. After an hour, he knew how to log on to the learning network of the Open University of China (OUC) to take online classes, with his younger fellows praising him for doing even better than them!
Asked why he had come to Fujian OU at his age, Grandpa Deng explained that learning needs to be kept fresh throughout life, and that it is important for the elderly to remain engaged. He believes in lifelong education and the diverse forms of instruction at Fujian OU, which will help him study systematically.
He taught in the countryside all his life, and the new strategy of rural revitalisation has created a large demand for teachers. "General Secretary Xi Jinping said that rural revitalisation won’t be realised if we sit by and wait for others to do the work. It can only be achieved through effort, and I want to contribute to helping farmers get rich, maintaining rural stability, and promoting the renewal of the countryside." He hopes to be able to inspire others through the learning he will gain at the university.
An example of dedication to society
In the spring of 1990, Grandpa Deng published a poem in the Fujian Newspaper for Older Adults. "I must keep a firm attitude, and remain on course even after retirement. I should do my part for the growth of the Chinese nation, and care about its fate." The poem expressed his aspiration as a retiree.
His fellow classmates are moved by his diligence, perseverance, and dedication to helping other seniors pursue learning and remain socially engaged.
Grandpa Deng has shown concern for the lives of other seniors, and has devoted himself to establishing an activity centre and a school for the elderly in Langkou and Maiyuan Village since 1995, helping them remain engaged and connected.
In 2005, he opened a school for villagers in the activity centre, with the number of students expanding from 20 then to over 100 now, and coming from 12 villages in the area. He manages the school and has been a full-time teacher there, while also studying at the university for the elderly in Shaxian County and writing poetry and prose in order to become a better teacher. He spends at least three to five days preparing each class, and his lectures are vivid, motivating his students to participate. In his view, the quality of a lecture equates with the quality of learning. Over the years, he has discussed the 18th and 19th National Congresses of the Communist Party of China with his students, and lectured on family guidance, including that of Zhu Zi and Zeng Guofan, as well as traditional literature. He conveys morality tales to his students and teaches “Lei Feng spirit”. In more than ten years of operations, his school has provided 20,000 students an average of over ten lectures a year.
Numerous stories of Grandpa Deng's virtues and deeds have been published in provincial and municipal newspapers and periodicals, and even broadcast on TV in his county and municipality. He has also been featured twice on Fujian TV, showing how a retired teacher can remain unremitting in pursuit of his ideals.
Thumbs up, then, for Grandpa Deng, a 93-year-old freshman at Fujian OU!
By Fujian OU