Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

More than 400 officials and business elites gathered in Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai on Sept 5 to celebrate the beginning of construction of a school. Not just any school, but one funded solely by the Zhuhai Overseas Chouchu Chinese Association to the tune of 75 million yuan ($11.7 million).

Highly-anticipated, the public school will be located to the north of West Renmin Road and the east of Jianmin Road. The project will cover about 16,000 sq m with floor space of around 20,000 sq m to be spread across classrooms, teaching buildings, multi-functional buildings, power distribution rooms, outdoor sports fields, and underground traffic diversion centers, among other facilities.

There will be 24 classrooms capable of accommodating 1,080 students from grades one to six.

In accordance with the agreement Xiangzhou will take possession of the school upon completion of construction in August next year. It has already provided design plans and set construction standards.

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Zhuhai Chaolian (Teochew Chinese Association) School in Xiangzhou District [Photo by Chen Lin / Zhuhai Daily]

The Zhuhai Overseas Chouchu Chinese Association, the donator, expressed high hopes for the project at the ceremony, expecting it to promote educational advances.

The Chouchu (Teochew) are Chinese people native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province who speak the Teochew dialect.

Since Chaoshan was one of the main points of origination of the Chinese diaspora to Southeast Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries, Teochew is one of the dialects most widely spoken by overseas Chinese.

Rendering of the school donated to Zhuhai [Photo provided by Zhuhai Overseas Chouchu Chinese Association]

The association, since its establishment more than 20 years ago, has brought together influential entrepreneurs who are keen to establish a common weal. Since 2000 association members have organized an annual fund to support education, targeted at both underprivileged and academically outstanding students. The city of Zhuhai also shared in the funds to enhance educational practices.

Liu Hong, executive deputy district chief of Xiangzhou, urges education departments to blueprint the new school's development in advance and stress a high level of teaching ability. "We should strive to build a modern school famous for high-quality education," said Liu.

An oath-taking rally is held to show faith in hosting the 21st Teochew International Convention. [Photo by Chen Lin / Zhuhai Daily]

To thank the association for its sustained help and to strengthen regional ties, Zhuhai intends to host the 21st Teochew International Convention. An oath-taking rally was organized to demonstrate its determination during the ceremony.

The convention has been held every two years since 1981 in China and overseas. Featured events include development forums, trade negotiations and promotions of various projects.