I leave tomorrow for Yunnan province, China.  The main purpose of my visit is to observe and learn more about a new organization, Teach for China (formerly China Education Initiative).  Like its sister organization, Teach for All, its mission is to address economic inequality through educational opportunity. 

Teach for China hires recent US college graduates, pairs them with recent Chinese college graduates, and sends them to under-resourced middle schools in Yunnan province.  A representative came to Williams last fall to recruit students and I spoke with her.  The idea intrigued me and I asked if I might observe their operations in the field.  Since I am on leave this semester, and have some travel funds, there was no real obstacle.  And, so, I am off tomorrow.  It should be an informative trip.  Typically when I travel to China I find myself in rich, East coast cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing…) on college campuses and in think tanks.  Getting out into the countryside and confronting rural poverty will give be me a broader view of what China is now.  I look forward to learning from the teachers I meet.

I am also going to head up to the northwest of the province, to Zhongdian, or, as it is now know, Shangri-la (yes, some enterprising local officials are looking to cash in on the tourist trade…).  It turns out an acquaintance of mine runs a cafe there, Black Pottery Coffee.   This is a Tibetan place, historically  the borderlands of Kham.  I have never been to a Tibetan place and I look forward to traveling a bit in the area, perhaps to Nixi village or maybe even Yuebeng.  We'll see…

I will try to blog as I go, but internet access could be a bit spotty….

一会见!