In the current wave of globalization, the boundaries of education are continually being expanded. International education, in particular, serves as a window through which children can gaze upon the vastness of the world; It is also like a bridge, constructing a passage for the exchange and mutual learning among different cultures.
Over the past four decades, international schools with diverse systems and philosophies have added a splendid chapter to Shenzhen's internationalization. As the first international school in Shenzhen to offer authentic British education and a boarding management system, Shenzhen Merchiston International School has now completed seven years of its journey.
This year, the international school has officially launched aThree-year Action Planfor quality improvement, striving towards the first decade of high-quality development. Recently, the "Exploring Schools" series by South Plus visited Shenzhen Merchiston Longhua Campus, engaging in dialogues with several leaders from Shenzhen Lighthouse International Education Group and Shenzhen Merchiston International School to gain a deeper understanding of the school's internal driving force for development.
Nowadays, how to cultivate talents with both profound cultural awareness and a broad international perspective has become a major focus.
Shenzhen Merchiston International School, with our innovative educational philosophy and outstanding practices, provide our own answers—creating a joyful school, a school that shapes souls and characters, a school with academic excellence and the warmest atmosphere, and a British boarding international school that understands China best, faces the world, and embraces the future.
How to balance between an international perspective and the roots of Chinese culture? Entering the school, you will find that there is a perfect blend of Chinese and Chinese cultural arts with international curricula. Learning intangible cultural heritage has become a daily routine for students, and our foreign teachers can deeply different cultures here, with everyone aware of traditional customs during festivals. Here, not only is the CPC Party branch established here, but scholarships are also provided for children of scientists and Hong Kong Patriots police officers...
Interview Transcript:
Led by the Party:
Education Goes Steady and Far
South Plus: Why was a CPC Party branch established in a school for children of foreigners? What do you think is the main role of the Party branch?
Lyu Jianjun, Chairman of the Board of Shenzhen Lighthouse International Education Group and Founder of MIS Shenzhen: Personally, I am a Party member for years, and I have been profoundly influenced by the Party in my previous work. As an educational institution, we hope that the core leadership role of the Party can be organically integrated with the system of school. This ensures that the Party and the people can confidently entrust their children to us for their education. To this end, in 2021, Shenzhen Merchiston International School established a CPC Party branch office.
I believe that the Party branch and its members play a supervisory and guiding role in the overall development of the school. On the one hand, they ensure that the school does not deviate from its mission or lose its essence. On the other hand, some Party members and applicant for Party membership who are bilingual teachers exemplify the model role of Party members in their teaching, contributing to the school's efficient and high-quality development.
Regarding foreign teachers, the Party branch also serves as a "stabilizer." For example, the Party branch actively communicates with foreign teachers, sharing Chinese language and culture, and helping them better understand national policies. This reduces the impact of global diplomatic relations, allowing them to work with peace of mind, focus on teaching, and dedicate themselves to nurturing students.
South Plus: What unique activities has the Party branch brought to the school, as well as learning resources?
Rachel Chen, First Secretary of MIS Shenzhen: To promote the transformation and upgrading of private schools and strengthen Party building, Longhua District has introduced a system of dispatching "First secretaries", selecting outstanding Party members from public schools to serve as the "First secretary" of Party branches in private schools. Currently, I am the fourth "First secretary" at the school.
To provide students with broader learning opportunities, the successive First Secretary at MIS have actively played a bridging role by establishing the Longhua Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Exhibition and Learning Center. This center integrates multiple functions such as "Science popularization + Exhibition + Teaching" bringing together ICH cultural resources from Dalang Subdistrict, the Longhua Folk Literature and Art Association, the Shenzhen Rosewood Furniture Museum, and Daiwei Lifestyle Museum, among others.
Leveraging this center, the school has further established ICH master workshops, regularly offering ICH cultural courses and inviting ICH masters to campus to teach students and faculty skills such as wheat straw painting, paper cutting, Luban locks, and Qilin dance. Students and teachers start with observation and learning, gradually delving into hands-on practice, personally experiencing the unique charm of ICH culture.
Here, Chinese language learning has also been imbued with deeper significance. It is not merely the study of a language but a key to unlocking the treasure of traditional Chinese culture. The school makes full use of traditional festivals to organize Chinese Week activities among students and teachers, such as writing Spring Festival couplets, making mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival. These activities provide students with a comprehensive, multi-faceted platform to experience traditional festivals and customs, shaping strong cultural identity in their hearts.
In April of this year, students and teachers visited the Longhua Foreign Languages Education Group to participate in a diverse, meaningful, and profound flag-raising ceremony. Together with their students, our students and teachers experienced the solemnity and patriotic sentiments embedded in the ceremony. Through shared participation, experience, and growth, they gained a deeper understanding of the unique expressions of traditional Chinese culture, further enhancing their sense of national identity and belonging.
Through a series of rich and diverse initiatives, the school has successfully integrated Chinese language and cultural arts into the international curriculum system. In the future, students and teachers from MIS will not only be inheritors and disseminators of Chinese culture but also practitioners of cultural confidence.
Patriotism:
MIS Joints Hands with HK ELCHK School
South Plus: In the context of educational integration in the Greater Bay Area, more and more schools in Shenzhen and Hong Kong are collaborating and cooperating. What initiatives has MIS taken in cooperation with Hong Kong?
Claudia Liu, Chief Principal of Lighthouse Group (Merchiston & Xingzhi) and Executive Principal of MIS Qianhai Campus: MIS signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hong Kong Baptist University Affiliated Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School. The collaboration sparked innovative educational ideas, bringing inspiration and reflection for further implementation of educational reforms.
Last year, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao "Sister Schools" initiative, Shenzhen Merchiston International School formally signed an agreement with HK ELCHK School, establishing a sister school relationship. This marked a new chapter in educational cooperation and exchange between the two schools.
Through this bilateral collaboration, MIS students will have the opportunity to access high-quality educational resources from Hong Kong without leaving their campus, adding more possibilities for their future growth and academic advancement.
Looking ahead, MIS will implement a series of specific measures. First, we plan to regularly organize Shenzhen-Hong Kong cultural exchange activities, such as cultural festivals, art exhibitions, and academic seminars, to enhance students' understanding of the cultures of both sides. Second, we will jointly launch patriotic education programs, guiding students to develop a correct historical perspective and values through curricula and extracurricular activities.
South Plus: MIS has always been deeply rooted in patriotism and actively practiced a sense of responsibility and commitment. How are these reflected in actual actions?
Lyu Jianjun, Chairman of the Board of Shenzhen Lighthouse International Education Group and Founder of MIS: Over the past seven years since its establishment, MIS has actively integrated into the high-quality development of education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, promoting educational exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The school has provided strong talent and educational support for the socio-economic development and prosperity of the Greater Bay Area.
In 2019, to support Hong Kong's patriotic police officers in fulfilling their duties under the law with full dedication, safeguarding national security and social prosperity and stability, and addressing concerns about their children's education, MIS offers them full scholarships. This practical action supported the children of Hong Kong's patriotic police officers in receiving high-quality international education at MIS.
As the only school for foreign children in northern Shenzhen that approved by the Municipal Education Bureau, MIS has proactively integrated into the new development framework of Shenzhen. Leveraging the advantages and characteristics of a holistic British education, the school has continuously strengthened deep cooperation with the Guangming District Government, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Sun Yat-sen University Shenzhen Campus, Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, and other institutions.
Since the collaboration began, MIS has consistently provided special enrollment policy for the children of these talent parents. For example, we launched special scholarship programs for them, such as "Nurturing Wisdom and Aiming High" Scholarship and “Ten-million for 100 Students" Scholarship. These initiatives help high-level talents better settle down in Shenzhen, making them an essential part of the city's prosperity in economy, science and education.
As MIS steps into its second 5-year development phase, it actively recruits children from Hong Kong and Macau. The school plans to establish a distinctive international school, centered around Chinese intangible cultural heritage. By integrating traditional crafts with international educational philosophies, it aims to provide students from Hong Kong and Macau with a growth path that is rooted in national heritage with a global perspective.
At the same time, leveraging the strategic planning of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and driven by the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone and the HK Northern Region, the school is accelerating the construction of the Hong Kong campus. MIS aims to create a model school of educational integration and innovation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, helping young talents from Hong Kong and Macau to settle down here and make contribution to the nation’s development.
