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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000075 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD, EAP/TC, INR/EAP, S/P 
STATE PASS USTR AND EXIM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO ECON PGOV ELAB SOCI SCUL PREL OPRC CH
SUBJECT:  NGOs, EDUCATION, AND MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING: BUILDING CIVIL 
SOCIETY IN GUILIN AND LIUZHOU 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000075  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The Consul General's February 1-3 visits to Guilin 
and Liuzhou focused on developing civil society through 
strengthening NGOs and forming educational partnerships. The CG 
visited Guangxi Normal University officials and librarians, as well 
as administrators of the Liuzhou Minority High School to discuss our 
mutual desire to expand bilateral educational and cultural 
exchanges.  He separately met with two influential NGOs -- Xingyu 
Special Education Center in Luizhou and the Golden Phoenix 
Foundation in Guilin -- to learn more about their innovations to 
spread educational opportunities to disadvantaged communities. The 
CG commended them on their success and underscored that civic 
engagement at the grassroots level as one of the most effective 
means to produce lasting change.  He also visited the Flying Tigers 
Heritage Park under construction near Guilin, where the World War 
Two-era American Volunteer Group fought battles to defend Guangxi; 
he expressed appreciation for local efforts to protect and promote 
our common histories.  In both Guilin and Liuzhou and despite 
bilateral frictions, the local Foreign Affairs Offices demonstrated 
a significant willingness to strengthen partnerships and advance 
common goals. Liuzhou's active sister city partnership with 
Cincinnati is one apparent reason for local receptivity. 
Surprisingly, the trip received unprecedented Chinese media coverage 
in Guangxi and beyond. End Summary. 
 
Promoting Education and Cooperation 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The CG's visit to Guangxi Normal University and Liuzhou 
Minority High School February 1 and 3, respectively, emphasized the 
effectiveness of building bridges through education. Guangxi Normal 
University is the second largest university in Guangxi Province and 
has over 40,000 students. Vice President Cai Changzhuo, a published 
expert on American Studies, stated that the school hopes to become a 
premier international institution. Cai expressed excitement about 
President Obama's call to have 100,000 American students studying in 
China, said Guangxi Normal hopes to house a large number of those 
students, and announced they are expanding their international 
student center to accommodate more students. Guangxi Normal sends 10 
students a year to study in the U.S. The CG emphasized the 
importance of these exchanges and welcomed the call for more 
outreach between the university and the Consulate. The school also 
was enthusiastic to establish an American Corner. 
 
¶3. (U) During the visit to Liuzhou Minority High School, the CG met 
with school administrators to discuss the uniqueness of their 
institution and how they are using education to transform their 
community. Ethnic minority students comprise 47% of the school's 
population. The curriculum is mainstreamed but includes several 
bilingual and a few minority-focused courses. The high school 
asserts its university entrance rate is 94%. For half a century the 
school educated only women; in 2007, males were admitted.  The 
school's outreach programs still address the unique challenges that 
some students, particularly young women, must face. For example, one 
minority group has a custom that women drop out of school and marry 
at the age of 16. The school has launched a fairly successful public 
outreach campaign to persuade these women to finish high school and 
possibly pursue higher education. Today 600 students apply each year 
to enter the school and are able to pay educational costs with a 
mixture of government funding and outside donations. One of the key 
contributors to this donation effort is the Cincinnati Chamber of 
Commerce, since Cincinnati and Liuzhou are sister cities. Each year 
Cincinnati also sends 10 student volunteers to teach oral English 
during the summer.  The CG commended their efforts and strong Sister 
City relationship, stating that he looked forward to strengthening 
cooperation. 
 
Bottom Up: NGOs Build Civil Society in Guangxi... 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4. (SBU)The CG commended Xingyu Special Education Center Chairwoman 
Peng Nianxiu for her groundbreaking work helping children and 
families affected by autism.  Xingyu (literally "language of the 
stars," might connote "Special Stars") was established in August 
2004 to help children diagnosed with autism and their families. 
Chairwoman Peng was inspired to found the center when her own son 
 
GUANGZHOU 00000075  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
was diagnosed with autism, stating it took nearly six years for her 
son to be properly diagnosed and even then resources were scarce. 
Xingyu is the first autism-intervention service in Liuzhou: in 
total, nearly 60,000 inhabitants of Guangxi Province are affected by 
autism. The center faces many challenges, such as sufficient 
financial resources as well as a stable and qualified staff. The 
center will soon relocate to a new government-sponsored 
rehabilitation center--proving it positively affected public opinion 
and won government support for its service. 
 
...and Guilin 
----------- 
 
¶5. (U) The Golden Phoenix Foundation in Guilin is another example of 
how local engagement can bring about effective change. Golden 
Phoenix founder Luo Ping said his mother, a teacher in a rural 
village, inspired him to start a program to encourage young, rural 
women to pursue higher education. Golden Phoenix strives to 
transform the lives of young women by exposing them to a broader 
world, focusing not only on education, but also civic engagement and 
volunteerism. Stable funding is a chronic issue for this small and 
new NGO, but they work with local government and international 
organizations to keep the organization active. The CG agreed to 
investigate ways in which the Consulate can partner with Golden 
Phoenix to provide more outreach and programming to their students. 
 
 
Flying Tigers: Fight for Freedom a Common Cause 
-------------------------- ----------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The CG visited the construction site of the future Flying 
Tigers Heritage Park to be built on a site where the Second World 
War-era American Volunteer Group fought battles to defend Guangxi. 
There he also met with local representatives to discuss the history 
behind the location and plans to build a proper memorial to honor 
the service of the Chinese and American heroes who served. On his 
visit, the CG focused on the history the U.S. and China share and 
how this common history can help China and the U.S. increase mutual 
understanding and address shared goals today. CG Goldbeck applauded 
efforts to protect Flying Tigers' history, noting the sacrifices of 
both our nations to preserve freedom. The project is set to be 
completed in two years. 
 
Media Reaction Exceeds Expectations 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) The CG's trip to Guilin and Liuzhou garnered the most media 
coverage in recent memory of any Consulate Guangzhou programming 
outside of Guangzhou city. To date, 106 articles have been published 
and estimated readership/audience is about 700 million. Most 
coverage focused on the CG's visit to and remarks about the Flying 
Tigers Heritage Park, as well as IPR cooperation (reported septel). 
 
 
Comment:  A Positive and Continuing 
Partnership in Guangxi 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment:  The CG's trips to Guilin and Liuzhou apparently 
touched a chord with local audiences despite recent frictions over 
arms sales, the Dalai Lama, etc. Part of the success could also be 
attributed to positive comments regarding local IPR cooperation and 
to local receptivity to American tourism in Guilin (reported 
septel), in addition to building upon broader existing positive 
people-to-people connections. Guangxi is relatively poor and less 
frequently visited, two factors which perhaps add to its 
receptiveness.  Contrary to the typical hesitancy frequently 
encountered at other institutions, the Guangxi University's 
administration immediately expressed interest in an American Corner 
and openly acknowledged that the only obstacle to an American Corner 
would be provincial-level resistance. End Comment. 
GOLDBECK