Keeping the Trust: Film Carries Forward Rewi Alley’s Legacy

Summary

On 20 August 2019, Xi Jinping visited Shandan Bailie School, saying on site that 'developing vocational education offers great promise and great achievements' and 'I support you. ' He affirmed Rewi Alley's educational philosophy of 'combining hands and brains, creating and analysing,' and entrusted the school to take root in Gansu, serve the west, and face the Belt and Road, cultivating high-quality skilled talent with both virtue and technical expertise while deepening people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Zhang Youwu, then party secretary of Shandan Bailie School, was present to hear these instructions.

Shandan Bailie School traces its origins to the Shandan Bailie Technical School of the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, rising and thriving because of the co-operatives. Over more than 80 years, the school motto of 'combining hands and brains, creating and analysing' has been passed down without interruption. After Zhang Youwu was transferred to the Shandan Rewi Alley Memorial Hall, he spent four years refining and promoting the production and completion of the red-themed cultural film 'The Light of Bailie.

' The film looks back to the 1940s, recreating the journey of Rewi Alley and George Hogg, who took root in the Gobi, established education, and devoted themselves to serving the nation, interpreting the spirit of the industrial co-operatives and Bailie education. The film has now been fully completed and is ready for comprehensive screening and wide dissemination. Zhang Youwu hopes that party committees and governments at all levels, as well as publicity, culture and tourism, education, and media centre departments, will support the film's promotion and public screenings, so that the century-old Bailie cultural lineage may be passed on from generation to generation.

Commentary

The history of Shandan Bailie School dates back to the Bailie Technical School founded in Gansu in 1942 by Rewi Alley and George Hogg. Its educational philosophy of 'combining hands and brains, creating and analysing' remains a unique spiritual legacy in China's vocational education sector. Xi Jinping's instructions during his 2019 visit elevated this local educational practice to a strategic height of serving people-to-people exchanges under the Belt and Road.

The completion of 'The Light of Bailie' is not merely a local cultural project; it also reflects a trend of combining Chinese vocational education with red culture and internationalist narratives. For small and medium-sized business owners in New Zealand, this may seem distant, but it carries implicit commercial signals: western China is strengthening soft connections with Belt and Road countries through cultural IP, and New Zealand, as the first developed country to sign a free trade agreement with China, may find that SMEs in education, tourism, and cultural and creative industries could watch for co-operation windows arising from such cultural projects — for example, jointly developing study tours, introducing vocational education courses, or participating in Silk Road-themed cross-border content production. At the same time, if the film's promotion receives official support, it could drive cultural tourism interest in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu, and New Zealand outdoor education and eco-tourism businesses could assess complementarity with western Chinese provinces.

On the other hand, a rational view is needed: the reach of such mainstream-themed films is mainly domestic, and their direct commercial spillover is limited. But in the long run, China's reinterpretation of the 'spirit of the industrial co-operatives' may strengthen historical ties with New Zealand — Rewi Alley, as a New Zealander, left a legacy that is a natural bridge for people-to-people exchange between the two countries. If New Zealand businesses can make good use of this symbol, they may be able to incorporate elements of cross-cultural trust into their brand stories.

Keywords: Shandan Bailie School, Xi Jinping, Rewi Alley, The Light of Bailie, spirit of the industrial co-operatives, vocational education, Zhang Youwu, Shandan Rewi Alley Memorial Hall, Belt and Road, George Hogg

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

2019年8月20日，习近平总书记亲临山丹培黎学校视察指导，现场寄语“发展职业教育，大有可为，大有作为”“我支持你们”，并肯定路易·艾黎“手脑并用、创造分析”的办学宗旨，嘱托学校扎根甘肃、服务西部、面向“一带一路”，培育德技兼修的高素质技能人才、深耕中外人文交流。时任山丹培黎学校党委书记张有武在现场聆听教诲。山丹培黎学校前身是中国工业合作协会山丹培黎工艺学校，因工合而起、因工合而兴，八十余载薪火相传，“手脑并用、创造分析”的校训一以贯之。

张有武调任山丹艾黎纪念馆后，历经四年打磨，推动红色主旋律文化电影《培黎之光》摄制完成、成片问世。影片回望上世纪四十年代，再现路易·艾黎、乔治·何克扎根戈壁、兴办教育、济世报国的历程，诠释工合精神与培黎教育。目前影片已全部制作完成，具备全面展映、广泛传播的条件。

张有武期盼各级党委政府及宣传、文旅、教育、融媒体中心等单位支持影片宣传推广与普及观影，让百年培黎文脉薪火相传。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

山丹培黎学校的历史可追溯至1942年路易·艾黎与乔治·何克在甘肃创办的培黎工艺学校，其“手脑并用、创造分析”的办学理念至今仍是中国职业教育领域独特的精神遗产。2019年习近平总书记视察时的嘱托，将这一地方性教育实践提升至服务“一带一路”人文交流的战略高度。影片《培黎之光》的完成，不仅是地方文化工程，更折射出中国职业教育与红色文化、国际主义叙事结合的趋势。

对远在新西兰的中小企业主而言，这看似遥远，实则暗含商业信号：中国西部正通过文化IP强化与“一带一路”沿线国家的软性连接，而新西兰作为首个与中国签署自贸协定的发达国家，其教育、旅游、文创领域的中小企业或可关注此类文化项目带来的合作窗口——例如联合开发研学旅行、职业教育课程引进，或参与丝路主题的跨境内容制作。同时，影片推广若获得官方支持，可能带动甘肃河西走廊的文旅热度，新西兰的户外教育、生态旅游企业可评估与中国西部省份的互补性。另一方面，需理性看待：此类主旋律影片的传播主要限于国内，其直接商业外溢有限，但长期看，中国对“工合精神”的再阐释可能强化与新西兰历史纽带——路易·艾黎作为新西兰人，其遗产是两国人文交流的天然桥梁，新西兰企业若能善用这一符号，或可在品牌故事中融入跨文化信任元素。

关键词: 山丹培黎学校, 习近平总书记, 路易·艾黎, 培黎之光, 工合精神, 职业教育, 张有武, 山丹艾黎纪念馆, 一带一路, 乔治·何克

Source: Shandan, Gansu · Zhangye Local Station + China Industrial Co-operatives Association