Yan Chang of Domain Cabinets Traveled to China to Promote Educational and Cultural Cross-Pollination

TEMECULA, Calif. May 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California business-owner Yan Chang took a group of American students on a trip to China which featured cultural immersion, an exchange of educational methodologies, and an increased international respect and understanding.

Ms. Chang heads up Domain Cabinets, a thriving Los Angeles business, and is mom of two. She created this trip as a tribute to her remarkably accomplished father, Zhang Weide. Yan credits her work ethic and ingenuity, developed during her childhood in China, to her father who, despite a rough start, built a distinguished career as a lauded educator and founding member of several highly sought after schools.

The program immersed the American kids in the Chinese culture, beginning with the first week bunking in the boarding school dorms. The children participated in a wide range of activities designed to help students on both sides of the world learn about one another's way of life.

For ten lucky middle-schoolers, their parent chaperones and veteran teacher, Robin Dapper, the excursion marked the trip of a lifetime. It was also a cultural exchange that would leave an indelible mark on them, as well as hundreds of children and staff at the elite boarding school they visited, founded by Zhang Weide in the Hunan Province of China.

Throughout the week the hosts and visitors blended seamlessly as they attended classes taught in both Chinese and English, ate the local foods, formed groups to build "Kiwi Crate" projects, followed by presentations and awards, and competed in sports. A presentation regarding American teaching methods given by Dapper was packed with nearly 100 Chinese educators.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the enthusiasm and insatiable curiosity that followed the Americans wherever they went.

"The Chinese school children treated our kids like movie stars -- even going so far as to ask for autographs!" marveled Chang.

There's a lesson in there somewhere for all of us. The cultural gap, which grows larger as a result of misconceptions, disappears when people meet one another face-to-face.

At the end of the trip, Yan gave a presentation on her father's life and his legacy, which will live on long after him. Because of his hard work and dedication to education, a world of opportunity has opened up for thousands of children. And because of this exchange, many people walked away with a new understanding and appreciation for another culture.

Imagine if every kid were given the same chance to gain exposure and learn firsthand about the way of life in other countries. One can't help but believe it would make the world a better place.