华侨小学

Young overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia loved badminton, so the hall was not only a meeting place but also a popular spot for students to play after class. Light, white shuttlecocks traced graceful arcs overhead, accompanied by the crisp sound of rackets. Everyone was absorbed in the pleasure of the game.

There were no walls here; the grounds connected freely with the outside, and people were not cleared out. Everyone was considerate and did not interrupt PE lessons. Most came to play after four in the afternoon, except on holidays. With no floodlights, games usually ended at dusk without disturbing the neighbours.

Huaqiao Primary School holds many of my childhood memories. I learned breaststroke in its pool, fell and scraped myself on the playground, and practised badminton with my father in the main hall. In summer, beetles flew around the grounds. My classmates and I caught them together, our laughter filling the campus.

Today, Huaqiao Primary School has been renovated and is more beautiful. The playground has a synthetic track and the walls have been renewed, but those happy childhood memories remain fixed in my heart.

Huaqiao Xincun was full of fruit trees and beautiful houses. On my way to school I often saw those trees, and sometimes could not resist picking fruit to taste. Many amusing things happened along the way.

Most pupils at Huaqiao Primary School were children of returned overseas Chinese; many teachers were themselves returnees and cared for the pupils as if they were their own. At No. 21 Middle School, our classmates included both children of returnees and children from local working families. We got along well and remained in touch.

Life in Huaqiao Xincun was concentrated within the neighbourhood. Besides daily classes, there were many extracurricular activities: dance classes, sports and school-organised factory and farm work. Each week, half a day was spent working in the school factory, for example packing crayons, or learning farming outside school, such as planting castor beans. The school emphasised all-round development.

The school had a large Soviet-style assembly hall, an unusually large gathering place in Guangzhou. It often hosted meetings, ceremonies and social celebrations for overseas Chinese.