Yang Mei, Wheaty Cai

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

The campus of the Shenzhen Foreign Languages GBA Academy (SGA) in Longgang District on October 23 was permeated with a strong festive atmosphere with colorful flags fluttering and students and faculty members dressed in traditional costumes of different nationalities parading around the campus, in celebration of the United Nations Day which falls on October 24 every year and the Double Ninth Festival (also known as the senior citizens’ festival) which took place October 25 this year.

Population aging is one of the global issues highlighted by the UN. As future global citizens, SGA students are being taught to uphold traditional Chinese virtues, embrace the diversity of world cultures and develop concerns for international issues.

This year, they focused on the topic “Be a Global Citizen, Start With Respecting the Elderly” and exchanged views and ideas to raise people’s awareness of respecting the elderly.

The day started with greetings from representatives of teachers and students from 17 countries speaking in different languages at the school gate, which was led by School Director Liu Jia.

“The UN embodies the aspiration of over 7 billion people for a better life, and the UN Charter remains an important guarantee for world peace and development. However, on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the global issue of ‘aging population’ is becoming increasingly prominent. The UN calls on all countries to actively respond. The Chinese nation has a fine tradition of respecting the elderly since ancient times.

The Double Ninth Festival is also China’s Elders Day. As a student of the SGA, despite our limited ability at this time, we should care about our homeland and the world, starting from small things around us, respecting and loving the old. While understanding traditional culture and inheriting virtues, we should also establish a sense of global citizenship,” Liu said in her opening remarks.

After the parade, the children wrote on cards their best wishes for the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, sowing the seeds of love and peace.

In the afternoon, all the teachers and students gathered at the auditorium to participate in an assembly celebrating the theme “Be a Global Citizen, Start With Respecting the Elderly.”

At the assembly, students shared their thoughts on the topic of properly looking after the elderly. Some delivered speeches and put forward suggestions on the aging issue; others chose to recite poems or chant, often showing their emotions. Some grandparents also shared their wonderful experiences and recalled their memories. They believed respecting for the old starts with small things such as listening to the elders’ voices and keeping them company, or even simply serving them a glass of water and helping them wash their feet.