Originally Published in McGill University's Arts Life Magazine, 2018

The partnership between the Faculty of Arts and the Li Ka Shing Foundation gives McGill students the learning opportunity of a lifetime – for free

Not many things are free. But for a niche of McGill Arts students, it’s possible to spend a month in eastern China on all-expenses paid trip to study mandarin, thanks to a partnership between McGill and Shantou University, and one man’s vision of philanthropy as vital for the future.

In 2013, Hong Kong businessman, famed philanthropist, and Shantou University founder Li Ka Shing donated $6 million to McGill (follow the lead to how they described it), creating several initiatives in the Faculty to promote cooperation and exchange between the universities. One of them, the Intensive Chinese Language Program, is open to all Arts students with at least a beginner’s level proficiency in mandarin. No program preference means that a graduate student in economics could be accepted just as easily as an undergraduate student in anthropology, if all requirements are met. With everything from food to accommodations, airfare, and tuition covered by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, all the student really needs after getting the travel visa is to go.

The program’s structure is completely immersed in Shantou’s life and culture, both in and out of the classroom. Each day offers different co and extra-curricular activities that allow students to integrate into the language of the greater community, beyond linguistic means.

“Some of my favorite times were when we went out to eat with local people who would make us try new food, or when we had paper cutting and calligraphy classes where we could create our own piece. It’s these small things which I think made this month unforgettable and worthwhile”, one student recounted about the experience.

According to the program’s yearly reports, a large part of their success is thanks to the host university. In 2017, Shantou recruited two full-time teachers for the incoming cohort, and 30 of its students as tutors. With a yearly quota of 20 McGill students on the trip, the one-on-one tutorials and community-oriented activities provide the supportive environment needed to truly grasp a new language, especially one like mandarin.

“The tutoring sessions we had every weekday with the Shantou students were among the highlights of this program. We spent almost two hours learning about different themes relevant to everyday life, so not only did the session feel helpful, but it would also lead into deeper discussions, all in Chinese of course, about other parts of our lives”, said an Economics and East Asian studies undergraduate.

The program takes experiential learning to a whole new level, and makes it possible for people who wouldn’t be able to under normal conditions have this life-changing learning opportunity. Philosophy Professor Philip Buckley, who is also Chair of East Asian Studies at McGill, calls it a “month-long tutorial and/or field trip” because of the collaboration and support he sees cultivated between the students each year.

“They were really a supergroup. The teachers in Shantou were super into it. They like McGill students, because they are into studying and learning, and find it fun. They helped each other a lot, studied together, and made it an optimal learning experience and life experience. We’re very proud of them, and grateful to the Foundation”.

And it wouldn’t be possible without the Li Ka Shing Foundation and its partnership with McGill. Professor Buckley calls Li Ka Shing “an interesting man”, for his unique life story is captivating as it is inspiring. From humble beginnings, tragedy struck him in high school, when his father’s passing forced him to drop of highschool in order to provide for his family, who were refugees in Hong Kong fleeing the Japanese occupation in southern China. After climbing the ranks in factory work, he opened his own at the age of 22, later founding the eponymous Foundation that he often refers to as his “third son”. Indeed, the McGill students bunking on the trip are beneficiaries of Li, as are millions around the globe aided by the Foundation’s endeavors in education and healthcare. The Foundation’s far-reaching commitments are testament to Li’s personal philosophy of selflessness as a guiding principle for improving the world.

“Mr. Li Ka Shing actually talks the talk and does it too. He’s a fascinating guy, and so is his philanthropy because he really has a global vision and believes in developing economically through education. And he believes in the humanities as part of the story too.”

Once known as the richest man in Asia and remaining within the top percentile of the wealthiest on earth, he is famously modest. At his address to Shantou’s 2018 graduating class, he told graduates “establishing yourself in the pursuit of selflessness, that’s your game”.

“When I look up towards the night skies and feel my cosmic insignificance, even if I feel resentful and disillusioned to the brutal factors that contributed to the world’s creeping sense of hopelessness, that I am still determined to don a new set of armour every day … to keep helping others to achieve a full life.”