Crossing the sea and asking the truth
The damp, oppressive heat of Bangkok's rainy season clung to her skin, lingering. Li Xiaoyu stood outside a side hall of a Buddhist temple that had been converted into a makeshift "spiritual resthouse," observing the suffocating scene inside:
On the wall hung mental health posters translated directly from Chinese, with the Thai slogans stiff and awkward; several children sat awkwardly on plastic stools, following a Chinese counselor invited from Chiang Mai, who played "emotional recognition games" in Thai with a Chinese accent; in the sandbox room in the corner, there were miniature models of typical Chinese elements such as the Great Wall and pandas, which were out of place with the magnificent pagoda outside the temple.
Liu Jian, the project leader and the foundation's Southeast Asia regional director, a capable executive known domestically, was wiping his sweat as he reported to Li Xiaoyu, "Secretary-General Li, we've arranged everything according to the most mature domestic model. The hardware investment is absolutely of the highest standard..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a fierce quarrel outside the hall.
Li Xiaoyu looked in the direction of the voice and saw Nopparat, head of the local partner, the Siam Mental Health Promotion Association, arguing with an agitated old monk in an orange robe. Nopparat turned back, his face etched with suppressed irritation, and said to Li Xiaoyu and Liu Jian, "It's Luang Pu Din, the abbot of the temple. He says we're engaging in 'pagan' activities here, desecrating the temple, and demands we leave immediately."
When good intentions are cloaked in arrogance, all you get is a closed door.
The atmosphere in the conference room reached a freezing point. Nopparat, a Thai elite who graduated from the London School of Economics, finally stopped hiding his dissatisfaction.
"Secretary Li, I've repeatedly reminded Mr. Liu," he said, his English accent elegant, but each word ringing like an icicle. "You can't just copy the Chinese way of doing things. In our community, faith is the center of life. These activities you've designed..." He picked up a schedule and pointed to the "Mindfulness Meditation" section. "Here, meditation is a practice leading to Buddhist wisdom, not a tool for relieving stress. You've stripped it of its religious connotations, and in Luang Pu Deen's eyes, that's extremely disrespectful."
Liu Jian couldn't help but retort, "Mr. Nopparat, our foundation has hundreds of successful cases in China! Scientific methodology is universal..."
"Science?" Nopparat interrupted him, a hint of sarcasm on his lips. "Mr. Liu, what you call 'science' may actually be a form of 'cultural violence' here."
The word hit Li Xiaoyu like a hammer. She remembered Moyu's advice before leaving: "Xiaoyu, the first step in going out is to learn to shut up and listen."
She raised her hand to stop Liu Jian, who was about to argue, and turned to Nopparat. She said sincerely, "Mr. Nopparat, please accept our apology. We have made a mistake. Could you please arrange for us to hear Master Luang Pu Deen's teachings in person?"
An hour later, Li Xiaoyu sat alone, barefoot on a polished mat in the temple's back hall, facing Luang Pu Din. The old monk had a gaunt face, but his eyes were as deep as ancient wells, as if they could see through people's hearts. He didn't look at Li Xiaoyu, but slowly moved the Buddhist beads in his hand.
Through Nopparat's translation, an old, calm voice rang out: "Guests from afar, you come with resources and plans, saying you want to help our children. But have you ever lowered your heads and asked what this land needs? Have you ever asked if the answers are already in the Buddha's teachings?"
He raised his eyes and fixed them on Li Xiaoyu: "You built a beautiful cage, hoping to lock our injured bird in to heal its wounds. Little did you know that the only thing that can truly allow it to fly is this forest where it grew up."
Inherent experience is both a treasure and a shackle. When you start out with answers, you will never learn to ask new questions.
That evening, Li Xiaoyu convened an emergency team meeting. She took everyone to the streets of Bangkok, where they sat at noisy roadside stalls, listening to a language they didn't understand and experiencing a completely different pace of life.
"We've all become Liu Jian," Li Xiaoyu said, without blame, but with deep reflection. "We've carried the arrogance of 'Chinese success theory,' thinking copying and pasting can solve all problems. We've forgotten the lesson of Yunling Village: true help begins with understanding, not instruction."
She made a decision that stunned all team members, especially Liu Jian: "The 'Heart Station' project is suspended. All members from China, including me, will not be working for the next week, but studying."
"What to learn?" Liu Jian was stunned.
"We learn how people here live, how they face pain, and how they find happiness," Li Xiaoyu said, looking at the endless stream of motorcycle lights. "We go to the market, to schools, to ordinary families, and most importantly, to listen."
The real "listening journey" began. The team was completely broken up, divided into groups of two, led by local staff, and infiltrated into different communities in Bangkok.
Li Xiaoyu and Nopparat teamed up to visit a "Maya," a folk medicine man who is highly respected in the impoverished community. In the dimly lit room, filled with the aroma of herbs, a Maya woman performed a "soul-clearing" ritual for a crying baby. With soft chanting and gentle gestures, she soothed the child, while the child's mother knelt devoutly beside her. At that moment, Li Xiaoyu felt not superstition, but an ancient and powerful healing force rooted in community faith.
Another group went to a public school. After they came back, they reported solemnly: The biggest psychological pressure faced by children here is not academic, but the trauma caused by family poverty, parents' divorce or drug abuse. This is completely different from the situation in first-tier cities in China.
Liu Jianze was assigned to shadow a local youth social worker, interacting with marginalized youth on the streets. After returning, he was silent for a long time before saying to Li Xiaoyu, "Secretary Li, I... I think I understand a little bit. They don't need me to tell them what 'anxiety' is. They need someone who understands why they're 'angry' and why they're 'desperate.'"
Listening with humility is the first key to breaking down cognitive barriers.
A week later, the team gathered again. The elation they had felt when they arrived had faded, replaced by a sense of heaviness and reflection. They shared stories they had heard, details they had observed, and the cultural context they had felt.
Based on this fresh firsthand information, Li Xiaoyu led a new project planning meeting. This time, the protagonists were Nopparat and his Thai team.
"We were going in the wrong direction," Li Xiaoyu said at the start. "What we need to do is not to build a Chinese 'spiritual station' here, but to help local partners grow their own 'Siamese lighthouses.'"
The new plan is taking shape:
The venues no longer pursue standardization. Existing spaces such as temples, schools, and community centers can be used and arranged by local people according to their own aesthetics and habits.
The content of the activity was completely reconstructed, combining compassion meditation in Buddhism, dance and music in traditional art, and even some gentle rituals of Maya with group therapy and art therapy in modern psychology.
Volunteer training no longer emphasizes complex psychological theories, but instead starts with training natural opinion leaders in the community - teachers, monks, elders, and enthusiastic housewives, teaching them practical skills to identify psychological crises and provide initial emotional support.
In order to gain the crucial trust, Li Xiaoyu asked Nopparat to make arrangements again. She visited Master Luang Pu Din for the second time with a new plan.
She did not bring any project documents. She simply bowed respectfully before the Buddha and said to the master, "Master, we want to learn. We want to learn how to use the wisdom taught by the Buddha to help young people who are suffering. We hope to receive your guidance, not give you instructions."
Master Luang Pu Deen listened quietly to Nopparat's translation. After a long moment, his deep gaze softened slightly, and he slowly spoke, "Wisdom is like a river, gathering from various sources and eventually flowing into the sea. If you have a humble heart, you can take a sip."
He tacitly allowed the team to carry out pilot activities in a corner of the temple in a more low-key manner that respected local culture.
The night before leaving Bangkok, Li Xiaoyu and Liu Jian strolled along the Chao Phraya River. The river breeze dispelled some of the oppressive heat and also blew away some of the depression in their hearts.
"Secretary Li, I..." Liu Jian hesitated, a complex expression of frustration and realization on his face, "Did I mess up?"
"No," Li Xiaoyu shook her head, gazing at the magnificent Wat Arun across the river. "It was you and me. Together, we bought a lesson worth a thousand gold coins. The name of this lesson is 'humility.'"
She turned and looked at Liu Jian. "Remember this feeling, Liu Jian. Remember how we came with answers, but almost got lost in the questions. In the future, no matter where we go in the world, we must keep this humility in our hearts."
True strength lies not in conquest and assimilation, but in understanding and symbiosis.
As the plane soared into the sky, Bangkok beneath us gradually shrank into a miniature landscape. Li Xiaoyu knew that the foundation's first step toward internationalization had been a heavy failure, but it also left a profound mark. This was no longer a simple expansion of projects, but a profound self-revolution.
She opened her notebook and wrote down the first principle of the new phase: "Always keep a blank heart and let every piece of land teach us the healing it needs."
The picture of the world is slowly unfolding before her, and she is ready to be a forever student.
True internationalization does not mean making the world a copy of us, but making us part of the world's diversity.
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