On the first day of school, we flew paper airplanes in the morning and didn’t rush to open our textbooks in the afternoon.

Dr. Feng Zhaode Standing on stage, he held the microphone in his hand, with a band standing nearby. The music began—“Stand by Me.” When Feng Bo sang the first line, the audience fell silent for a moment, then burst into applause and laughter all at once. It wasn’t the kind of applause you’d hear at a formal performance; it was the kind that said, “I never expected you’d actually sing.” After finishing, he passed the mic to the person beside him, and the event officially got underway.

Principal Liang: Cultivate oneself, regulate one’s family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.

First, let me introduce our first guest—Principal Liang Jichang.

Principal Liang took the stage and began with a brief self-introduction. He said he has spent most of his life in education, serving as a school principal and even witnessing a time when his school nearly faced closure. Yet, the title he cherishes most is “Principal Dad,” as his students call him.

Then he discussed his views on education. He said that, at its core, education can be summed up in four words: self-cultivation, family management, governance of the state, and peace under heaven.

Cultivating oneself is the pursuit of self-improvement. Only when one has first lived a clear, grounded life can one truly be qualified to teach others. Governing the family is a matter of responsibility: taking responsibility for one’s family, one’s students, and one’s school—extending one’s own sense of duty to all. Governing the state is not about holding office; it is about building the nation—putting into practice what one has learned and accomplished, applying it to the land beneath one’s feet. Bringing peace to the world is about giving back to the world. The ultimate goal of education is not personal success, but to make this world just a little better because you are here.

The audience was utterly silent. His tone was gentle, yet every word seemed to land with a distinct, audible weight.

Supervisor Yang: From a Small-Town Principal to an International School

After Principal Liang finished speaking, Superintendent Yang Xiaofeng took the microphone.

He said he has taken a completely different path from Principal Liang. While Principal Liang has spent decades firmly rooted in Hong Kong’s public school system, he himself started as a small-town principal on the Chinese mainland and has steadily climbed the ranks to where he is today.

He recounted his early experiences: when he served as principal at a small-town school, resources were scarce and conditions were far from ideal. Yet even then, he came to understand one crucial truth: education cannot wait until conditions improve; it must be pursued even under challenging circumstances. Later, he moved on to the International Division of Shenzhen University High School, then to the International Division of Yichang No. 1 High School, and eventually founded Yinghua in Zhuhai. At every stage, he was driven by the same mission: bringing higher‑quality educational opportunities to more students.

He said that Principal Liang’s educational philosophy is “looking inward”—cultivating oneself, regulating one’s family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world; when an individual has perfected themselves, the world will be at peace. By contrast, his own path has been “reaching outward”—moving from a small town to a city, from public schools to international institutions, and from the domestic sphere to the global stage, gradually expanding the horizons of education.

Two paths, one destination.

Different Paths, Same Destination: The Essence of Education Is the Same

Principal Liang and Superintendent Yang sat on the stage, with Feng Bo seated between them. The two men differed in age, background, and life experience. Yet after more than an hour of conversation up there, those below realized something: they were talking about the very same thing.

Principal Liang said that education is about influencing another life with one’s heart. Superintendent Yang remarked that education is about helping students discover the possibilities that are uniquely their own. Though the words differ, both point in the same direction: placing students at the very center.

As the event was drawing to a close, a student walked past the podium and said to Principal Liang, “Goodbye, Principal Dad.” Principal Liang smiled and nodded, as if he’d known the student for ages.

This, perhaps, is the most simple and genuine essence of education: no matter where you come from or which path you take, you ultimately arrive at the same place—where students feel seen and truly understood.

Zhuhai Yinghua International Curriculum Program
August 12, 2026