March 22, 2025
字圆其说 x 上海同济大学
Workshop
A group of graduate students from Shanghai’s Tongji University recently visited the exhibition A Cosmos Within Chinese Characters. Their visit was followed by an inspiring talk delivered by Jing Chai, who shared her personal journey as an educator—from confronting the greatest challenge in her teaching practice, Chinese characters, to exploring a range of methods that ultimately led to the development of the I Got One project.
The topic struck a powerful chord with the visitors, many of whom are currently completing teaching internships across diverse classrooms, working with learners of varying ages and cultural backgrounds. The session provided not just new strategies, but validation, affirming that the complexity of character-based instruction can also be a source of creative breakthrough.
The most memorable moment came when the group’s leading student, a man in his fifties who had returned to university to fulfill his lifelong dream of higher education, paused before The Book of Answers. Quietly wondering, “What’s next for me in this journey?”, he opened the book to find the phrase: “同舟共济，风雨无惧” — “Together in the same boat, we brave the wind and rain without fear.”
The message struck him deeply. Not only did it offer a sense of direction and solidarity, but to his delight, he noticed that the name of his university—Tongji (同济)—was embedded within the phrase itself. It felt like a perfect, poetic answer to his question, and a powerful reminder that his journey in education was shared, supported, and full of meaning.
