From the depths of my soul, thank you. Anyone who would see the nearly 1,000 emails in just 24 hours would understand clearly just why I love China. XieXie.
About the headline, yes, YOU are a Prince or Princess of China. Please know this, and please understand all that it implies: noblesse oblige; power and, of course, blessings. (I know, for I am a Prince of America. I was born in 1960, and by the time I was your age, America had attained its zenith. China is now entering her zenith, and you, as Chinese, will soon know no bounds.) What will you do with your enormous advantage? I heard this great quote this past week: “I know that you will be successful, but will you matter?” This is the question that I would most like to share with you.
Thank you for the many offers of help and the strong words of encouragement. I apologize for not being able to write personally to you, that’s because I have received more than 700 emails from kind Chinese like yourself. I am truly humbled, and this support is a perfect example of why I love China. (I’m an old soul, most likely I was Chinese long before I was an American. 
I certainly hold many traditional Chinese values, namely Education, Family and Respect. Sadly, as many of you noted, these values are quickly disappearing in China also.)
Governments often act in ways that their citizens wouldn’t act. For starters, most governments act out of fear, if not greed. But never out of love. Such is life – things can’t love – only people can love. That’s why WE have to be the change that we want to see in the world. (Hat tip, Gandhi.) Fear not, I shall NEVER lose my love for China and for her citizens. I spent 6+ years teaching there, and they were, without a doubt, the six most meaningful years of my life. (I am a very lucky man, and my life has been fantastic.) Had the government not locked me out, I would NEVER have left. Lastly, I stand with the great Deng Xiaoping, when he said “Of course I love my motherland, but I consider myself to be a Citizen-of-the-World.”
To those of you who say that I am a “great” man, or that I am an angel, I answer you, nali, nali. I am, like you, just a human. What I have done, you can do too. Yes, it’s hard, but you have done many hard things already. (Remember, I’m Laoshi. For example, Gao Kao). You could even, possibly, join me. I can always use the help, but I have to speak frankly, I’m not looking for temporary volunteers. It will take a team of dedicated people – people willing to sacrifice – to change our world. So, if don’t admire me, JOIN ME.
I have to say something here about what motivates me. No, I am not a Christian. In fact, I am an atheist. The great American Thomas Paine expressed my own beliefs a long time ago: “Independence is my happiness, the world is my country and my religion is to do good.” And also, this: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” Shame on us if we fail to do this.
Publicity, as in Southern Metropolis Daily (Chinese: 南方都市报 – Guangzhou), and other outlets, isn’t going to work, as the government has ordered me (my name) to be generally censored. This is why the story about Yang Yicheng didn’t mention me very much. The reporter told both Yang and I that she wasn’t allowed to write about the true significance of my role. Think about it, Yang wasn’t some special superboy, he was a boy earning $1 a day, selling sugar cane. Yes, his natural ability saved him, but only because he was in an environment that allowed him to thrive.
[Please don’t misunderstand me, Yang, his wife, and I still have a very close relationship – we talk at least 5 times a week, and Yang deserves all of his success. But if he hadn’t been given the special opportunity, he’d still be standing in front of a factory in Shenzhen, selling snacks. He deserved better. EVERYONE deserves better. Shame on all of us that we don’t help to make it a reality.]
Chen Yao nails it
Regarding Phoenix, the safest, surest way to save him is for someone Chinese to gain custody of him. This shouldn’t be too hard, as it is clear that no one wants him. After that, his guardian should be able to get him a passport. This will be hard, but possible. Once he has a passport, the rest is easy. I’m currently in Cambodia, a simple, direct flight from Guangzhou. This comment from Chen Yao sums up the real problem:
As with EVERYONE whom I help, what people really need isn’t your money, they need your time (aka your life). Two questions help to explain this clearly: Where can you buy love? and How much does it cost? The fact is, you simply can’t buy love. Phoenix needs someone to love him (to sacrifice for him). I can cover reasonable costs (see? money isn’t the problem).
When I first found Phoenix, I was alone, but within two days, two young Chinese men volunteered to help me with him. Their love and kindness was equal to my own and without their help, I don’t know how any of us would have survived. (Phoenix was so close to death that, even after recuperating in my home for 2 months, when China kicked me out of the country, they placed him in the hospital for another month.) Here you can read a first-hand account of Phoenix’s rescue, written by Li, one of the two guys who helped me to help Phoenix. I know that Li would benefit greatly if he received from you the kind of encouragement that you have given to me. Please write him (in Chinese) and remind him of how important his help was to Phoenix, and to China. limeiquan111@gmail.com
My current project is a more formal presentation of what I did with Yang Yicheng in China. It’s title explains it all: 1,000 Days To Educated. I have a group of poor teenage boys living in my home, and the goal is for them to become “educated” in three years. We’ve already completed about 400 days, so we’re about 40% through. One of my goals is to show that in the 21st century, we can educate people much faster and better than traditional schooling. Another goal is to create an International School for poor youth. Eight of my students are Cambodian and two are Vietnamese. I would love to have 5 Chinese teenaged boys to join us. They are welcome anytime, and sooner is better. If any of you know of any poor teenage boys (not currently in school) who would benefit from this, please help them by contacting me about them. They don’t need to speak English (they’ll learn here). They do have to be a little brave.
[For those of you who so generously offered to donate money, this would be the best way for you to help me help more people. Find me a worthy (poor, but good) Chinese teenage boy who only needs the chance for a good education, help him to get a passport and cover his plane ticket ($300) and one year visa ($285). I cover our living expenses through my work and this is a lesson that I want every boy in my home to learn. I don’t want them to learn to beg, or ask for a handout. I want them to learn to produce, just as you and I learned from our parents. This is a critical part of their education.]
My other, bigger, “Impossible Dream” is to build a University. (These are truly words to live by.) There is no reason for me to build a university that is going to be like all the rest, so I won’t do that. Instead, I’m going to build the University that the world is desperate for. And I believe, because you took the time to write a stranger and say ‘thank you’, I believe that this university is most likely where you should be. NOW! We’ll only have one major: Leadership; but we’ll have every minor. If you have ever dreamed of making a difference in our world, then this school might be for you, regardless of your age or any degrees that you may already have earned. (Perhaps you’d like to earn a graduate degree? That is also doable.) Anyway, the cost – in terms of money – is FREE (I told you it wasn’t going to be like any other university.) However, by now you should already have learned that the Opportunity Cost is always the most important cost. After all, we each only have a single life to live. I hope that you’re making the most of yours. If you’d like more information, please send me another email with Quixote University in the subject line. (Proficient English isn’t necessary, a desire to make a difference, and to learn, is required.)
I believe that we have enough of the answers to solve our problems. I believe that our only real problem is that we lack Leaders. This is the reason that I want to build my university. This is the reason that I built this website to pressure Walmart in China to respect the Chinese people. And this is the reason that I built this website to expose the cheating of Donald Holder at Shenzhen Zhong Xue.
If you want to Lead, if you are willing to sacrifice, then please consider joining me in my university. Together we can change the world. (But only if we try.)
我发自内心的感谢大家，任何知道我在不到24小时内收到了超过1000封鼓励邮件的人都会理解为何我热爱中国。谢谢。
首先，我必须说明一点，你是中国这个悠久国度里的伟大的民族的优秀后裔，我希望你知道这一点，并且知道这身份意味着什么：它是祖先珍贵的馈赠，是天赋的权利，当然，还是祖祖辈辈的祝福。（同样的，我也知道这一点，我是美国的一个优秀后裔，我出生于1960年，当我还像你们那么大的时候，美国正好处于最黄金的时期，中国现在正在进入她的黄金时期，而你们，中国人，很快就会突破传统的限制，用更开放的眼光看待这个世界）你们打算如何利用你们巨大的优势？我不久前听说过一句很了不起的话“我知道你会取得巨大的成功，可是你知道这意味着什么么？ ”这是我非常想与你们分享的一个问题。
感谢你们提出的各种帮助，也感谢你们发送过来的各种鼓励的话。我很抱歉，不能亲自回复每一个人，因为我在一瞬间收到了超过700封邮件，都来自像你一样善良的中国人。我做的事情不值一提。你们的支持，正是我之所以热爱中国的最好的解释。(我有一颗古老的灵魂，很有可能在我的灵魂成为美国人之前，早已当了很多年的中国人，我遵守许多中国的传统规矩，关于教育，家庭和如何安慰伤心的人等等，正如你们提到的一样，这些古老传统正在现代的中国逐渐消失。)
政府经常做一些人民不会做的事情。大多数政府要么腐败堕落，要么恐惧人民，要么兼而有之。但是，不会有政府会去真正的爱人民。这就是生活的现实——死物不会去爱，只有活生生的人才会去爱。这也是为什么我们要一起去改变这个世界的原因（举个栗子，圣雄甘地）。我无所畏惧，我对中国和这个国家的人民的爱也不永会消失。我曾经在中国教了超过六年的书，这毫无疑问是我人生中最有意义的六年。（我是一个非常幸运的人，我的人生也非常精彩）。中国政府如果不驱逐我的话，我是绝对不会离开这里的。最后，我想说，我支持了不起的中国领袖邓小平，他说过“我爱自己的祖国，但我认为自己是一个世界公民”。
对于那些以伟大形容我，或者说我是一个天使的同学，我会这样回答你，nali,nali. 我像你一样，只是一个普通人。我能做的，你也能做。嗯，虽然这事不那么轻松，但你早就做过很多更不轻松的事情了(记住，我是一个老师，所以我知道你们的“高考”)。如果可能的话，你甚至可以加入我。我随时可以向公众寻求帮助，但是老实说，我并不寻找临时志愿者。我需要一个专门的团队——由真正愿意奉献自己去改变世界的人组成。这么说吧，与其敬仰我，不如加入我。
在这里，我必须说一说我做这些事情的初心。不，我并不信佛信教。事实上，我是一个无神论者。一个叫托马斯潘恩的美国思想家在多年前就表达出我的想法了：“独立自主是吾之幸福，普天之下系吾之国度，从善如登乃吾之信仰。”还有这句：“我们完全可以重建家园。”如果做不到这一点，我们应当感到羞愧。
公众媒体，诸如南方都市报在内的其它媒体，并没有发挥真正的效用。政府命令媒体在所有的报道中删除我的名字。这就是为什么在杨义成的报道中基本上没有提到我的原因。记者告诉杨和我，上头不允许她在报道中写我做的事情和这些事背后的意义。杨义成不是什么超级男孩，他只是一个一天挣一美元的卖甘蔗的男孩。当然，他的聪明拯救了他，但真正的原因是他处于一个能让他茁壮成长的环境中。
“请不要误解我，杨义成，他的妻子和我现在仍然关系不错——我们一周至少聊五次，杨义成现在的所有成功都是他应得的。但是如果这个特殊的机遇没有眷顾他，他现在依然会站在深圳的一家工场前面卖甘蔗。他应该有变得更好的机会，每个人都应该有变得更好的机会。如果不能帮助这一愿景实现，我们每个人都应该感到羞愧。"
陈耀把这些事发到网上了。
关于Phoenix，救他的最安全，最有效的方法是某个中国人收留他。这事并不十分困难，但没人想要他。此外，他的看护者应该给他取得护照，这一点有点困难，但并非不可能。一旦他有护照，接下来的就容易多了。我现在在柬埔寨，可以直飞广州。陈耀在知乎的发言提出的才是一个真正的问题：
”这件事其实很容易，如果你需要深圳福利院盖章证明，你可以去买伪造的材料，这么多人想帮他，带他离开中国，可以非法移民到越南，和越南人一起照看他，我们都期待着这个想出这个国际营救计划的脑袋！真的有许多办法，但我老实告诉你，没人愿意牺牲一点自己的利益。“
对于我曾经帮助过的所有人来说，他们真正需要的不是你的钱，他们需要的是你的时间（又叫做生活）。两个问题可以让这个概念更清楚一些：在哪能买到爱？它又值多少钱一斤？事实上，你不能买到爱，Phoenix 需要一些爱他的人（为他奉献自己的人）。我可以负担这一部分花销（瞧，钱并不是最主要的问题）
在我第一次发现Phoenix 之前，我很孤单，但是不到两天，两个年轻的中国人自愿作为志愿者来帮助我照料他。他们的大爱和善良和我一样，没有他们的帮助，我不知道我们之中谁会幸存下来。（Phoenix 当时就快死了，即使在我家里恢复了两个月，当时中国政府正把我驱逐出境，他们还是把他安置在一个医院长达一个月）。你可以读到关于营救Phoenix 的第一手材料，李写的，李是两个帮助我的中国年轻人之一。如果能收到你们的鼓励，就像鼓励我的那样，我相信李会收获更多。请给他写信（用中文），并且告诉他他的行动对Phoenix的营救起了至关重要的作用，也对现代中国意义非凡。他的邮箱是 limeiquan111@gmail.com
我现在在做一个关于杨义成的故事的正式的报告。它的标题能够解释一切：1000个日夜的教育。有一群可怜的少年住在我家里，我的目标是让他们在三年内受到完备的教育。我们已经度过了这其中的400天，所以我们已经完成了百分之四十。我的目标之一是告诉人们，在21世纪，我们可以超越传统学校，更快更好的教育学生。另一个目标是创造一个针对贫寒少年的国际学校。我有八个柬埔寨学生和两个越南学生。我希望再多五个中国少年加入。随时随地，我都欢迎他们。当然越快越好。如果你们当中任何人知道任何贫穷的少年（辍学在家）适合我的教育，请通过联系我来帮助他们。他们并不需要会说英语（他们在这可以学）。他们需要的是一点勇气。
”对你们中那些慷慨解囊的同学来说，帮助我的最好方式就是帮我找到需要帮助的人。找到一个值得帮助的中国少年（穷且益坚），他唯一需要的是一个更好的受教育机会，帮助他取得护照并且负担他的机票(300美元)和一年的签证（285美元）。我工作来保证我能负担他们生活所需的费用。这是我希望每个我教的男孩能学到的一课。我不希望教他们乞讨，或者祈求免费教材，我希望他们能学会创造，就像你我从父母那里学到的一样。这是教育的严肃一面。“
我的其它的，更大的，”近乎不可能的梦想“是组建一个大学（字字皆真）。我没有必要组建一个和已经存在的其它大学一样的大学，所以我不会这么做。正好相反，我要组建这个世界真正需要的大学。我相信，因为你能花时间给一个陌生人写信说”谢谢你“，我相信这所大学应该在你身边。现在！我们只有一门课程：领导学，但是我们会拥有所有的专业。如果你曾想过改变这个世界，这个学校就是为你而来的。无论你的年龄和你已经取得的学历（或许你想考研？这也是可行的）无论如何，学费——钱的花费——是0（我告诉过你这和传统大学不同）。但是你应该早就知道一点，机会成本是最重要的成本。毕竟，每个人只有一次活着的机会。我希望你能活出极致。如果你想知道更多信息，请给我再发一封以 Quixote University为题目的电子邮件（不必精通英语，有对于改变和学习的热切渴望就足够了。）
关于解决眼下的这些问题，我相信我们已经有了足够的答案。我相信我们唯一的问题是我们缺少身先士卒的领导者。这也是我想组建一所大学的原因，这也是我建立这个网站，给沃尔玛施压要求其尊重中国人的原因。这也是我建立这个网站，曝光深圳中学的校长唐纳德的原因。
如果你想领导我们，如果你想身先士卒，请考虑加入我的大学。我们可以一起改变这个世界（但首先我们得尝试）