Learning to unlearn

A junior in human resources embraces the possibilities of learning.

人力资源专业大三学生积极拥抱学习的无限可能。

By LUYU CHEN

On a warm summer day in 2016, the bustling streets of Guiyang were filled with the sounds of excited chatter, as students eagerly returned to school. Among them was Xinyao Huang, a 12-year-old girl. Little did she know that her journey would soon take her far beyond the familiar confines of school, leading her to a new understanding of learning.

Her early experience sparked a quest that would define the next decade of her life. Huang’s path has taken her from a rigid, test-driven system to a more holistic approach to learning. Alongside her own self-exploration, she has worked to bring quality education to remote areas. She has now found her passion in an unconventional way: creating workshops to empower others.

“Education, for me, is about nurturing citizens who want to contribute meaningfully to the world, rather than just becoming cogs in a machine,” Huang said, reflecting on her journey over the past years.

Xinyao Huang poses with students at Qinglong Primary School, where she taught math and English and inspired them to dream big. Photo courtesy of Lei Zhong.

The day curiosity met competition

On her first day at Hualin School, one of Guiyang’s top junior high schools, Huang opened the new books, full of curiosity and excitement. Then she noticed something surprising—her classmates already knew what the lessons were about. As Huang recalled, most of her peers had attended cram schools during the vacation; in fact, after-school tutoring was practically mandatory.

China's national college entrance exam, the gaokao, fuels such intense competition that academic performance has become a central family concern nationwide. This largely fueled the rapid growth of after-school tutoring. According to a 2016 report from the Chinese Society of Education, China's after-school tutoring market for primary and secondary students was valued at over 800 billion yuan, with 1.37 billion student enrollments.

Huang later transferred to Huaxi Country Garden International School before Gaokao, marking a shift away from the exam-oriented learning model to a more holistic approach. At Huaxi, she learned through creative projects such as introducing the history of Canada through a song, developed practical life skills, and engaged in public service activities. This shift empowered her to embrace a more well-rounded approach to learning and eventually led her to Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Xinyao Huang in her “My Passport” workshop, guiding participants through an exploration of identity and self-discovery. Photo courtesy of Lei Zhong .

Simple gifts, profound impact

Through her own growth, Huang realized that a good education's purpose was to transform both her life and the lives of others. Her journey began at Qinglong Primary School, a remote school in Yuxi City, Yunnan province, where she served as a teaching volunteer. This was a voluntary teaching program ran by the school club, Oriental Star.

As one of ten volunteers, Huang not only taught math and English but also inspired ambitious dreams, with one student passionately vowing to master English and Korean before pursuing a master's degree.

Another student left a deep impression on Huang: a small, dark-skinned girl who often scored just a few points on tests. “The first time I asked her to read, she trembled visibly,” Huang recalled. “Struggling with pinyin, she still told me seriously, ‘I want to learn.’ I saw the desire for knowledge in her eyes.”

Huang wanted to instill in her students the belief that they could succeed academically and contribute to society meaningfully. Students prepared gifts for her at the end of the voluntary teaching program: two peaches, a single grape, six handwritten letters, a large sheet of stickers, and lollipops.

The letters, carefully folded and adorned with colorful drawings, were written in simple language. A tear-stained letter in a child's sincere handwriting read: “Thank you, for teaching me, Ms Huang! I will never forget you.” Another letter said, “I will take you out for the most expensive meal in the world!”

Students from Qinglong Primary School shared their dreams. Photo courtesy of Unlearning

The ripple effect

After the two-week voluntary teaching program, Huang realized the scope of work far exceeded her individual efforts. To make a lasting impact, she started to create online and onsite workshops, joining Unlearning, an innovative education organization in China as a core member.

In a quiet corner of the bustling Huangzhou city, a group of curious individuals gathered for a unique experience in the summer of 2024.

“Who am I?” Huang posed a question that seemed simple yet profound during her Passport Workshop, which explored identity and self-discovery. The session began with an exercise called Silent Tags, where participants were randomly grouped and given 15 minutes to observe one another without speaking.

Based on mutual impressions – no introductions, no small talks – and just eye contact and imagination, they wrote down tags for each other: “He seems adventurous,” “She might study art,” or “He probably loves chocolates.”

When the tags were exchanged, the room buzzed with laughter and surprise. “Why would you think I love the beach? I’m such a homebody!” one participant exclaimed.

“The first step in unlearning,” Huang explained, “is to question the labels we place on ourselves and others. Once we let go of those assumptions, we can start to see people and learning itself, with fresh eyes.”

“She is such a passionate girl,” Fangting Gu, the founder of Unlearning, remarked. “You can see it in the way she speaks, the way she engages with her students.” Gu also praised Huang for her infectious enthusiasm for learning and education, inspiring people around her to find suitable ways of learning.

Huang shared her understanding of Unlearning and the way to learn in this new era. It operates on the premise that education should not merely impart knowledge but equip individuals with the ability to question, adapt, and grow.

“Education should be a living, breathing process,” Huang said, “learn to unlearn and relearn together.”

Story:LUYU CHEN/ X Mirror.

Courtesy of the scholastic journalism team, Department of Media and Communication, XJTLU.