Offices

Chengdu Office

The Chengdu Office, in addition to coordinating FOC’s work within Sichuan, also serves as a coordination center for all the work of FOC within China. This function especially involves the placement and ongoing care of our teachers and students. The Executive Director of FOC is based in Chengdu.

In 2002, FOC purchased and moved to a larger office facility in Chengdu. This significant commitment of resources reflects the continued desire of FOC to expand its work in Sichuan and in the West of China.

In addition to overseeing the work of FOC around China, the Chengdu office continues to investigate new ways of cooperation within Sichuan. Besides recruiting for teachers and foreign students for universities in Chengdu, the Chengdu office maintains contact with several outlying districts and prefectures within Sichuan.

Unfortunately, English teaching programs scheduled for the summer in Sichuan were cancelled because of concerns about SARS. Winter short-term programs are especially attractive for teachers and students from Australasia. In December this year, a team will be studying Chinese language at South West University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu. The Chengdu Office hopes to increase the number of short-term programs next year.

FOC is also beginning to do some development work in Sichuan. Together with the International Health Exchange Center (IHEC) of the Sichuan Provincial Public Health Bureau, and with funding from the Sichuan American Chamber of Commerce, FOC has coordinated the purchase of ultrasound equipment for Shiqu County Hospital and Xinduqiao Hospital, both in Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuan.

In cooperation with Stichting Assistance International and other foundations, FOC provided some funds in 2002 for construction of a primary school in Dege County, also in Ganzi Prefecture. This project has the support of the local government.

Plans to expand our assistance in the educational and medical needs of these areas are being discussed.

In addition to the Chengdu office, FOC has two other representative offices, one located in Xining, Qinghai Province and the other in Xian, Shaanxi Province. New representative offices and teacher training centers are currently in the planning stage.

Qinghai Representative Office

The Qinghai office helps FOC continue to expand its contributions in Qinghai Province in the fields of education, rural development and health care. During 2003, FOC maintained a total of 27-30 adult personnel and 30-34 children in Qinghai. They are involved in the areas of language study, English teaching, teacher training, aid and development projects including water resources, building construction, public health, etc. In the year 2003, FOC’s total investment in Qinghai Province was RMB466,572.

FOC continues to appreciate its relationship with provincial, county and local government departments in Qinghai Province, and has particularly benefited from the help of the Qinghai Education Commission, the Qinghai Foreign Affairs Office, the Qinghai Foreign Trade Bureau and the Public Security Bureau.

Shaanxi Representative Office

The Shaanxi Office is primarily focused on assisting the FOC English teachers at various universities in Shaanxi and the FOC language students who study Mandarin at the Shaanxi Teachers University. The office also organizes short-term teaching and study programs, with a particular focus on assisting the training of English teachers throughout Shaanxi Province, as illustrated by the short-term teacher training programs in Yangling and Sanyuan County this past summer. The work of this office also includes investigation of other professional opportunities for experts in fields other than English teaching.

During 2003, the Shaanxi Representative Office moved to larger premises, due to expansion of our work in this province.

A high percentage of the Chinese language students introduced through FOC study in Xi’an. As mentioned above, most of these have expertise in various fields other than Chinese. After Chinese study is completed, these students move to various locations throughout China to utilize their skills. A major function of the FOC Shaanxi office, therefore, is to work with the local universities to provide even better language and cultural training for the students as they prepare for their future work in China.