The "Pull" to China
A Message from Shansi on New Beginnings
On June 1st at 9:40 am China Standard Time, Mikael "Mickey" Frey landed in Beijing. After teaching remotely for the English Department at Shanxi Agricultural University for almost a year, Mickey was determined to get to Taigu before the semester ended. He wanted to celebrate his graduating students and hear about their summer plans and career aspirations in person. Though it would have been easier to finish the final two weeks of the semester online, Mickey felt his relationships in Taigu “pulling” him to Asia.
The Shansi teacher’s house at SXAU.
After three and a half years, Shansi has resumed in-person operations in China. Mickey will soon be joined by his co-fellows, Harper, Dina, and Tiffany. His senior fellow, Elaine, will be staying with Shansi for a third year in order to experience Taigu without the barriers of distance and technology. The long-awaited return of Fellows to Taigu reaffirms the strength of our historical partnership with Shanxi Agricultural University. It also helps us recognize that our “pull” to China, much like Mickey’s, is grounded in developing meaningful long-term relationships and fostering thoughtful collaboration.
Your support helps our Fellows, Visiting Scholars, and grantees continue the critical work of highlighting and celebrating a shared humanity that often gets obscured in contemporary discourse. Our programs offer more than professional opportunities; they contribute to understanding, mutual respect, and friendship that supersedes cultural and political boundaries.
Friendships across cultures and geographies have been central to the Shansi experience for over a century, and have shaped the lives and careers of alumni who serve at the forefront of US-Asia relations. For Mickey, Elaine, Harper, Tiffany, and Dina, this opportunity could be the basis for a lifelong engagement in China. As Mickey noted just before he departed,
“Another world is waiting for me, and with it, another version of myself. The person I’ll become after being changed by events and experiences I can’t imagine.”
Please consider donating to Shansi this year before the end of our fiscal year on June 30. You can visit shansi.org/donate to give online or send a check by regular mail to Oberlin Shansi, 103 Peters Hall, Oberlin, OH 44074. And if you would like to take advantage of the opportunity to donate appreciated stock to Shansi, you can find information on how to do so at shansi.org/gift-of-stock.
You can learn more about about Shansi programs and people on our Instagram @OberlinShansi and our YouTube at youtube.com/@OBShansi.
Thank you for your support!
Mickey and some of the students he’s been teaching remotely from the US.