Long journey on paper

By JACK RONALD

The Commercial Review

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Brian.

Brian lived in a small town in Indiana with his parents, Tommy and Mei.

Brian's parents were born in China, but they had lived and worked in the small town in Indiana for 16 years. It was there that they raised Brian and his brother and two sisters.

Brian was very much an all-American boy. But he also loved the China that was his family's heritage.

He had never visited China.

But one day, a man with a big grin and lots of energy came to his school.

He was going to China, and he offered to take Brian with him.

But Brian wouldn't fit in the grinning man's suitcase.

They folded him like a shirt, but he wouldn't fit.

They folded him like a pair of trousers, but he wouldn't fit.

The grinning man sat on the suitcase. Still no luck.

No matter how much they squeezed, Brian wouldn't fit.

And that's how Flat Brian was born.

The story could go that way, if it were a picture book in a children's library.

The real story is a little different, but not much.

Late last year, Jay Schools superintendent Tim Long was tapped for an international exchange program with school systems in China, funded by the China Exchange Initiative.

As part of the exchange program two Chinese school administrators from Anshan province visited east central Indiana early this spring.

Long played host, taking principal Du Naiqui to every school in Jay County.

One of the stops along the way was East Elementary, where 6-year-old Brian Zhang, son of Tommy and Mei Zhang who have operated the Great Wall restaurant in Portland since 1993, is a kindergarten student.

"She saw Brian," recalled Long. "He was the only Chinese student they saw in our system."

Principal Du and her interpreter immediately stopped to speak to Brian in Chinese.

Trouble is, as an American kindergartener he's more comfortable with English though Chinese is the "language of the hearth" at home.

He had difficulty understanding the Chinese visitors.

That intercultural moment transfixed Long.

Meanwhile, a kindergarten project was under way that would dovetail perfectly with Long's 16-day visit to China in April.

"This is an activity that began with the kindergarten teachers," said East Elementary art teacher Kathy Ayers.

Students had been read the children's book "Flat Stanley" and were doing a follow-up project.

"Flat Stanley" is the tale of a boy who is accidentally flattened when a giant bulletin board falls on him. He then has a series of adventures in his flattened form, since he's able to slip under doors and can be folded up into an envelope and mailed. Eventually, his brother, weary of Stanley's adventures, pumps him back into shape with a bicycle pump.

In other words, it's a great story for kindergarteners. Just silly and fun enough to capture the imagination.

At East, after kindergarten teachers had read the story to their students, they had fifth graders trace the outline of each student lying down.

Then art teacher Ayers worked with the kids to color in their full-sized self portrait.

The next step was a trip to the post office, where flat versions of all the kindergarteners were mailed to family and friends. Some went as far away as Puerto Rico, many stayed in Jay County.

The recipients of the "flat kids" then took pictures of them taking part in a variety of activities, everything from bowling to horseback riding.

Those snapshots were then gathered in scrapbooks by the kids who mailed their flat versions and were shared with the rest of the kindergarten class.

"It's really cool," said Ayers.

When Ayers learned of Long's trip and Long learned of the "Flat Stanley" project, everything came together.

"We asked if he would mind taking 'Flat Brian' to China," said Ayers.

Would he mind?

Long fell in love with the idea.

"It was a way of saying (to Brian), 'Here is your culture,'" said Long.

Over the 16 days, the superintendent took about 100 pictures of "Flat Brian" all over China. Pictures of "Flat Brian" on the Great Wall of China, pictures of "Flat Brian" and Long on a highway overpass with the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium behind them, pictures of "Flat Brian" with countless Chinese students and teachers.

"It became a mission," said Long. "This story was embraced by all the Chinese people I ran into."

When he first brought out "Flat Brian" for a photo session, "One of the kids said, 'That's a Chinese boy!' The kids were enthralled."

Now that Long is back in the States, Brian has had a chance to see a few of the photos and his parents are looking forward to seeing all of them.

Long's favorite is one on the Great Wall, since that's the name of the Zhangs' restaurant. "That was a highlight for me to take that picture."

For now, "Flat Brian" is still hanging out in the superintendent's office. Long is planning some presentations for schools and the community on the Chinese exchange, and he's not prepared to give up on his traveling companion just yet.

"I spent 16 days with him in China," he said. "I'm content to keep him awhile."

But in the end, it's not just about a boy and a drawing and a bunch of photos, it's about cultures and countries and learning from one another.

"The children will change the world," said Long. "Adults are bridges kids are going to cross to make the world a better place."[[In-content Ad]]