8 minute read
ED GAWNE
The 1st Annual Wuyuan Wheelbarrow Rally
Interview by Ned Kelly
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Englishman Ed Gawne moved to Shanghai in the search of a life less predictable… and found himself in career in corporate market research. As he was still pre-mortage, prekids and pre-things tying him down, I saw a chance and ran away to the countryside, never to return. He now runs Wuyuan Skywells, and the newly opened Victoria House Hotel with his Jiangxi-born wife Selina Liao. On October 30, he is hosting the 1st Annual Wuyuan Wheelbarrow Rally. Intrigued, we decided we needed to know more.
How did the idea for the Wheelbarrow Rally come about? I grew up attending all these weird races in little towns back home and never thought anything of it until I left really. I remember carrying people around on a stretcher through all the pubs in my hometown, pushing my dad around Dartmoor in a pram for his 60th Birthday and watching cheese rolling and bog snorkling on TV. In Britain, eccentricity is a mark of a life well-lived, and I see a lot of that here in the Chinese countryside. I’m aware how lucky and peculiar my situation is – owning two hotels here in the middle of the Chinese countryside, and I was thinking what cool stuff I could do with it.
How does it work in terms of teams? You’ll need someone in the wheelbarrow, and some people to push. I’ve done it
pushing one by myself and its hard work, but possible. The maximum is six per team, or it will feel more like substitutes. There are only so many people that can push one wheelbarrow!
What sort of people do you hope to attract? It’s a cliche to say ‘everyone’ – people who like the great outdoors and have an open mind. You’ll need some people in your team with a bit of oomph, although it might be a good idea to persuade a child to be your rider if you want an easier go of it. If you don’t like exercise or the outdoors, it’s probably not for you.
It’s Halloween weekend, will people be dressing up? It’s as mandatory as I can make it without turning people away. If you are spending your Saturday not pushing someone through the hills in a wheelbarrow dressed as batman, I’ve got to question how well you are spending your weekend.
What else is going on over the weekend? We’re going to finish with a big garden party and BBQ at our new place – Victoria House. Prizes include quickest finish, best fancy dress and best family. At this point, piling into the river for a swim cannot be ruled out. The RMB500 team race fee will be 50% split between race costs and a donation to Heart to Heart. It’s good to do good things.
Tell us about the new place, Victoria House Hotel? Victoria House is closeby to Wuyuan Skywells, but wildly different. We’ve built an English Country manor here in the Jiangxi countryside, to primarily focus on Chinese families who may not enjoy rambling old houses as much as crazy foreigners. It’s a beautiful spot, decorated with old maps from my family, two acres of gardens with a river bend at the front and tea fields at the back. All are welcome; There aren’t many places where you’ll find a large lawn to roll about on in southern China!
Any other wacky events planned for the future? There are big outdoor theaters in the villages out here in Huizhou where we are based. Opera troupes have travelled around them for centuries performing one of China’s oldest musical forms. My vision is to put on a modern music festival. If you build it, they will come…
> Add Ed on WeChat (EdGawne) for any questions about the Wheelbarrow Rally, Wuyuan Skywells, or Victoria House Hotel.
READING CORNER
Book recommendations from That’s editorial team:
Ages 12+
The Alchemist
There are few books we’ve read that are more enlightening than The Alchemist. This Paulo Coelho novel tells the story of a young shepherd who sells his flock and begins a journey from Spain to Egypt to find a hidden treasure. The lessons he learns along the way apply to all of us and can help us become better people.
Ages 6+
17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore
This ‘guide’ on everything not to do is a humorous read for children who have a naughty streak. From gluing her brother’s slippers to the floor to other mischievous acts – 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore is part of a series written by Jenny Offill and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.
CLASS CHAMP
Blastoff
Li Banghua of Anhui province impressed his professors and peers by building a drone over the summer holiday. According to Global Times, the 15-year-old encountered seven or eight obstacles in the drone’s design and construction. Nonetheless, he took it back to the drawing board and persevered. And yes, Li successfully flew the 40-kilogram contraption. Li appears to be on track to become one of the country’s future bright engineers!
HEALTHY HABITS
Belly Business
We love spicy hot pot, maoxuewang and suancaiyu as much as the next person. But, sometimes a busy schedule the next day means we skip our favorite Hunan restaurant for fear of the intestinal repercussions. Dietary fiber has entered the chat. There are two main types of fiber and they are both crucial for digestive health. Insoluble fiber, or ‘roughage,’ is the elements of fruits, vegetables and legumes that our bodies can’t digest. Soluble fiber, like fruit pectin, dissolves in water and forms a gel. Therefore, it regulates the fluid content of your bowel movements, making stool both bigger and softer. Fiber also binds to cholesterols and drags them out of our bodies. High-fiber diets have been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Consider adding oats, apples, or a psyllium fiber supplement to your routine, so you can enjoy a life filled with spicy oily food.
XJTLU Robotics Team Scoops 2nd in National Intelligent Car Competition
As part of their college’s summer professional development program, students created an AI-based robot aimed at catering distribution.
Two teams of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) students recently showed off their skills at the iFLYTEK Intelligent Restaurant Session of the 16th National University Students Intelligent Car Race at Lanzhou University. XJTLU’s two teams – Hahaha Team and Yuezhan Yueyong Team – were recruited during the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang)’s annual program that gives students practical, real-world skills to help their future careers. The College’s professional development programs include activities like site visits, workshops, guest lectures and technical training. IFLYTEK, headquartered in Hefei in Anhui province, is a specialist in artificial intelligence technologies and one of the College’s industry partners. The company provided Year Two students with training sessions and practical guidance on intelligent vehicles during their session over the summer, which culminated in the competition. Hahaha Team captain, Yida Wang, says he jumped at the chance to participate in the competition after last summer’s program. “Last year’s enterprise tours gave me new insight into the R&D focuses of various companies. I was amazed by iFLYTEK’s speech recognition system.” In addition to Wang, Hahaha Team consisted of Xinyu Zhang, Jiashu Zhang, Fudong Cui and Hongyu Bian, all students from XJTLU’s BEng Data Science and Big Data Technology with Contemporary Entrepreneurialism program. Yuezhan Yueyong Team, which consisted of two students from XJLTU’s School of AI and Advanced Computing and three from the University’s Department of Computing, won third prize in the first round of the competition. Dr. Huakang Li, from the School of AI and Advanced Computing, mentored both teams.
Skills gained
The tasks set out by the competition brief focused on catering distribution and involved using a robot operating system and AI recognition algorithms. The race saw participants navigating through a course with tasks including automatic obstacle avoidance, dish distribution, QR code recognition, facial recognition and voice broadcasting. Some of the tasks, like facial recognition, were outside the scope of knowledge of Year Two students, but Dr. Li was there to help them make up for the shortfall by guiding them to the right resources and helping them teach themselves.
Obstacles overcome
But the competition was not without its challenges. The night before the race in Lanzhou, the team encountered a thorny problem – the vehicle could not recognize the required QR code. “At first, we thought it was a light problem that resulted in a recognition failure in the camera,” says Wang. “However, after constant debugging, we finally found the culprit – a code-matching problem. It was getting late, and we were starting to worry! Luckily we solved the problem at 10 pm and saved the next day.”
Lessons learned
In addition to practical skills, the competition taught the participants valuable lessons for their future careers. Xinyu Zhang says: “I’ve learned that when encountering a failure, we should try to adjust our mindsets and move forward quickly, rather than fall apart when a problem arises.” She also says that before the competition, she used to be embarrassed to ask questions and instead would try to solve problems independently. Jiashu Zhang shares her advice to students nervous about entering technical degree programs like those XJTLU offers: “The important thing when trying something new is just to do it! Before doing this competition, I didn’t have any experience writing code. But doing the professional development program gave me new insight. And I discovered that artificial intelligence is not as intimidating and difficult as I first thought. After the program, I feel more confident about my future career.”
To learn more about XJTLU’s Entrepreneur College (Taicang), scan the QR code. Images provided by School of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing.
