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Students from the Orient experience rural Georgia to the world.” Appreciation for the town’s his tory was echoed by other partici pants in the program. Peng Lan, of Tianjin University, affirmed the town’s allure for history enthu siasts: “As a history fan who first came to the United States, I con sidered this one-day trip around Madison [to be] an adventure of discovery. I got to know more about American urban culture as well as [the country’s] fascinating history. And it was lucky for me to take a glimpse of [the] charming architecture and appreciate the beautiful scenery that surrounded [it]. Without any doubt, I just loved it.” Praising the tour of the MMCC, Yazhi Meng of South east University in Nanjing said, “When we were watching a cotton machine which divides cotton from its seed, the guide told us the story how the idea occurred to its inventor, that’s really interesting and we all learned a lot.” On a less studious note, Yishun Tang, also of Southeast, was pleased with one of the town’s non-historical SEE CHINESE » B5 M adison was host to some special out-of-town visitors last weekend, as about 100 students from various universities in China arrived to take in the sights rural Georgia has to offer. The annual event is sponsored by Georgia Tech professor emer itus Ellis Johnson and his wife Crystal. Johnson, who taught industrial and systems engineer ing at Georgia Tech, also is the owner and operator of 100-Acre Farm and Farmhouse Inn in Mad ison, where the students spent the night. The program is managed by Georgia Tech professor Goutong Zhou, who teaches in the school of electrical and computer engi neering. In addition to visiting Madison’s pleasant rural enclave, the program also gives students the opportunity to take summer classes at the Atlanta institute. The program allows partici pants to not only explore a rural community, increasingly uncom mon in China’s ever-industrializ ing landscape, but also experience some of the history on display throughout Madison via a tour of the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center and a driving tour and on-foot exploration of downtown, complete with a visit to local ice cream parlor Scoops. Their visit to the MMCC began with a gathering in the auditorium for a brief introductory talk from volunteer and Madison Historic Preservation Commission mem ber Brad Rice. Rice spoke to the attentive students about the history of the former schoolhouse and the wider context of education in Georgia, touching on issues such as segrega tion and slavery, which appeared to pique particular interest among the students. When he concluded his talk and the students dispersed to explore the MMCC’s exhibits, he also periodically stopped to explain certain artifacts, such as the old cotton gin that rests per manently in the front hall. Free to explore on their own, the students took in the center’s exhibits and chatted excitedly to themselves. Of particular fascination for the students was the MMCC’s bell, which they took turns ringing by pulling on the long rope that dan gles in the front foyer of the build ing. Several fascinated students experienced something of a sur prise as they grabbed the rope in unison and pulled it with perhaps a little too much gusto, causing the rope to snap upward in response. As they waited outside for their bus to return, many students excitedly snapped pictures with their iPhones of the exterior of do in non-Chinese speaking envi ronments), expressed admiration for the beauty of the area and somewhat less enthusiasm for the local food. Like many Chinese cit izens, Tom, who said he was from Shanghai, has had limited experi ences in rural, sparsely populated environments like Madison since his hometown boasts a population of more than 24 million people. “This area is very beautiful, very green,” he said, before saying that he missed his region’s own cuisine but was happy to have the chance to explore the area and voiced his curiosity about American culture and history, praising the town’s architecture: “Everything is so old!” he enthused. Impressed reac tions to the town’s historic working hard... in order to show the fantastic beauty of their hometown the building and took selfies to document their experience. One young student, who called himself “Tom” (adopt ing a Western nick- preservation and civic beauty were widespread among the students, as a participant from Shanghai Jiao Tong University said, “What exactly moved us is that the locals have been The entire traveling roster poses under the Farmview Market rooster. \
