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 Volunteer in China! An Shang ("Village of the An Family") is a small farming village about two hours west of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province. It's a very cohesive community, where families have lived and worked together for countless generations. With a population of 1700 people -- 414 families -- An Shang is a quiet, traditional farming community whose pace of life is synchronized to the winter wheat and summer corn harvests. The fertile land and conducive climate has made this area of Shaanxi Province very productive. Families here live frugal, but comfortable lives. In recent years, some younger family members have left An Shang for jobs in large cities. The supplemental income the village families receive from their "city" relatives improves the quality of life on the farm -- to the great benefit of the community-at-large.
It's been said that to understand China, you must know a farmer. The people of An Shang welcome you to know China! Resourceful and hard-working, the people of An Shang have practiced many of the same rural traditions for thousands of years. Yet, as modernization has entered our farming communities, the people adapt their methods to produce even more to support our expanding population. To live, work and play amidst the welcoming people of An Shang is to experience China through its past and present, and to glimpse into the future. The countryside -- lush, green hills and plains -- sets a pastoral scene as you approach the area's small villages.
As a volunteer in An Shang, you will have the opportunity to enjoy our daily lives as well as the cultural and natural attractions nearby.Within walking distance of An Shang is the noted Wei River Gorge, a fascinating natural attraction. From this vantage point, the gorge is easily two or three miles across. Standing at the precipice at a height of about 500 feet, you can gaze over five miles in either direction to the foothills of one mountain range to the north, and the snow-capped rugged Chin Ling range to the south. The Wei River, fed by many tributaries flowing into the valley from either side, is the source of the farmland's fertile topsoil.
Looking toward the broad winding river, you see villages, farms, roads, trains, all busy with rural life. You hear and see children playing with kites in the air over here, and a game of dodge ball over there; you hear dogs barking, see farmers stooped over in the fields, see mothers through their windows chopping vegetables and busily preparing meals. This is rural China!
Work With the People of An Shang
In 1996, Global Volunteers was the first American NGO invited to send volunteers to the People's Republic of China. Today, Global Volunteers is the first American NGO invited to send volunteers to live and work in a rural Chinese farming village. Together through Project Peace, the Sino American Society and Global Volunteers officially inaugurated this historic work program on April 10, 2002. Volunteers worked hand-in-hand with local people and construction workers to build a new school and library. The work continues on a variety of educational projects.
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