At the end of August, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) elected 10 new advisors for the Tunza Youth Advisory Council, an environmental protection body organized and run with global youth activities and young advisors. Li Sixuan, a senior student from Yandaojie Middle School in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, is China's representative and the only one from Asia among the 10 advisors.
From elementary school to senior high school, Li Sixuan has received more than 72 national and international awards. President Hu Jintao and Vice Premier Wu Yi both have had interviews with her when she won the Soong Ching-ling Scholarship, the only state-level scholarship for the nine-year compulsory education in China.
This young star is now not only the chair of the students' union in her school, but also a senior student facing the university entrance examination. Now, she is an advisor for the Tunza Youth Advisory Council. How can a 17-year-old girl maintain balance in her life? Recently, she was interviewed by CCTV.
Q: Since the UNEP has many regional offices to adjust environmental protection issues in different areas around the world, why has it elected 10 young advisors? What kind of impact are these advisors likely to have?
Li: I believe we are acting as guides for young people. Communicating with youth is a part of our work. We could communicate well with youth but for the existing information gap. We should all be involved in the work of environmental protection as the future belongs to us. Now, we need to build up a protective net around the world and to engage young people to join us.
Q: We heard that you were recommended to the Tunza International Youth Conference by Mr. KlausToepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program. And we know that he thinks very highly of you. Do you know why?
Li: I guess this is because of my passion to work and my awareness of the unexpected developments in the environment.
Last year, I was luckily elected as the only spokeswoman to make a speech at the opening ceremony of the Chengdu World Youth Environmental Protection Forum on World Environment Day. Then, I was chosen to be the English hostess of the forum's international section. Mr. KlausToepfer told me that he had listened to my speech carefully and thought it was very good for young people to focus on environmental protection. He hoped to know what our thoughts were on environmental protection issues. Or we can say he wanted to know what we believed was the most important thing in environmental protection.
Q: You two communicated together very well and you made a deep impression on him, didn't you?
Li: Yes, I guess so. He left his card with me and I have sent him emails since then. Especially this year, I wrote a thesis entitled SARS and Environmental Protection. After he read the thesis he sent it to a leading official of the Tunza International Youth Conference. Then, the official contacted me and introduced Tunza to me. He asked me to fill in an application form to join the election for advisors of the Tunza Youth Advisory Council. He said I would be an excellent candidate in the election. Actually the registration had ended by that time. I felt lucky that I was given the opportunity to become the only Chinese candidate in the election.
Q: You have joined many different kinds of environmental protection activities before you were elected as an advisor of the Tunza Youth Advisory Council. There was a project entitled "Home of Love". We heard that the project was canceled due to business difficulties. Do you think that there are conflicts between environmental protection interests and merchandising activities?
Li: I just want to be involved in public activities at my age. Maybe such activities will bring some benefit to business. It is quite good if it can promote the development of environmental protection activities. This depends on its purpose and how the money is dealt with.
Q: Now you are working for the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), do you get paid?
Li: No, I don't. I do it voluntarily as it's my passion.
Q: Is it your hobby to join in these environmental social activities?
Li: Yes, it is. Now I am a senior high school student and facing university entrance examinations. It is a kind of skill practice as well as relaxation for me to join in with these social activities after studying hard.
Q: I know that you have many hobbies, including science, literature, art, gymnastics and social activities. You have won many prizes in all these areas. Many people call you a "little supergirl". Do you think you are a "supergirl"?
Li: I am an ordinary student. I have many friends, and they just treat me as a friend not a "supergirl". I am very lucky and so I won many prizes. Both my parents are professional volleyball players. They educated me in a different way. I got benefits from their educational style.
Q: What education style did they take?
Li: They are very strict with me. For example, my mother would be very angry and punish me if I told lies. But in some areas they just let me do what I want. Just as I said before, I'm very lucky. My parents took me to the gym first when I was four years old. I like it very much. When I was in elementary school, my music teacher recommended for me to sing in the Children's Palace. There were many classes to teach different skills to children at that time. I am a person who is very curious about things. At that time I wanted to learn everything except boxing. My parents tried their best to satisfy my curiosity. I did what I wanted to do and learned what I wanted to learn.
Q: You parents have strongly influenced you.
Li: Yes, they have.
Q: You have received a title of national secondary athlete. You have also won prizes for singing, drawing and dancing. You must be gifted to maintain so many things with such quality.
Li: I never strive sedulously to do anything. I just let them be. But I do wish I could do everything better. If I fail I don't feel disappointed in myself. I am optimistic. This psychology helps me to do things smoothly.
Q: It is very easy for you to become the focus of public attention. Are you getting used to it yet?
Li: I don't think I am a focus of public attention. I am an ordinary girl. I get along quite well with my classmates. Just like other girls, I need my friends by my side to support me. Sometime I am not so self-confident, and I need my friends to encourage me. Now, I am one of the students who face the university entrance examination. The most important thing I have to do right now is to study hard.
Q: What kind of major do you want to study once you get a place in college?
Li: I want to study environmental protection or architecture.
Q: What do you think about Liang Sichen and Lin Huiyin, the talented environmentally aware architects?
Li: They were the forerunners of environmental protection awareness. They are our guides. They taught us how to merge architecture with the environment in a beneficial way. They showed us the direction for developing architecture that doesn't damage the environment.
(China.org.cn translated by Wu Nanlan October 24, 2003)
