WYS-G9-1-UNIT1-R2

1．We teenagers will grow up someday, leaving our parents and facing the challenges in life alone, so we should learn some life skills and form good habits. As our country requires, schools should play a key part in teaching students about the importance of working hard. To our joy, our school gives us labour (劳动) classes every week.

2．The third Sunday in December, 2025, was the Winter Solstice (冬至). To celebrate it, our teacher decided to teach us to make dumplings together.

3．We had that class in the dining hall because there were enough kitchen machines and tools for us to use. Our teacher divided us into eight groups. Each group brought their materials like vegetables, flour, meat, salt, and green onions. With the help of our teachers and the cook, we started our work.

4．First, we mixed the flour with water to make the dough (面团). Then, we made the filling. We cut the meat and vegetables into small pieces, put them in a bowl and then added salt and green onions. Next, we cut the dough into small balls and then made them into thin circles. After that, we took a thin circle, put some filling in the centre, pressed the circle and made it round. It was the hardest step for us and took us plenty of time to do it well. Finally, we boiled the dumplings in hot water. When they rose to the top, we added some water. Then we did this twice until they were cooked.

5．I still remember that class clearly today. We all enjoyed the delicious dumplings greatly, because they were the fruits of our own labour.

Ayi is a 22‑year‑old girl from Kashgar, Xinjiang. She became well‑known in a new season of the TV programme, which tells people how young people build their careers after leaving school. The programme followed 12 students who studied Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As the youngest one, Ayi at first was unnoticed. By the end of the season, however, she surprised all with her great progress.

Ayi was not from a family of doctors. Her earliest interest in traditional medicine was awakened in her old town. In that place, people believed mutton soup cured illness faster than seeing doctors in hospital. When her grandmother died of illness, she realized good doctors are needed in this place. That was when she decided to become one to serve the people there.

In 2018, thanks to an education program for Xinjiang middle school students, Ayi had a chance to study in a Shenzhen high school. Three years later, she was accepted by Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.

However, the road to becoming a TCM doctor was never easy. For her, it’s especially difficult to understand ancient Chinese medical books. “Terms (术语), like yin and yang, were totally a new way of thinking. So I was always half a step behind my classmates,” Ayi said. To catch up, she put in more time and developed a study method of her own. Along with her schoolwork, Ayi got practical experience by taking part in more than 13 volunteer activities.

Ayi’s greatest dream is to return to Xinjiang and use her TCM knowledge to serve local people. “Back in Kashgar, I know many people don’t look for medical care, so I believe it’s deeply meaningful to use TCM, which is simple, cheap and works well,” Ayi said.