--April 5, 2009

A little bit of background

As an English major in Xiamen University, I had an internship from March 22 to April 3 at China Development Gateway in Beijing, which was a great opportunity for me because since my second college year I have been determined to be involved in the media industry. And China Development Gateway definitely gave me a opportunity to practice.

About the team

Photo taken on April 2, 2009 shows English team of CnDG with interns. From left to right: the two lovely interns Cui Ying and Miao Xin, and the team members including Unimoon, Anna, Linda and Swatch. [CnDG by Wang Yuechuan]

We have a very close-knit group, which consists of Unisumoon, Anna, Linda, and Swatch, who are really wonderful and sweet. I had a joyful and fruitful two-week internship there. Unisumoon is our team leader; to some extent, he's also a big brother, who is kind, easy-going and always wears a smile on his face. Despite our age difference, we do not seem to have any generation gap in terms of idea exchange. Anna sits next to me; therefore we talk a lot and have a better chance to get to know each other. To me, she's not only warm and extremely kind, but also behaves like a cartoon character, getting us to laugh a lot. Linda, our big sister, is beautiful, gentle, and soft. She's been to many European countries before, including the UK, Southern France, and Italy which are my dream places. From the way Swatch talks, you can tell she's a Beijing local. Comparatively, Swatch is a calm and serious girl at first. However, over time when we become better-acquainted with each other, she's also a young and passionate person. I think it would be hard to find a better or more united team anywhere.

Internship program

During the two-week long internship program, I lived my life to the fullest. We got to know the history, development, and mission of China Development Gateway, which is dedicated to introducing China to the rest of the world, sharing development experiences with other countries, and contributing to international cooperation, poverty alleviation, and development. During the first week, we learnt how to edit news articles in CnDG's style, and how to upload news, photos, and videos. It was the first time that I had seen how a website operated. Seemingly simple but hard work! Later, we had the chance to participate in the redesign of some web pages, including Legal, Development Reports, and International Development Directory, thinking out of the box and presenting new ideas. In the second week, I translated a news article from Xinhua News Agency. After error checking and correction by our English expert David, my first news article was born, unexpected but really exciting. Intern days were transient, but rewarding and memorable.

About weather in Beijing

I would really love to ask: 'Sunshine, where are you?' As the political and cultural center of China, Beijing granted me a lot in those two weeks. I had loved every day there, except the bleak weather, and 'Wuthering' wind. It was really cold!

In the end

Well, I have to quote the cliché, 'time flies'. I had barely realized it, but it's time to go. 'All good things must come to an end'. Goodbye --- China Development Gateway and all my lovely friends.

(China Development Gateway by Miao Xin, April 5, 2009)

--April 4, 2009

I was fortunate to be granted this opportunity to work from March 22 to April 3 in China Development Gateway. Excited and a little nervous, I entered the huge office and was welcomed by my colleagues. Not as intimidating as I had feared. I felt some relief and grew to love this environment: people are busy typing before their monitors and everyone seems to be engaged in his or her own world. A picture that is totally different from my university life.

I have never had any work experiences related to network, and everything was strange to me. After a few days of learning the ropes, the procedure of releasing news, which seemed at first mystical, gradually became familiar to me. My colleagues patiently explained to us the principles and content of their work -- a little complicated but not so difficult. The most exhilarating moment was when the news translated by us, after proofreading by David and editing by other colleagues, was shown on the website. A real sense of fulfillment rose. This is a memory that I will cherish forever.

The workload is heavy and my colleagues are constantly under great pressure. I was happy to contribute my own effort to help them.

My internship will end soon; these colorful and meaningful days are of vital importance to me. This period acts like a bridge to link my university life and my future career. There are lots of stages we will go through in our lives, and only a few of them are crucial. Luckily, at this important stage, I worked with colleagues in China Development Gateway whose advice and guidance will surely benefit me in my future life.

(China Development Gateway by Cui Ying, April 4, 2009)

--January 5, 2009

From December 1 to December 8, as a member of China Development Gateway (CnDG), I attended the 2008 Asia-Pacific Country Gateway (CG) forum held in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. It was a unique and memorable experience for me. It was my first visit to a foreign country, and I made a lot of friends with people from different countries, and most importantly, learned precious lessons from other CGs and Development Gateway Foundations (DGF).

The forum was hosted by the Vietnam Sustainable Development Centre (VnSDC), hosts of the Vietnam Development Gateway, in collaboration with the Development Gateway Foundation (DGF), and the Ministry of Information and Communications of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (MIC). China Internet Information Center (CIIC) was listed as one of the Silver Sponsors.

The forum aimed at capturing and showcasing learning from across the network and assessing how this could be applied in the context of the different countries, ensuring the impact of CG development programs, and creating an action plan outlining an appropriate framework for CG network collaboration.

At the forum, all the CGs presented their most successful programs. China Development Gateway demonstrated its "24-hour lawyers online" to other attendees. The program focuses on ordinary people with legal questions and tries to provide them with proper answers. People post their legal issues on the website, getting a prompt and cost-free response from the online lawyers. It is a perfect example of how to help the general public enjoy the benefits of advanced technology and Internet communication, which is also a CnDG objective. Many CGs expressed interest in this program and asked for details. DGF also spoke highly of the program and the efforts CnDG have made to help ordinary people.

CnDG has a structured system to update news: usually a junior editor picks up daily news relevant to CnDG's mission, then adjusts the news to the site's own style and updates it on the editorial system, where the senior editor carries out a final check. CnDG therefore presented its experience in content modeling and control, dealing with how to define appropriate content solutions for key target users and perform quality control. This coherent approach earned praise from other CGs.

There remain many problems facing CnDG, and I learned some useful lessons from other counterparts. For example, the Australian Development Gateway carries out a broad survey every year. The survey covers a wide range of people of different ages and professions so that it can get thorough feedback and improve its performance through clear target-setting.

It was a great pleasure for me to attend such a special and significant conference. I was particularly impressed by the earnest and diligent attitudes of all the attendees, demonstrating a highly responsible and active attitude. I plan to carry this kind of approach forward in my daily work and develop together with CnDG.

(China Development Gateway by Sun Wan)

-- September 10, 2008

Through a 10-day orientation program for new staff members provided by China International Publishing Group (CIPG) -- the owner of China Development Gateway (CnDG), I had the opportunity to get to know many new faces and we have become good friends. Now I am back at work, but I will never forget this experience.

At the start of the training program on August 27, every new member was assigned to one of four teams with about 20 teammates. The first task was to memorise the names of all team members; the winner would be the team who completed the task quickest. Unfortunately my team had two members more than other teams, and we failed to win first place. We were then asked to design a unique name card with colorful paper and pencils. One of my teammates, an artist with a doctorate, even drew a self-portrait on the card. Through activities like this we could get to know each other better.

For me, the most unforgettable moments came when we took part in the outdoor training program. Through two days of physical "suffering", everyone faced challenges to their physical and mental limits, and succeeded in bringing our team to a new level.

For example, in a module in which teammates try to jump over a 'broken bridge', each team member must climb a 7-meter high ladder, then jump about 1-meter from one side of the "bridge" to the other. On the ground it would have been a piece of cake, but if you had to do it in reality, like I did, you would realize how difficult it is. Fortunately, with my teammates' encouragement, I finally managed to make the jump. This was a point where I really had to summon up all my courage.

Over the course of the 10 days, all the members contributed their ideas and strengths to the team. Now we know much more about each other and we cherish our friendship. It really was a precious opportunity for us to share, appreciate, and communicate with each other.

(China Development Gateway by Jiao Meng)