??? Helen Deng ????SONG GE left her hometown in North China’s Shanxi Province for Shenzhen in the winter of 1992. But unlike many Chinese who flocked to the southern city to make money at that time, still the beginning of Shenzhen’s boom, Song came here to run away from an unhappy marriage. ????In the 20 years since, she has built herself from a penniless migrant wandering Shenzhen’s streets to the head of a children’s dancing school with 28 branches and more than 3,000 students. Students from Little White Pigeon school have performed more than 10,000 public dances, including five programs in last summer’s opening ceremony for the 26th Universiade. ????And Song finally entered a happy marriage. ????“I learned to be persistent and grateful in the past 20 years in Shenzhen,” said Song, who named her dancing school after herself. “Ge” means “pigeon” in Chinese.????? ????Song was born into a teacher’s family in 1968 in Huozhou, Shanxi. She loved dancing even as a toddler and at the age of 5, she became a little star for playing a yellow duck in a dance performance created by her mother. In 1989, Song joined a government-sponsored art troupe in Houma City, Shanxi, where her husband worked. ????The couple had a son in 1990, but the marriage did not work out. She decided to leave for Shenzhen, which was a heaven for adventurers at the time. ????On a snowy night in 1992, after hosting an evening gala, Song took a train to Xi’an, then a flight to Guangzhou. She didn’t prepare a pass because she had no idea that people needed one to enter Shenzhen at the time. A pass bought from an underground market near Guangzhou Railway Station cost her 300 yuan (US$48), which almost emptied her pockets. ????When she finally made it to Shenzhen at about 6 p.m. on a winter night, the real hardships began. She had only 45 yuan in her pocket and knew nobody in the city. ????“I lived on two pieces of bread a day for a whole week,” Song recalled. ????She wanted to find a job, but nobody would hire a dancer. At last, a trade company hired her as a clerk. Her job was typing and copying — entirely new skills for her. ????“It was the hardest time in my life. I had lived 24 years but never in my life had I seen a computer, a fax machine or a copy machine,” Song recalled. “I had to learn everything from the very start.” ????There were temptations of an easier life — two men with high-paying positions asked her to be their girlfriend, offering large houses and luxury cars. She refused, knowing that both men were married. ????A year later, Song obtained an administrative job with Dalian Wanda Group, a national commercial, tourism and hotel company. But that same year, she almost lost her life in an unprecedented rainstorm. Torrential rains in June stopped buses, and Song had to walk from Huanggang Checkpoint to Luohu. ????“The water rose to my chest when I passed Yumin Village. Suddenly I felt my foot was on empty air. I had stepped into a coverless well. There was nobody around. Had I put the other foot in, I would have died,” she said. ????Two years later, Wanda Group made Song an administrative manager. But she resigned to start a business out of her home. She established a trading company, two advertising companies and more — at her busiest time, Song ran four companies simultaneously. ????“Starting a business was hard. I wanted to jump from a tall building at the most difficult time,” she recalled. ????In 1998, at the suggestion of a friend, she established Little White Pigeon. But for a long time it was only a part-time job because Song was too busy with her other businesses. ????Her partner at the school left in 2001, taking most of the students with him. ????“I wanted to close the school. But the remaining children wanted to continue their courses, so I carried on, teaching them myself in my office,” she said. ????The number of students at the school soon snowballed and in 2002, Song closed other companies to concentrate on teaching dance. The school now has more than 3,000 students, a two-story headquarters, a large comprehensive training facility and 28 branches. Participating children have won numerous prizes at national dancing competitions. ????Song found love in Shenzhen, too. She remarried in 2005, and the marriage has proved to be a happy one. ????“For the first time in my life, I felt that I could rely on somebody. His support is crucial to the success of Little white Pigeon and me,” she said. ????On June 6, 2011, Little White Pigeon students received the Universiade invitation. ????“At first we had only two programs. But because of our excellent performances, our programs were increased to five,” Song said. ????The students were a huge success. ????“When the children completed the performances, I wanted to cry. I was so proud of them!” ????Song Ge regards Shenzhen as her second hometown. ????“In the past 20 years in Shenzhen, I learned to be persistent and grateful,” she said. “I want to thank all the people in my life for all of my experiences here.” ????Helen Deng ????SONG GE left her hometown in North China’s Shanxi Province for Shenzhen in the winter of 1992. But unlike many Chinese who flocked to the southern city to make money at that time, still the beginning of Shenzhen’s boom, Song came here to run away from an unhappy marriage. ????In the 20 years since, she has built herself from a penniless migrant wandering Shenzhen’s streets to the head of a children’s dancing school with 28 branches and more than 3,000 students. Students from Little White Pigeon school have performed more than 10,000 public dances, including five programs in last summer’s opening ceremony for the 26th Universiade. ????And Song finally entered a happy marriage. ????“I learned to be persistent and grateful in the past 20 years in Shenzhen,” said Song, who named her dancing school after herself. “Ge” means “pigeon” in Chinese.????? ????Song was born into a teacher’s family in 1968 in Huozhou, Shanxi. She loved dancing even as a toddler and at the age of 5, she became a little star for playing a yellow duck in a dance performance created by her mother. In 1989, Song joined a government-sponsored art troupe in Houma City, Shanxi, where her husband worked. ????The couple had a son in 1990, but the marriage did not work out. She decided to leave for Shenzhen, which was a heaven for adventurers at the time. ????On a snowy night in 1992, after hosting an evening gala, Song took a train to Xi’an, then a flight to Guangzhou. She didn’t prepare a pass because she had no idea that people needed one to enter Shenzhen at the time. A pass bought from an underground market near Guangzhou Railway Station cost her 300 yuan (US$48), which almost emptied her pockets. ????When she finally made it to Shenzhen at about 6 p.m. on a winter night, the real hardships began. She had only 45 yuan in her pocket and knew nobody in the city. ????“I lived on two pieces of bread a day for a whole week,” Song recalled. ????She wanted to find a job, but nobody would hire a dancer. At last, a trade company hired her as a clerk. Her job was typing and copying — entirely new skills for her. ????“It was the hardest time in my life. I had lived 24 years but never in my life had I seen a computer, a fax machine or a copy machine,” Song recalled. “I had to learn everything from the very start.” ????There were temptations of an easier life — two men with high-paying positions asked her to be their girlfriend, offering large houses and luxury cars. She refused, knowing that both men were married. ????A year later, Song obtained an administrative job with Dalian Wanda Group, a national commercial, tourism and hotel company. But that same year, she almost lost her life in an unprecedented rainstorm. Torrential rains in June stopped buses, and Song had to walk from Huanggang Checkpoint to Luohu. ????“The water rose to my chest when I passed Yumin Village. Suddenly I felt my foot was on empty air. I had stepped into a coverless well. There was nobody around. Had I put the other foot in, I would have died,” she said. ????Two years later, Wanda Group made Song an administrative manager. But she resigned to start a business out of her home. She established a trading company, two advertising companies and more — at her busiest time, Song ran four companies simultaneously. ????“Starting a business was hard. I wanted to jump from a tall building at the most difficult time,” she recalled. ????In 1998, at the suggestion of a friend, she established Little White Pigeon. But for a long time it was only a part-time job because Song was too busy with her other businesses. ????Her partner at the school left in 2001, taking most of the students with him. ????“I wanted to close the school. But the remaining children wanted to continue their courses, so I carried on, teaching them myself in my office,” she said. ????The number of students at the school soon snowballed and in 2002, Song closed other companies to concentrate on teaching dance. The school now has more than 3,000 students, a two-story headquarters, a large comprehensive training facility and 28 branches. Participating children have won numerous prizes at national dancing competitions. ????Song found love in Shenzhen, too. She remarried in 2005, and the marriage has proved to be a happy one. ????“For the first time in my life, I felt that I could rely on somebody. His support is crucial to the success of Little white Pigeon and me,” she said. ????On June 6, 2011, Little White Pigeon students received the Universiade invitation. ????“At first we had only two programs. But because of our excellent performances, our programs were increased to five,” Song said. ????The students were a huge success. ????“When the children completed the performances, I wanted to cry. I was so proud of them!” ????Song Ge regards Shenzhen as her second hometown. ????“In the past 20 years in Shenzhen, I learned to be persistent and grateful,” she said. “I want to thank all the people in my life for all of my experiences here.” | 