"After my father passed, many people suggested that we build a memorial or museum to remember him. Later, I thought, that this school is like a living museum commemorating his life,” says Professor Anna Sohmen Pao, as she reflects on her original intentions in establishing Pao School.
Mr. YK Pao was known as the “King of the Sea.” Though his business was global in reach, he always remembered that his roots were in China. He had a global perspective but a Chinese heart, always reminded his family to remember their homeland, and had full confidence in China’s “reform and opening up” and the drive for modernisation. Further, he believed that a strong educational system provides the foundation for a strong country. To this end, he spared no effort to support the development of education in China and successively donated funds to build schools and libraries, alongside establishing scholarships.
Carrying on YK Pao’s emphasis on education, the Pao family’s passion for educational philanthropy is enduring. Philip Sohmen recalled in an interview: "In 2005, my mother and I decided that we wanted to build a school that was rooted in China, with a global perspective. We travelled to many different cities in the country that were considered for the school’s location. Shanghai’s tolerance and openness impressed us and we thought that basing the school in Shanghai would be best.”
It is worth noting that, as preparations were being made for Pao School before it opened, then Shanghai Party Secretary Xi Jinping cordially met with the three founders, discussed Shanghai’s spirit of inclusiveness, and invited them to set up a school in the city.
Around this time, Philip Sohmen was living overseas and just starting his career. He decided that he was willing to carry on the family tradition of developing education in China to serve the country, saying, “Our family has always been focused on education. We feel that education will determine China’s future and can change the country for the better.”
Continuing, Philip Sohmen notes, “My grandfather focused on university education, while we felt that China’s basic education needed to be changed. I observed a group of Chinese students in summer camp and felt that they were excellent in many regards but needed a more well-rounded education.”
Thus, when he received a call from his mother, he resolutely decided to return to China to pursue this dream with her. In his mind, there is nothing more meaningful than education.
After they decided to set up a school in Shanghai, Professor Anna Sohmen Pao and Philip Sohmen invited Ms. Tan Fuyun to join them in establishing the school. Ms. Tan Fuyun was formerly the assistant to the Director of the Hong Kong branch of Xinhua News Agency and had also served as the Director of the Shanghai Federation and Vice-Chairman of the All-China Women's Federation.
Ms. Tan Fuyun once recalled: "During my work in Hong Kong, I was in close contact with YK Pao. He had an excellent reputation and was highly respected far and wide. What I admire most about YK Pao is that he advocated education and cultivated talent throughout his life. He was not only a model of a self-made person, but also played a crucial role in furthering education in China, which has been highly beneficial for the country.”
As the dream began to come to fruition the hard work began, from determining the school site, to hiring school leadership, recruiting teachers, publicising information about the school, and enrolling students. These all became top priorities and all had to be carried out meticulously. At that time, the first cohort of students planned to matriculate in 2007, and because this was the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the preparation time was tight.
The founders inspect the construction of Wuding campus
One of the core members of the founding team, Zang Na, Dean of High School External Affairs, recalls that the school officially began the preparatory stage in 2006. At that time, the entire team, including Philip Sohmen, was crowded into a renovated apartment near the school. One bedroom was used for office work, team members worked in the living room, and the kitchen was converted into an accounting office. The apartment had no air conditioning or heating, so it was cold in winter and hot in summer. There were even cockroaches scurrying around at night.
Philip Sohmen and the early leadership team work in their makeshift office near Wuding Road
Though others tried to encourage Philip Sohmen to move to a more comfortable hotel, he insisted on being with team members. Fortunately, with the assistance and support of the Municipal Party Committee, governments at all levels, and related parties, Pao School opened on 1st September 2007 at a temporary site in the Liuyi Building of Shanghai No. 3 Girls’ High School.
What impressed everyone the most was the hands-on attitude of the founders, who led by example. According to Cynthia Zhang, a key member of the founding team and former Director of the Student Affairs Office, remembers that, when making the first admissions handbook, Professor Anna Sohmen Pao said that she would give feedback as soon as possible. Cynthia’s team worked until 10pm in the evening and finally completed the first draft of the document. After Professor Anna Pao Sohmen received it, she worked until 3am to make the revisions, staying true to her words. It was a very detailed revision, down to every punctuation mark and capitalisation.
At that time, the Pao School had no campus of its own, no students, and was unknown. The admissions team led by Cynthia could only use rudimentary methods to publicise information about the school. They distributed leaflets on the street and worked assiduously to approach kindergartens, where potential students for Pao School could be found. She still clearly remembers that at that time, a kindergarten allowed her to visit and introduce Pao School, so she and Philip Sohmen visited the kindergarten classroom by classroom. She stood on the podium introducing Pao School, while Philip Sohmen sat nearby patiently listening, holding leaflets for interested parents and answering whatever questions they had.
Parents, at the time, were especially focused on the school’s curriculum and teaching resources. Crick Chen, a core member of the founding team and the current Primary Deputy Principal, says that since the course preparation and enrolment were carried out simultaneously, it was unknown how many students would enrol, the level of their bilingual ability and their cultural background. Thus, the first teaching team at Pao School had to be highly flexible, with a wide variety of content available that could be adjusted in line with the students that were to enrol.
The founding exectuvie staff:
Standing (L-R): Kwok Chin Chiu, Crick Chen, Cynthia Zhang
Seated (L-R): Ni Guyin, Warren Johnston
The founding administrative staff:
Standing (L-R): Colin Chen, Cici Cheng, Zhou Huihui, Helen He, Amy Ren, Rui Xin, Kwok Chin Chiu
Seated (L-R): Stella Yao, Cynthia Zhang, Helen Feng, Yolanda Li, Jessica Ling
Further, given the many trials and tribulations of those early days, the team had a resilient spirit that focused on finding solutions to problems. One early staff member who particularly impressed Crick Chen was Michael Young, who was the physical education teacher at the time. Mr. Young very much hoped that students would have the opportunity to participate in athletic competitions off campus with their peers in other schools, in addition to the physical education classes at school. At the time, the only student sports league in Shanghai was only for international school students. After several failed efforts, Mr. Young decided to launch a new organisation: the Shanghai School Sports Association (SSSA). Importantly, SSSA competitions are open to all schools, whether public or private, international or bilingual. Today, SSSA has become the most influential youth sports organisation in Shanghai.
At that time, both the founders and the teaching team agreed that the teaching system of Pao School should integrate Chinese and Western pedagogies, with the course material following the local curriculum. When it comes to teaching methods, Philip Sohmen once said: "There is a course in the primary school curriculum called "Exploration Unit” (EU) which means that the courses stipulated in the Shanghai curriculum are taught in the form of exploration courses, and the units are taught as modules rather than simple knowledge points. For example, water is a unit, which not only includes the content of natural science, but also involves geography and historical development. This helps students form their own comprehensive understanding of this unit through interdisciplinary knowledge. Therefore, in Pao School, the content taught in Chinese and English is not simply divided according to the subject, but based on themes. The Chinese and English teachers jointly prepare lessons to teach the content of a particular theme, which is a type of bilingual immersion learning experience.”
In the early days of the school, Crick Chen partnered with Principal Warren Johnson. She remembers Warren as an optimistic and imaginative person who understands children well. Many of the activities he designed have stood the test of time at Pao School. For example, Maths Night allows parents and children to have fun while learning maths and stimulates children’s interest in the subject – impressively, it remains popular to this day. In addition, other activities established during Mr. Johnson’s time as principal have endured and evolved, including Book Week, camping, and folk-dance night.
Maths Night at Wuding campus in 2008
Folk Dance Night at Wuding campus in 2014
Crick Chen says, "What has remained consistent since the beginning is that we have adhered to the tripartite mission of Pao School, cultivating the comprehensive skills important for students’ growth, including both soft/hands-on skills and academic skills. The school creates an authentic learning environment in which theory can be put into practice in an activity or game. The knowledge, skills, and memories that students take away from these experiences are the most memorable aspects of their experience at Pao School.”
In addition to the courses and faculty, parents always show great interest in matters related to campus construction. With the great assistance and support of the Municipal Party Committee, governments at all levels, and related parties, Pao School has grown from its temporary school site in the Liuyi Building of Shanghai No. 3 Girls’ High School to three campuses of its own: Wuding campus (established 2010), Songjiang campus (2012) and Hongqiao campus (2017).
Looking at the current Pao School campus, with its red brick buildings and beautiful greenery, Zoe He, the President’s Office Archivist, recalls just how far the school’s campuses have come since those challenging early days: "I still remember the summer of 2010 when the three founders often visited the construction site to inspect renovation work in the scorching sun. In order to allow the students and staff to move onto the school’s own campus at the soonest, engineering renovation meetings were held frequently, and the schematic diagram changed frequently. The construction firm and the consulting company were both industry leaders, and Professor Anna Sohmen Pao always strove for perfection and worked to ensure the students of Pao School have access to the best campus facilities.”
After fifteen years of unflagging efforts, the number of students at Pao School has grown from 100 to nearly 1,600, with alumni worldwide. They not only have excellent academic ability and good character, but also have been successful in science and technology, sports, music, art, and other fields. Some of the first graduates have also returned home from after completing their university studies, and have begun to emerge in their respective industries. They are grateful for what Pao School has given them and now want to give back to society. All these positive developments are stepping stones towards Pao School’s aspirations toward building a school for tomorrow’s China and an education for tomorrow’s world.
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