by Mr.Dong Ruixiang, founder of ATA
If life spans a century, the first 50 years of my existence have quietly slipped away. This part of my life's journey filled with exploration, I nurtured many dreams - some blossomed into reality: cycling across China, volunteering in Africa, stepping into the United Nations, becoming an Olympic torchbearer, and even Tsinghua University published my memoir " My Adventures in Exploration and Discovery"...
Now in life's latter chapter, I'm pursuing a grand dream for China's children education - a vision encompassing children's happiness, social harmony, and world peace!
Let the story begin in 2014, when I turned 50...
Once Upon a Mountain
On the day of my 50th birthday, in a Beijing daydream, I found myself wandering back to the banks of the Yellow River in my hometown, Lanzhou. Just like in my childhood, I sat by the river, gazing at the towering mountain across the water. I wondered: Was there a hidden utopia beyond that peak? What thoughts filled the hearts of those who dwelled there?
Fueled by dreams, I journeyed far and wide. In Denmark, I witnessed the harmony of a thriving society. In Namibia, I volunteered as a teacher at DAPP Vocational School. I even walked the post-war streets of Kosovo, where the smoke of gunpowder had yet to dissipate, and there, I learned the profound value of peace. Through my work with the UNESCAP, I met Mr. Kofi Annan, the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former UN Secretary-General, on two occasions. At the 15th International AIDS Conference in 2004, I listened to the speech of Nelson Mandela, the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and felt firsthand the radiance of these extraordinary figures who shaped humanity’s progress.
After turning 50, I resolved to devote myself to one grand endeavor—a cause that would contribute to societal advancement.
But what *was* that grand endeavor? Lying on my sofa, my mind drifted into a foggy haze, yielding no answers.
And so, on July 7, 2014, I mounted my bicycle and set off from Changping, Beijing, heading toward the banks of the Yellow River in my hometown, Lanzhou—the place where my dreams had first taken root. I hoped that through this solitary journey, I might uncover the answer to where my life’s path should lead next.
Day after day, night after night, an idea finally sparked in my mind...
Who Should China's Education Learn From?
Former Ambassador Wang Qiliang of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark made the China-Denmark Friendship flag by himself during his visit to AIKC
Denmark, with a population of less than six million, boasts 14 Nobel Prize laureates, numerous world-renowned brands, a thriving spirit of creativity, a harmonious society, a top-ranking happiness index, and the highest level of trust among strangers in Europe.
Yes, China should learn from this fairy-tale kingdom!
King Frederick VII of Denmark returned power to the people, H.C.Andersen’s fairy tales ignited imaginations, educator N.F.S.Grundtvig transformed ordinary Danes into responsible citizens, philosopher Kierkegaard prompted reflection on the meaning of life, the "Law of Jante" instilled humility in Danes, and Nobel laureate Niels Bohr’s "Copenhagen Spirit" cultivated virtues of free judgment and open debate. Above all, Danes embraced educational philosophies from around the world with humility, allowing these ideas to take root and flourish on Danish soil.
Our journey to Denmark was to immerse ourselves in its rich cultural and educational ethos and uncover the DNA of exceptional education.
On December 7, 2016, authorized by Dr.Torben, the chief of the H.C. Andersen Museum, I set up the Andersen International Kindergarten College project-short for AIKC at Nordfyns Folkhighschool. With financial support from the Lao Niu Foundation, between 2017 and 2019, I led over 200 renowned Chinese educators, education media professionals, and practitioners to Nordfyn, Denmark.
There, we studied the growth patterns of Danish children, learned the idea of “learn by play”, embraced the Danish concept of “hygge”, planted flowers and trees, and forged deep friendships with Danes, Japanese, and people from around the world.
Prominent Chinese educator Li Zhenxi also joined the AIKC project in Denmark. In his book *The 100 Languages of Education*, he praised: “Dong Ruixiang—kind, generous, humble, and persistent. The founding father of the Andersen International Kindergarten College, the first to bridge Danish early education philosophy with China’s, and a remarkable visionary. It is his dream that brought our team together, connecting us through serendipity. Through his vision, the light of Danish education ideas will gradually illuminate the hearts of countless early childhood educators across China.”
"A single spark can start a prairie fire. The Chinese teachers I brought to Denmark have expanded this project exponentially. Until now, nearly a thousand people have participated in study tours to Denmark. Through my initiative, the most famous China Education 30 Forum launched the China-Denmark Education Forum, which has been held consecutively for several years with significant social impact.
Ambassador Wang highly commended the AIKC project
However, the good times didn't last. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the AIKC Project.
In 2021, during the darkest moment of my life, an inspiration struck me. With support from Mr. Benny Nybo, the Hans Christian Andersen Teacher’s Award (ATA) was officially established on the 216th anniversary of H.C.Andersen's birthday. Each year, ATA selects 10 award recipients from across China and beyond, announced on the ATA website (www.and822.com). Winners receive a fully funded study tour to Denmark.
The touching educator Lin Jiamei became the first recipient of the ATA Lifetime Honorary Award. Third-term awardee Mr.Sun Yunxiao recommended "Andersen’s Parents" as special commemorative awardees for the fourth term, demonstrating ATA's child-centric essence.
Notable recipients include Ms.Hu Hua, principal of Beijing Huacao Kindergarten, Mr.Yang Yajiang (initiator of Guizhou's Village Football Super program), and numerous nature-based educators, showcasing ATA's educational orientation.
Due to pandemic restrictions, 2021 and 2022 awardees couldn't travel abroad. In 2023, visa approvals for Denmark were twice obstructed maybe by the reason of Russia-Ukraine war.
Finally, on December 1, 2024, the first group of ATA recipients and educational experts obtained Schengen visas and stepped into Andersen's fairy-tale world, gaining invaluable educational experiences."
We discovered the tinderbox that ignites the light of life
In 1999, I led eight young people from Lanzhou into Denmark, where we uncovered that "bronze tinderbox" illuminating their life paths. From that moment, they galloped like unstoppable wild horses, forging extraordinary life journeys. Back in Lanzhou, each created their own remarkable legend. This experience inspired me: What if I guided more people—say, a hundred—to Denmark? Wouldn't that become an extraordinary contribution to my hometown?
Guided by this vision, the LaoNiu -AIKC Project emerged like a silver tinderbox. It ignited the passion of countless Chinese educators, unveiling a series of fairy-tale narratives about Nordic educational philosophies across China. The initial goal of bringing a hundred people to Denmark has been surpassed exponentially.
In Andersen's fairy tale “The Bell”, the grand altar suspended where sea meets sky emits radiant brilliance. Distant horizons dissolve into crimson hues, awakening human souls, elevating thoughts, liberating personalities, and kindling luminous lives.
“The Bell” further confirmed my belief: The ATA project is a golden educational tinderbox!
Mr.Kang Jian, inaugural recipient of the ATA and founder of Beautiful Rural Education in China, shared with me: "Mr.Dong, over the years I've declined numerous institutional honors. Yet I deeply cherish the ATA—for its purity of purpose, and for the profound allure of Danish early childhood education."
The ATA emerged as a spark of inspiration during pandemic darkness.
The Russia-Ukraine war revealed this ATA as a vital endeavor intertwined with global peace. Though the path proves arduous and long, it cannot extinguish our yearning for truth, kindness, and beauty. This realization has fortified our resolve to contribute meaningful acts for world peace.
On the website of the Kofi Annan Foundation, there is a passage: "The Kofi Annan Foundation mobilises political will to overcome threats to peace, development and human rights. "
Kofi Annan's efforts represent a lofty endeavor to architect world peace from above.
Meanwhile, the ATA endows education with a profoundly significant social responsibility: nurturing global citizens committed to the ideals of world peace! This is foundational work—slow yet effective. While humanity can build starships to Mars or rockets targeting "enemy nations," it is in the loving gaze of kindergarten teachers and the impactful stories told by elementary school educators that children’s future choices—whether to press the button for a starship or a missile—have been decided already.
The "White Cross Movement" aims to initiate a grassroots, spontaneous, and gentle movement for peace through children education, steering the world toward a brighter future. By influencing influential figures, those who witness this fairytale-like pedagogy will carry back Nordic educational philosophies—enhancing children’s well-being, preserving their creativity, fostering social harmony, and even contributing to global peace—spreading these ideas across China and beyond.
I am collaborating with outstanding child educators worldwide to orchestrate a grand vision through the ATA—a vision of children’s happiness, social harmony, and world peace. If the ideals of this White Cross Movement gain widespread recognition among educators in China and globally, perhaps one day the ATA project could even be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize! That would be a triumph for all child educators worldwide. Moreover, the substantial Nobel Peace Prize funds would provide vital financial support to sustain the ATA project, ensuring it thrives rather than falters or disappear.
When I shared this idea with Mr.Mogens Godballe, my partner of ATA project, he encouraged me: "Your imagination is extraordinary—keep striving!"
From the copper tinderbox, to the silver, and finally the golden tinderbox, my life has journeyed through the stage of sensibility, traversed the ethical phase, and now entered the realm of faith. This is a purely personal spiritual pursuit, untouched by external influences, and I feel myself growing expansive and enlightened!
In the end of 2024, a courageous group from the ATA embarked on a journey amidst the risks of the Russia-Ukraine war and the echoes of Middle Eastern conflict. Departing from Beijing, we transit through Istanbul at the crossroads of Eurasia, fly to Hamburg, Germany, and step into the world of Andersen’s fairy tales.
May future ATA delegations will not pass through the smoke of gunpowder, but skies adorned with auspicious clouds—welcomed by a tomorrow of human kindness and enduring peace!
As a 2008 Beijing Olympic torchbearer, I live my mission: “igniting dreams and passing on passion”
Chinese version：
假如人生有百年，我前50年那半辈子已悄然而逝。在前半辈子探索前行的路上，我做了许多梦，一些梦还变成了现实，比如：骑行中国、去非洲当志愿者、走进联合国、成为奥运火炬手，清华大学还给我出了一本书《试验人生》......
后半辈子我正在做一个中国幼教大梦，这是一个有关儿童幸福、社会和谐与世界和平的大梦！
故事就从2014年，我人生50岁那年讲起吧！
从前有座山
古道西风单车，梦想人在闯天涯
50岁生日的那一天，在北京的白日梦里，我又走进了家乡黄土高原的黄河边。像小时候那样，坐在黄河边，遥望着河对岸的那座高山，心想着山那边是不是有一个世外桃源，世外桃源里的人们在想什么、做什么？
年轻的时候，带着梦想，我去了世界上许多地方：在丹麦我感受到了社会和谐美好；在非洲纳米比亚DAPP职业学校我当志愿者教师；我还在硝烟未散的科索沃体验过战后的那种社会状况，深深地感受到了和平的珍贵。因为有联合国亚太经社会工作经历，我先后两次见过2001年度诺贝尔和平奖得主联合国秘书长安南先生；我还在2004年第十五届世界艾滋病大会上聆听过1993年的诺贝尔和平奖得主纳尔逊·曼德拉的演讲，近距离地感受到了这些人类进步历程中的杰出人物的光芒。
50岁后，我只想做一件大事了，做一件有助于社会进步的大事情！
可这件事情是什么呢？躺在沙发上，我想不出答案，只有昏沉沉的感觉。
于是，2014年7月7日，我骑上自行车，从北京昌平出发，向着我梦开始的地方-兰州颖川堡的黄河边出发，希冀着在漫游中可以想出后半生往何处去的答案。
朝思夜想，一个灵感终于在我的脑海里闪现了出来。
前中国驻丹麦大使馆王其良大使到安幼考察时亲手制作的中丹友谊旗
不到600万人口的丹麦拥有14位诺贝尔奖获得者、众多世界著名品牌、创造力强大、社会和谐、幸福指数名列世界前茅、陌生人之间的信任度高居欧洲榜首。
对，向这个童话王国丹麦学习！
丹麦国王腓德烈七世还政于民，安徒生童话提升了人们的想象力，教育家格隆维把普通丹麦人变成了合格公民，哲学家克尔凯郭尔让人开始思考人生的意义，詹特法则让丹麦人低调了，诺贝尔物理学奖获得者尼耳斯·玻尔提出的哥本哈根精神又让人们拥有了完全自由的判断与讨论的美德，特别是丹麦人怀着谦虚的态度，兼收并蓄了来自世界各地的教育理念，这些理念在丹麦的土地上开花结果了。
我们去丹麦，就是要感受这么丰富的文化教育理念，去找寻美好教育的DNA。
2016年12月7日，我获得了安徒生博物馆的授权，在北菲茵学院创办了安徒生国际幼儿师范学院项目，在牛根生的老牛基金会的资助下，从2017年到2019年三年间，我带着200余位中国著名教育家、教育媒体人和教育从业者走进了丹麦北菲茵。
我们在那里研究丹麦孩子的成长规律，做游戏，感悟着丹麦人的Hygge生活态度，种花栽树，并且与丹麦人、日本人以及来自世界各地的人们建立了深厚的友谊。
中国著名教育家李镇西老师也随着我走进了丹麦，他在《教育的100种语言》中褒奖我：“董瑞祥，和善，宽厚，谦卑，执着。丹麦安徒生国际幼儿师范学院之父，丹麦幼儿教育思想与中国幼儿教育嫁接的第一人，一个了不起的梦想家。因为他这个梦想，我们这个团队才得以形成，彼此才有缘相识；因为他这个梦想，安徒生童话的光必将一点点地照亮中国一个又一个幼儿教师的心灵。”
王大使对老牛安幼项目的高度肯定
星星之火可以燎原，我带到丹麦的中国老师们把这个项目放大了许多倍，到目前为止，有近千人走进了丹麦考察学习。在我的倡议下，中国教育三十人论坛举办了“中丹教育论坛”，已经连续举办了好几年，收到了很好的社会效益。
好景不长，2020年，疫情来袭，安幼事业暂停了。
2021年，人生至黑暗时刻，一道灵光在我的脑海里闪现。在Benny Nybo先生的支持下，在安徒生诞辰216年纪念日，安徒生教师奖-ATA正式宣布成立了，ATA每年从全国乃至更大的范围内挑选10位获奖人，并在安幼网站www.and822.com 公布获奖者的名字，获奖者将有一次免费机会到丹麦考察学习。
第三届安徒生教师奖获奖人孙云晓老师还推荐了安徒生父母为第四届安徒生教师奖特别纪念奖获奖者，这显示了安徒生教师奖的”含童量“。
著名的北京花草园园长胡华成了获奖者，贵州村超发起人杨亚江校长和一大批从事自然教育的老师们成为了安徒生教师奖获奖人，这向世界展示了安徒生教师奖的教育倾向。
因疫情影响，2021年和2022年，获奖者无法出国考察学习。
2023年又因为俄乌战争，获奖者赴丹麦签证两次受阻。
2024年12月1日，第一批安徒生教师奖获奖者和相关教育专家终于获得申根签证，终于走进了安徒生童话世界里，获得了许多美好的教育体验。
我们找到了点亮人生的打火匣
在安徒生童话《钟声》里，高悬在海天相连处的那座大祭坛，发出了璀璨光芒，远处的一切都融化成了一片鲜红的色彩，人们的灵魂觉醒了，思想升华了，人格独立了，人生开始发光了。
罗红摄影作品：日出
1999年，我带领八位兰州亲友的孩子走进丹麦，发现了那盏点亮他们人生道路的“铜打火匣”。从此，他们就像是脱缰的野马一般，跑出了自己的人生精彩。在兰州，他们都有了自己令人惊叹的传说。这件事，给了我一个启发：如果我带更多的人，比如100人走进丹麦，那岂不是为家乡做了特别的贡献吗？
在这样的思想指引下，后来就有了老牛安幼项目，它就像是银打火匣一般，激发了众多中国儿童教育工作者的美好幼教的激情，在中国拉开了一幕幕童话般的北欧教育理念传播故事，当年带100人走进丹麦的小目标已经超额实现了。
《钟声》还让我产生了这样的判断：ATA是一盏教育金打火匣！
首届安徒生教师奖获奖人、美丽乡村教育发起人康健老师对我说：“董老师，这些年来我拒绝了许多机构的奖项，但是，我特别看重安徒生教师奖，因为它的纯洁与发心，也因为丹麦儿童教育的巨大魅力。”
安徒生教师奖是疫情的黑暗里发出的一道灵感之光。
俄乌战争让我们意识到了安徒生教师奖是一个和世界和平紧密相关的伟大的事业，道阻且远，但挡不住我们向往真善美的心，坚定了我们为世界和平做点好事的念头。
在安南基金会的网站上，有这么一段文字：The Kofi Annan Foundation mobilises political will to overcome threats to peace, development and human rights.安南基金会致力于动员一切政治意愿去保护人类和平、发展与人权事业。
安南在做一种从高处去构建世界和平的努力。
而安徒生教师奖则让教育被赋予了一种特别重要的社会责任：培养具有全球和平理念的世界公民！
这是一种打地基的工作，虽慢且有效。人类可以造出飞往火星的星舰，也可以造出飞往“敌国”的火箭。在幼儿园老师的慈爱的目光里，在小学老师影响深远的故事里，就决定了孩子们未来按下的是星舰还是火箭的按钮。
“White Cross Movement” 搞一场民间的、自发的、温和的通过教育带来和平的运动，推动世界向着好的方向前进。
影响有影响力的人，当他们看到了那童话般的教育，回国后就会把能够提升儿童幸福指数、保护儿童创造力、带来社会和谐，甚至有利于世界和平的北欧教育理念在中国或者更大的范围内扩散开来。
我要与全世界优秀儿童教育工作者们下一盘大棋，ATA是一个让儿童幸福、社会和谐、世界和平的大棋。如果这个白十字运动理念被中国乃至世界各地的儿童教育工作者广泛认可并得以推广的话，也许，未来，安徒生教师奖项目还可以获得诺贝尔和平奖呢！那将是全世界儿童教育工作者的荣誉。
而且，诺贝尔和平奖的那一大笔奖金会给安徒生教师奖提供巨大的经济支持，让它不至于早早夭折。
我把这个想法告诉了一位丹麦朋友，他鼓励我说：“你想象力很丰富，继续努力吧！”
从铜打火匣、银打火匣到金打火匣，我的人生已经从感性阶段，穿越了伦理阶段，进入了信仰的阶段，这是一种不受外界影响的纯个人的精神需求，我感觉自己都变得豁达通透起来了！
作为2008北京奥运火炬手，我在实践自己的使命：点燃梦想，传递激情！
2024年末，一群勇敢的安徒生教师奖北欧教育考察团的人们冒着俄乌战争的风险，伴随着中东隆隆的炮声，我们从北京出发，转道亚欧交界地的伊斯坦布尔，飞往德国汉堡，继而走进了安徒生童话世界里。
希望未来的安徒生教师奖考察团穿越的不是硝烟，伴随着他们飞翔的是一朵朵蓝天上的祥云，迎接他们的是人类美好与和平的明天！
