New professor at China Three Gorges University in Yichang

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

On March 16, Thomas Ramsey a 71-year-old American, was hired as an Associate Professor by the School of Foreign Languages at China Three Gorges University in Yichang.

 Thomas Ramsey with Xi Jing, President of the School of Foreign Languages.

Ramsey was 58 when he came to work in Yichang, the first foreign worker in the city. At 67, he was the oldest PhD student in Yichang, studying for his doctorate in cross-border water conflict management. Young at heart, at 69 he started making videos to promote Yichang. 
 

Ramsey first visited China in 2009 and was deeply impressed by the magnificence of the Three Gorges Dam in Yichang. "I want to stay!" he decided.

 

The following year, Ramsey taught at a secondary school in Yichang, receiving the city's first work permit for foreigners. 
 

During his 13 years in Yichang, Ramsey has made many friends. Every year at Chinese New Year, he is invited to visit the temple fair, make dumplings and sit down to a New Year's Eve dinner. 
 

Ramsey making dumplings

Over the years, Ramsey has witnessed the changes in Yichang's environment and economic development, and the changes in the countryside. "I want to use my perspective to show everyone what Yichang really looks like." Armed with a mobile phone and a selfie stick, Tom set off on his journey. 

 

In the summer of 2021, he visited the village of Daxi in Yidu City. Ramsey livestreamed the beautiful village scenery, and asked the locals how they shop online.
 

Ramsey livestreaming in Daxi Village, Yidu.

"It's hard to imagine that a poor and backward village could become the beautiful landscape it is now," said Tom. His field visits allow him to tell stories about Yichang's countryside to the world. 

 

Photo by School of Foreign Languages, China Three Gorges University