不久前，在中央电视台的一档访谈节目中，西湖大学校长施一公深情讲述了西湖大学的办校故事。

        施一公提到了一位长期居住在南美洲法属圭亚那的温州华侨周先生，辗转33小时，取道巴黎、赶到杭州。他带来了当地30多位华人华侨的捐赠款，带来了他们助力祖国强大的殷殷期盼。

        几天后的一个上午，我通过电话联系上了这位周先生。

        周先生，大名周学兵。当地杭州的笔者电话打通时，他那边的时间是晚上10点半左右，“我只是一个小商人，做了点小事情，真的不用采访我。”整个聊天过程中，这是周学兵最常说的一句话。

        翻看周学兵的微信朋友圈，近一个月来，60%的内容都是关于西湖大学规划、教研等，“相信不久的将来，展现在华人华侨面前的西湖大学，一定是一所创新务实的学府，也一定是我们浙江人的家乡金名片。”周学兵说。

一

        2018年10月，周学兵坐了33个小时的飞机，到了杭州。

        从南美洲到杭州，这是全世界最漫长的航线之一。正常情况下，打一个来回，需要三天三夜。

        从商近30年的周学兵说，他已经习惯了这样的长途跋涉。因为在法属圭亚那开了一家书店和百货批发行，每年他都要去两次义乌，进货，成了周学兵和祖国的某种稳定联系。

(左一为周学兵)

        在西湖大学成立大会的现场，施一公校长当面向周学兵表示了感谢。在那之后的几个小时里，周学兵被不同的人拉着合影，这让他有些紧张，但也从内心感到自豪。

        周学兵1964年出生于浙江温州平阳，1985年毕业于中国海洋大学，而后在杭州工作过两年。1987年，周学兵去了法国，1988年自费入学巴黎第六大学，1990年到法属圭亚那工作，定居。

        周学兵说，早期的留学生，可能都有一些共同的经历——两手空空，奋不顾身出国闯世界，“几乎都有过囊中羞涩的时候，靠打工攒学费。由于各种原因，最终呆在海外的比例也很高。”

        虽然常年生活在海外，但周学兵一直对国内的情况很关注。

        去年4月的一天，他在网上看到教育部批准西湖大学成立的消息，当天就在微信群里告诉了同乡，并查到了通过微信二维码捐款的方式，他呼吁大家去了解和支持西湖大学，“毕竟浙江是我的家乡，而且我很早就在关注施一公教授的科研成就。”

        之后一个多月，周学兵在网上不断搜集西湖大学的信息，甚至连新引进一位教授，他都会去“深扒”一番。“我还比较了南方科技大学、上海纽约大学和西湖大学的不同点，觉得按照西湖大学的战略规划，迟早能走出一条不一样的路。”

(左一为周学兵)

二

        法属圭亚那，位于南美洲北海岸，属热带雨林气候，常年气温在24~30°C。人口基本集中在沿海地区，再往里走，就是大片的原始热带雨林。同时，法属圭亚那也是欧洲航天发射中心的所在地。

        居住在那里的浙江华侨大概有3000人左右，他们从事着不同的工作，也和国内同胞一样，熟练地使用着微信。

        周学兵决定就从微信入手。他在5个当地的微信群里发了关于西湖大学的详细介绍，然后放上了官方捐赠二维码，呼吁大家“发扬侨胞捐资助学、爱国爱乡的传统”。

        当天，就有不少人捐了钱。有年纪大的华侨急匆匆跑来找周学兵，说自己不会弄二维码，要他“务必想办法帮帮忙”。周学兵就让他们发红包过来代为捐赠，同时把支付截图发到朋友圈，“当地华人圈子小，很快大家都会知道这件事”。

        同时，周学兵也鼓励家长用小朋友的名字捐赠。对于小朋友，周学兵会写上很多赞美和鼓励的话，比如“好好学习，长大了你也可以成为出色的科学家”等。

        通过转发和扩散，为西湖大学捐赠这件事很快就传开了。周学兵来自美国、澳洲、欧洲的亲朋好友、同学，都加入了进来。他们，也成了西湖大学在海外的第一批捐助人。

（参加捐赠的华侨）

        西湖大学成立大会结束后，西湖教育基金会特地精心制作了80本捐赠证书，送给法属圭亚那的热心华侨们。漂洋过海，证书去了法属圭亚那。

        今年2月份的中国春节，除了传统的唱歌跳舞，法属圭亚那的华人们多了一项特别的欢庆仪式，就是领取这些沉甸甸的捐赠证书。

        杂货店老板娘、饭店厨师，还在念书的小朋友……每个拿到证书的人，都在镜头前露出了发自内心的微笑。

        周学兵说，关于帮西湖大学在海外“吆喝”这件事，自己还会继续，希望有更多的人通过捐赠了解西湖大学。

        “如果有一天，我们这些华侨的孩子中有人能回国上西湖大学，不是一件很酷的事么？”

Chinese in French Guiana Donate to West Lake University

At a press conference at the annual session of the National People’s Congress on March 3, Mr. Shi Yigong, president of West Lake University founded on October 2018, expressed his gratitude to donors from across the world for generous donations to the private, research-oriented higher education institute in Hangzhou. In particular, he mentioned a group of Chinese donors in French Guiana. When mentioning a Mr. Zhou, a native of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, flew around the world in a 33-hour trip from French Guiana and brought the donation to Hangzhou, Mr. Shi was almost choked with tears.

A few days ago I contacted Zhou in French Guiana and talked with him on phone. Mr. Zhou is Zhou Xuebing. He was born in Pingyang, a county in Wenzhou in southeastern Zhejiang. After graduation from Ocean University of China in 1985 he worked in Hangzhou for two years before he went to France in 1987. In 1990 he went to French Guiana for a job and eventually put his roots down there. He has been in business for 30 years.

It was in April 2018 that he first learned online that the Ministry of Education had given green lights to the founding of the West Lake University in Hangzhou (the official approval was granted in February that year). He soon informed his circle of friends on WeChat, a Chinese social media, in French Guiana about the approval and the QR code for donation. In French Guiana, there are about 3,000 natives of Zhejiang and they use WeChat to talk to each other just as their counterparts do back home in Zhejiang. He reached out to these fellow Zhejiang natives in five WeChat groups and called them for supporting the new institution in the home province. “After all, Zhejiang is my home province and I have been aware of Professor Shi’s achievement for a long time,” says Zhou. His friends responded quickly and enthusiastically.

First donations came in on the day the call was made on WeChat. Some seniors visited Zhou personally asking him to teach them how to use the QR code to donate. Zhou asked them to send him red envelopes on WeChat and he then transferred the amounts to the university through his account. Zhou’s friends donated generously and they were recognized by the university as the first group of donators.

In October 2018, Zhou flew 33 hours to reach Hangzhou. Flying from South America to Hangzhou is one of the longest air trips in the world. Normally it takes three days and three nights to fly a round trip. Zhou has long since got used to the long flight. In French Guiana, Zhou operates a bookstore and a wholesale business. He visits Yiwu, the world’s biggest marketplace for household commodities in central Zhejiang, twice a year to do buying from his suppliers. He attended the opening ceremony of the West Lake University. Shi Yigong met Zhou and said thank you personally. In the next few hours, many people sought Zhou out to shake hands and take photos with him. The VIP treatment made Zhou a little bit nervous, dizzy, and tremendously proud.

After the founding ceremony of the West Lake University in October 2018, the West Lake Education Foundation made 80 donation certificates for the overseas Chinese in French Guiana. As his suitcase wasn’t big enough for all the certificates, Zhou packed them into one of the containers to be shipped from Yiwu to French Guiana. It took about 2 months for the containers to reach French Guiana.

At one of the Spring Festival events in French Guiana in February 2019, a special ceremony was held to distribute the certificates to the donors. Among the donors attending the ceremony were a woman who operates a grocery store, a restaurant chef, and some schoolchildren. It turns out that some families donated money to the West Lake University in the name of their children. “Wouldn’t it be cool if one day some of our children can go back home and study at the West Lake University?” enthuses Zhou Xuebing wistfully. 

Zhou concerns himself with the university in the capital of his home province. He browses news about it online. He does some researches about the professors in its employment. He studies its guideline and, after comparing it with its counterparts in China, concludes that West Lake University will definitely make a difference in the future.