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By Rebecca Scott for the Mail Tribune February 04. 2016 4:35AM St. Mary's School student is a cultural ambassador John Alden "Dashan" Healy, of Central Point, performs on the Chinese television talent show Liaoning Spring Festival at the age of 10. Photo courtesy of Yan Healy Twelve-year-old John Healy has accomplished more in the past six years than many people have achieved in an entire lifetime. John speaks fluent Mandarin, has won several awards and appeared on a Chinese television show reminiscent of "America's Got Talent." John, whose mother and grandparents are Chinese, is a seventh-grader at St. Mary’s School in Medford. In 2010, he spent first grade at the Green Island Primary Boarding School in Shenyang, northeast of Beijing, where he learned Mandarin, was immersed in the culture and became captivated by the country. "I love everything about China," says John, who wore a traditional Chinese tunic suit for a recent interview. “Chinese culture is so exciting. The words and language amaze me. And there’s very good food.” John and his family returned to China in 2013. He visited teachers and friends, but also met people who would change the trajectory of his life. A friend of the family watched a video of John speaking Mandarin, thought the young boy had star potential and encouraged him to learn a new skill — acting. John set about learning a Beijing opera song under the direction of his teacher, master Qu Hong. John practiced for 30 minutes every day for four weeks. His hard work and patience paid off when John performed the piece on the Chinese talent show. The judges seemed impressed as they asked John follow-up questions. When the judges held up their paddles revealing their scores, the crowd roared with applause. John's performance garnered him appearances on television and radio broadcasts in China, where he recited in Mandarin from memory and performed in skits with other actors. “The best way to learn Mandarin is to immerse yourself in a Chinese environment and then learn the pronunciation and tones of the language," John advises. "Watching Chinese cartoons is another fun way to learn." Mandarin uses four tones to clarify the meaning of words. Many characters have the same sound, so tones are used to differentiate words from each other. “It’s important to study and learn Pinyin, which is how to read and write Mandarin without Chinese characters,” says John. Pinyin is commonly used to teach schoolchildren in mainland China, as well as westerners who want to study Mandarin. John’s mother and father, Yan and Wayne Healy, knew their son’s time in China was the beginning of something special. "We are so proud of our son," says his father. "We would do anything to support him and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to appear on the No. 1 Chinese television station viewed by over 750 million people." John performed in the Liaoning Satellite TV 2014 Spring Festival Gala alongside a host of other Chinese entertainers. He sang the Beijing opera song intermingled with a rap in English written by his father. John returned the following year and appeared on Liaoning TV's Six Provinces Common People’s 2015 Spring Festival Gala, which is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Central Television. He recited in Mandarin while two young men performed in the background. The hosts interviewed John and showed a video montage of him and his mother in China, at St. Mary’s School and of him on a television talk show in San Francisco. John will return to China later this year to perform in the CCTV Middle School Spring Festival show. John's stage name in China is the American "Dashan" ("big mountain"), in honor of Mark Henry Rowswell, who calls himself the "Canadian Dashan." Rowswell, from Ontario, Canada, is a freelance performer in China known for his mastery of Mandarin and crosstalk, a traditional Chinese comedic performance. “I want to emulate him,” says John. “I hope to be a cultural ambassador between China and America.” John has proudly represented his school on many occasions, including winning first prize in the intermediate group for the Fifth Class United States West Coast National Speech contest in May 2015 in San Francisco. He was also the first St. Mary's Confucius Classroom student to appear on CCTV. St. Mary’s School has been a Confucius Classroom school since 2008, when it was the first high school in the United States to receive a $50,000 grant for the program. Designed to promote Chinese language and culture, the program is an extension of the government-affiliated Hanban Chinese Language Council International's Confucius Institute program. John enjoys science and physical education classes, and in the near future he plans to build a miniature Tesla coil for class. Long-term, though, he aspires to eventually become a doctor or performer. "Someday I'll buy a motorhome for my parents when I'm rich and famous," John says with a smile.  Reach newsroom assistant Rebecca Scott at 541-776-4477 or by email at [email protected]. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160204/NEWS/160209864 © 2016 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->