Let the "Rainbow Bridge" of China-South Africa Friendship Extend Continuously-President Xi Jinping's Heart-warming Message Inspires South African Youth Chinese | President | Xi Jinping

Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Hao and Han Liang

The "Rainbow Country" of South Africa in August coincides with the end of winter and the arrival of spring. A heartwarming message crossing the mountains and seas, bringing wishes and hope to the young people here.

During the ten years of spring and autumn, this Confucius Institute has trained nearly ten thousand students. Now, the seedlings of the past have bloomed into forests. A large number of young South African people, with their understanding of China and Chinese culture, have stepped into the vast world from here, constantly adding new brilliance to the "Rainbow Bridge" of China South friendship.

Building a Bridge of Friendship

The opportunities brought by learning Chinese are gradually changing our lives and moving towards a better direction. The joint letter from the teachers and students of the Confucius Institute is sincere and emotional, expressing their heartfelt feelings to teachers and friends from afar.

Teachers and students expressed that they will work hard to learn Chinese, build a bridge for deepening youth friendship between China and South Korea, and tirelessly strive to build a future of win-win cooperation between China and South Korea.

This Confucius Institute is jointly built by Fujian A&F University and Durban University of Technology.

Taking Chinese language teaching as an example, in 2015, South Africa incorporated Chinese language teaching into the national education system. The governments of China and South Africa announced in August 2019 that September 17th will be designated as South African Chinese Day each year. There are currently six Confucius Institutes in South Africa, with the largest number on the African continent.

Open the door to dreams

Sincere friendship begins with mutual understanding and understanding.

Sanelei Entuli, the author of this joint letter between teachers and students and a local volunteer teacher at the Confucius Institute, is precisely such a participant and beneficiary of Sino South cultural exchange and cooperation.

This South African youth originally studied engineering at the Durban Institute of Technology, but entered the Confucius Institute in 2018 due to personal interests. Chinese teachers gave him the Chinese name "Linsen" based on the pronunciation of his Zulu name.

In the past few years, Lin Sen has traveled to China four times, from short-term winter camps and training to a one-year study abroad, from Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha to Fuzhou, Qingdao, and Jinhua. He has personally experienced the pulse of China's development and his love for this friendly country is also growing day by day. His strong interest combined with persistent learning enables him to provide Chinese language teaching to the locals and become a volunteer teacher.

"Many teachers and students like to come to our Chinese classes," Lin Sen said. "I have been learning Chinese myself, studying abroad in China, and now teaching Chinese. Everyone says that my story is very inspiring and brings hope to them."

Lin Sen said that there is an increasing number of Chinese learners and cultural enthusiasts in South Africa, just as his Chinese name implies, "growing from a few trees to a forest.". "We are a bridge between South Africa and China, and I have gained development opportunities through learning Chinese and going to China. I also hope to help more South African youth and extend this bridge of friendship."

Many participants in the joint letter are students studying at Durban Institute of Technology. A South African girl named Sitian in Chinese is currently in second grade.

Pave the way for development

On August 18th, the Confucius Institute at Durban Institute of Technology held a regional workshop on mycorrhizal technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship for African youth. Among the guests who participated both online and offline, there were heads of United Nations agencies, officials and representatives from African countries such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, as well as Lin Zhanxu, Chief Scientist of the National Fungal Grass Engineering Technology Research Center in China. Some teachers and students who wrote the joint letter also participated in this activity.

According to Wu Lin, KuaZulu Natal Province, where Durban is located, is a friendly province with Fujian Province. The two sides were initially connected through the mushroom and grass technology of Fujian A&F University.

In recent years, this Confucius Institute has not only taught Chinese, but also combined Chinese with career development, innovation and entrepreneurship, providing local youth with opportunities for skill training, exchange visits, internships, and more. It has also included mushroom grass technology in the "Chinese+" innovation and entrepreneurship project.

As Confucius Institute teachers and students stated in their joint letter, China's development achievements inspire them to "make their own contributions to the development of South Africa.".

From learning language and perceiving culture, to improving skills and personal growth, and then to sharing development experiences and creating innovative opportunities, the cultural exchange between China and South Africa continues to deepen. It not only builds a bridge of friendship between the people, but also paves the way for common development, depicting a beautiful picture of walking hand in hand and heart in heart.