This year, April 20 is the Grain Rain, one of the twenty-four Chinese solar terms, and also the International Chinese Language Day. In the legends, Cang Jie, an ancient Chinese mythological figure, created Chinese characters on this day in Grain Rain. To welcome International Chinese Language Day, and to help international students understand and love Chinese better, on April 14, NENU held a Chinese Corner with the theme of "Chinese Language: Facilitating Dialogues Across Civilizations". In the activity, Chinese and international students gathered to share stories with the Chinese language, make the Chinese zodiac rabbit papercuts, sing Chinese songs, and enjoy Chinese dance together. It’s a good chance to experience the charm of the Chinese language and feel the contribution of the Chinese language to enhance the dialogue between civilizations.

Making the Chinese zodiac rabbit papercuts

Four students from Pakistan, South Korea, Gabon, and Russia shared their stories about the Chinese language, their experience of learning Chinese and the impact it has had on them and their home country in the activity. The student from Pakistan, Qadri Ali Usama, said that Chinese is very influential in Pakistan, and many primary and secondary schools are now offering Chinese courses. His nephew and niece are also learning Chinese, and every time they call, they share what new Chinese sentences they have learned. There are now more and more Chinese companies in Pakistan, and local people welcome the "iron buddies" from China; Djissa Eyebe Fathy Jeanalice, a student from Gabon, was influenced by her father who had studied in China, and she became interested in Chinese since childhood. She was shy and afraid to speak Chinese when she first started studying in China, but now she has been able to help her classmates from other countries as a volunteer by using Chinese; Eom Jiyu from South Korea talked about her "ten-year appointment" with Chinese language. All her growth in the past ten years is inseparable from Chinese language, and she hopes to stay and work in China in the next ten years. Russian student Makushina Anna's love for Chinese began when the local Confucius Institute organized a Chinese cultural festival for the citizens. That event made her fall in love with Chinese culture and Chinese food and also made her decide to start learning Chinese. She hopes to become a Russian-Chinese interpreter in the future and make her contribution to the cultural exchange between Russia and China.

A group photo of students sharing "My Story with Chinese Language"

International students are experiencing the touhu game

In the activity, students learned the Chinese song "Friends" together. In the cheerful song, they not only experienced the charm of the Chinese but also enhanced their friendship with each other. The Chinese language has opened a new door to a colorful life for international students, brought them new opportunities to create a better life, and allowed them to meet more like-minded friends. As the saying goes, "Amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states." The Chinese language is bringing people around the world closer together. It is believed that more and more people will fall in love with Chinese and learn Chinese in the future, and Chinese will also make more contributions to the dialogues of civilizations.

Group photo