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NANCHANG, Oct. 23 — The opening ceremony of the Jiangxi Provincial Chinese Language International Promotion Project's "Red,Green and Ancient Charm: Chinese Meets Jiangxi" Chinese Promotion Youth Deputy Training Program was held this morning in the Library and Information Building on the Jiaoqiao Campus of Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics (JUFE).Yuan Honglin, Member ofthe Standing Committee of the JUFE Party Committee and Vice President, attended the ceremony and delivered an address. LiuXiaobing, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperationand Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office), introduced the program.

The ceremony was moderated by Chen Hua, Party Secretary of the Schoolof Sociology and Humanities. Also presentwere Cheng Yalin, Director of the Publicity Department of the University Party Committee and Director of the Converged Media Center; Li Qing, Vice Dean of the School of International Education(Chinese Language International Promotion Center); and Hong Lumin,Vice Dean of the School of Sociology and Humanities. Fourteen international participants from Vietnam,Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and other countries, together with facultyand student representatives of the School of Sociologyand Humanities, attended the event.

A panoramic view of the opening ceremony

In his address, Vice President Yuan Honglin extended a warm welcome to the participants from around the world and briefed them on JUFE'scentury-long academic tradition and its achievements in internationaleducation. Jiangxi, he noted, is a land that carries a red heritage,a green ecology and an ancient cultural legacy. He encouraged the participants to take the Chinese language as a bond and, in the days ahead, to experience the "red, green and ancient charm"with their own eyes and hearts — and then to take home what they learn, see, hear and feel in Jiangxi and share it with family and friends, so that more people may come to know China in a true,multi-dimensional and comprehensive way and become friendly envoys in exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Vice President Yuan Honglin delivers his address

Liu Xiaobing described the program as "four classes":attending thematic lectures, experiencing traditional culture, making field visits to landmarks, and engaging in language practice. He also offered the participants three suggestions — to communicate more,to record more, and to stay in closer contact.

Deputy Director Liu Xiaobing introduces the program

During the sharing session, Nguyen Phuong Thao of Ho Chi Minh CityOpen University and Nguyen Hoang Anh of Van Hien University, both from Vietnam, spoke on behalf of the international participants. Theyspoke of their love for the Chinese language and culture and expressed their anticipation for the journey in Jiangxi, saying thatthey hoped to make the most of the ten days ahead and return home with new knowledge and rich experience.

Thetwo Vietnamese student representatives speak

The ceremony closed with performances that JUFE students had preparedfor the visiting guests. Lin Meiqi, a Thai undergraduate in theSchool of International Education, recited the poem "Facing theSea, with Spring Blossoms" to music, while Li Wenyi, a master'sstudent in the School of Sociology and Humanities, recited the prose piece "Waiting for the Wind,"adding a rich note of cultural exchange to the occasion.

LinMeiqi and Li Wenyi give their recitations

The program is hosted by JUFE andco-organized by the university's Office of International Cooperationand Exchange, the School of Sociology andHumanities, the National Language Promotion Base (JUFE) and theCenter for Education and Communication of Fine Traditional Chinese Culture.

The ceremony also coincided with the opening of JUFE's ConfuciusCulture Festival. As a signature event of the university in promoting fine traditional Chinese culture, this year's festival features classics recitation, calligraphy workshops, folk custom experiences and other activities. The international participants will join these activities in the days ahead, immersing themselves in the distinctive appeal of traditional Chinese culture on campus and further enriching the cultural substance of the program.

With the ceremony concluded, the 14 international participants are now setting out on their journey of Chinese language learning and cultural exploration in Jiangxi. It is hoped that they will not only experience the beauty of Jiangxi for themselves, but also become storytellers of China's story and messengers of friendship between China and the rest of the world.

Agroup photo of all participants in front of the Library andInformation Building

Photos and text: Hong Lumin, Duan Xuelu, Wu Yiqi, Gao Xuanyu, ChenJialuo and Du Jiajia, School of Sociology and Humanities

Reviewer:Jiang Guohe