The recent successful hosting of South African International Students Alumni Association 3rd friendship activity bears testimony to the growing cooperation between the two nations. The Confucius Classroom of the South African Center for Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange held the third networking activity of the “Alumni Association of South African Students Education in China”. The event was attended by 42 South African students who returned from their studies in China to obtain a bachelor’s degree in education.
The participants came from the South African Vocational and Technical College (ETDP SETA) and the China Cultural Centre (CCC) to train young teachers in the training program for international students in South African Vocational and Technical College.
At the event the Director of Education and Training of South Africa, Sesi Nombulelo Nxesi gave enthusiastic opening speech. They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the China Cultural Center and the Confucius Classroom for their strong support, and expressed their financial support for the alumni association, and pointed out that with the deepening and continuous expansion of cooperation between China and South Africa in the field of vocational education, the South African student exchange program has become an important bridge to promote international cooperation and exchanges between the two countries’ higher education institutions.
The project not only promotes internal exchanges between students, but also builds an efficient and pragmatic exchange platform between China and South Africa.
Dr. Lu Zhilei, Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in South Africa, Director of the Confucius Classroom at the Chinese Cultural Center, and founder of the program for international students in China, delivered a heartwarming speech.
He warmly congratulated the students who had returned to China on their successful completion of their studies, and elaborated on the purpose and far-reaching significance of the “South African Overseas Students Alumni Association”. Dr. Lu said that in the future, the program will continue to provide more South African students with valuable opportunities for exchange and study in China.
Subsequently, Dai Wenhong, the Chinese director of the Confucius Classroom at the China Cultural Center, introduced in detail the remarkable achievements of the Confucius Classroom at the China Cultural Center in teaching Chinese to the guests. She mentioned that Confucius Classroom has not only launched the Chinese Government Scholarship Program to Study in China, but also innovatively launched the “Chinese + Vocational Skills” teaching program and Chinese customized training program.
Dean Dai said that the Confucius Classroom’s Chinese language teaching work aims to provide strong support for exchanges and cooperation between China and South Africa in the fields of economy, technology, and people-to-people relations, and promote the continuous development of bilateral relations. She encouraged the returning students to continue to study hard, strive to apply for the “Chinese Government Scholarship”, and return to China for further study in the near future.
This suggestion sparked an enthusiastic response from the students, because studying in China has made them fall in love with China, and it is the dream of many of them to continue studying abroad, and then they have added Dean Dai’s contact information to inquire about the application of the “Chinese Government Scholarship” program.
At the event, Yang Yu and Duo Jiayi, teachers of the Confucius Classroom of the China Cultural Center, also brought unique Chinese cultural experience activities such as Hanfu try-on and pot throwing. Along with the historical and cultural implications of Hanfu explained by the teachers, the students who returned from China tried on Hanfu one after another. In the pot throwing experience, the participants held arrows, concentrated and calmed down, aiming at the mouth of the pot, so that every throw was full of expectations and surprises. When the elegance of Hanfu meets the elegance of the pitcher, a moving cultural picture is weaved. Many of the participants were delighted that this was the first time they had experienced Chinese culture after returning to South Africa, and they were very surprised and warm.
This event not only deepened the friendship between the people of China and South Africa, but also injected new vitality into the educational and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. At the same time, it has also laid a more solid foundation for the future cooperation and development of China and South Africa in the field of education. It is believed that as more and more international students return from China every year, the team of the “South African Students in China Alumni Association” established by the Confucius Classroom at the China Center will continue to grow. In the future, it will make greater contributions to the exchanges and cooperation between China and South Africa in the fields of economy, technology and people-to-people relations.
