Chinese learning leads Italian students into a new world
Students of Italian boarding school Rome
Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II read a Chinese book. (Photo by Guan
Kejiang from People’s Daily)
Studying Chinese is leading students from an
Italian Chinese-language international scientific high school into a new world,
as the oriental language is opening a new window for them to know more about
China.
The Chinese-language international scientific
high school, located at the fourth floor of the boarding school Rome Convitto
Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II, is the only public high school that lists
Chinese as a compulsory course in Italy. It also has Italy’s largest Confucius
Classroom.
Posters made by the students can be seen on the
wall of the school corridor. Filling with Chinese culture elements, these
posters present a beautiful picture together with the peach blossoms of the
schoolyard in early March.
Paolo M. Reale, president of the Rome Convitto
Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II, and eight students of the school wrote a letter
to Chinese President Xi Jinping before the Chinese leader’s upcoming state
visit to Italy, expressing their willingness to promote friendship between
Italy and China.
“The students are eager to share their
experiences in learning Chinese language with President Xi Jinping,” said
Reale, adding that the students are very enthusiastic about China and its
culture.
Immersive learning, summer camps in China and
short-term overseas study tours have brought them closer with China, which
further increased their passion for the country, Reale told People’s Daily.
In the letter to the Chinese President, the
students expressed their willingness to work hard to promote dialogue of minds,
cultural exchanges, and mutual learning with their Chinese peers.
Alesslo Treggiari, a fifth-grader from the
school and also one of the eight students writing the letter, told People’s
Daily that learning Chinese has broadened his horizon, and helped him build the
habit of thinking from a global perspective. He plans to come to China for
graduate study and work for Chinese enterprises when he returns home.
“Learning Chinese has guided us into a new
world,” said Giovanni Stoppoloni, also a 5th-grade student.
He told People’s Daily that he always wanted to
know more about China when he learned Chinese.
Last year, the boy went on a study tour to
Shanghai with his classmates and witnessed the development achievements and vitality
of the oriental country. He was impressed by the vastness and splendor of the
world.
“I wrote a poem for President Xi to share my
Chinese learning experiences in the past 5 years. In the poem, I used a
metaphor to describe how China adheres to virtuous traditions and sticks to
innovative development,” he said. Stoppoloni believes that his future will be
closely linked with China.
The Chinese-language international scientific
high school under the Rome Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II is one of
the 6 Confucius Classrooms affiliated to the Confucius Institute at Sapienza
University of Rome.
Thanks to the high-quality education, each year
half of the school’s students would pass the level 5 exam of the Chinese
Proficiency Test even before they graduate.
In the past 10 years since its establishment,
the number of students at the high school increased from 28 to over 250 in 5
grades. A total of over 100 students from the school have studied in China self-funded
for 6 to 12 months, and about a dozen of the school’s graduates have been
admitted to Chinese universities.
“Only by learning languages can the students
better understand other cultures,” said Reale, noting that the notion of the
high school is to introduce Chinese culture to more young Italians, develop a
global perspective for the students and let them become ambassadors of
Italy-China friendly cooperation and East-West cultural exchange.
Because of the continuous social and economic
development of China, more Italians are willing to strengthen all-round
cooperation between Italy and China and make good use of China’s development
opportunities to develop themselves, said Reale.
“The young people, by learning Chinese, not
only open a window for Italy-China cultural exchange, but also enhance their
competitiveness in future career.”
Last Christmas, Reale received an greeting card
sent from Shanghai by former Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano. The
former diplomat expressed his gratitude toward Reale for making his child fall
in love with Chinese culture through learning Chinese at the high school. Alfano’s
child later decided to go to China for study.
Reale introduced that Chinese courses were
well-received by local people and boosted their confidence. He said the school
will actively share teaching experiences with its peers to further promote
Chinese teaching in Italy, and make new contribution to Italy-China cultural
exchange.
(Source: People’s Daily)
Chinese learning leads Italian students into a new world
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