The 13th “You and Me, in Beijing" Chinese Bridge Summer Camp commenced at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) on July 19.
Hosted by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) under the Ministry of Education and BFSU, the event saw the participation of 125 teachers and students from six countries — Albania, Bulgaria, Poland, South Korea, Spain, and Hungary.
Yang Jun, deputy director of the CLEC, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]
Addressing the opening ceremony, Yang Jun, deputy director of the CLEC, said that the Chinese Bridge summer camp serves as a medium that connects diverse cultures and allows participants to experience the beauty of Chinese culture, fostering friendship among different countries.
Yang said that he hopes the camp will provide an opportunity for trainees from various countries to immerse themselves in the joy of learning Chinese, gain a deeper understanding of China, and experience heart-to-heart communication in the world of language and art.
Jia Wenjian, deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, speaks at the opening ceremony. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]
“You and Me, in Beijing" is a traditional and signature program of BFSU's international Chinese education and exchange, said Jia Wenjian, deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university.
He encouraged participants to enhance their mutual understanding and mutual learning, foster friendships through the language courses, cultural appreciation and multicultural activities offered by the camp, and grow into messengers conveying different cultures, pioneering the spread of diverse civilizations and building bridges of friendship among various countries.
Teacher and student representatives of the summer camp speak at the opening ceremony. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]
Representatives of participating institutions also addressed the ceremony. Yoon Beach, vice-president of the Confucius Institute at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, urged trainees at the camp to make the most of this precious learning opportunity, improve their abilities, and make more friends who share the same passion for Chinese language and culture.
Zhana Ivanova Todorova, a student from the Confucius Institute in Sofia, expressed her great expectations for the camp's courses and activities. Todorova said she will introduce the beauty of China to her family, friends, teachers and classmates in Europe.
Participants of the 2023 BFSU Chinese Bridge Summer Camp: “You and Me, in Beijing” pose for a group photo. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]
The "You and Me, in Beijing" BFSU Chinese Bridge Summer Camp has always been committed to providing high-quality Chinese courses and organizing diverse cultural activities for young people from around the world.
Over the past decade, the camp has welcomed more than 1,000 overseas Chinese learners, enabling them to experience the charm of the Chinese language, explore the vibrant city of Beijing, and gain insight into contemporary China. Acting as a bridge of communication, the camp has created a broad interactive platform for young people from different cultures, facilitating mutual learning and exchanges between China and the world.