The 2024 Chinese Bridge Summer Camp: Understanding China, which is hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), got underway on July 29.

Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, addresses the opening ceremony of the 2024 BFSU Chinese Bridge Summer Camp: Understanding China. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Addressing the opening ceremony, Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, gave participants some background on the university. Zhao said he hopes the camp will help students understand China, learn the Chinese language and discover its beauty, and that they will also have the chance to explore Beijing.   

Zhao encouraged the students to foster a love for the Chinese language, gain a profound understanding of China, plan for a bright future and serve as ambassadors for peace and friendship. 

Teacher and student representatives speak at the summer camp’s opening ceremony. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Elisa Annette Perrin, a Chinese language teacher from the Confucius Institute at Nuremberg-Erlangen in Germany, shared her experiences to date of learning Chinese and her love for and gratitude towards China. She said she looks forward to experiencing Chinese culture first hand with the other participants and making valuable memories through cross-cultural interactions.

Kim Chaeyeon, a student from the Confucius Institute at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, shared her reasons for learning Chinese and highlighted her favorite Chinese philosophical concept, the Doctrine of the Mean. 

Kim said she is excited to learn, communicate and explore Chinese culture with peers from various countries and to enjoy what promises to be a memorable summer in Beijing. 

Officials present team flags to representatives of participating countries. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Officials present copies of Beijing Central Axis: Key Terms published by the FLTRP to summer camp teachers. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Participants in the 2024 BFSU Chinese Bridge Summer Camp: Understanding China pose for a group photo. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

The summer camp is hosted by the Ministry of Education’s Center for Language Education and Cooperation and BFSU, while organization of the event is undertaken by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) and North China University of Technology. This year’s camp is attended by 132 teachers and students from 11 countries, including Albania, Austria, Poland, Germany, South Korea, Malaysia and Spain. 

As one of BFSU’s international Chinese education brand projects, the camp aims to promote global understanding and cross-cultural exchange, offering students from diverse countries the opportunity to study Chinese, experience Chinese culture and learn about contemporary China.