Likes
Dafeng from Thailand, a student from the grade of 2022, is now pursuing a doctor's degree in international Chinese language education at the School of International Culture of SCNU. Having studied Chinese language for over ten years, he plans to go back Thailand and help his people learn Chinese language and culture and tell China's story to his fellow compatriots after graduation.
Dafeng, a 2022 doctoral student from Thailand, poses in front of the teaching building at the Shipai campus of SCNU.
Dafeng's relationship with China began when his parents asked him to learn Chinese language as a child. As he grew up, he became interested in the language and took the learning seriously. He learnt Chinese in a systematic way as he enrolled in the Chinese language course during high school. Besides, he participated in an immersive Chinese summer camp in Tianjin to explore Chinese language and culture.
To put what he learnt into practice, Dafeng has worked as a Chinese teacher at the local Confucius Institute for six years, and participated in many Belt and Road (BRI) activities. "The Belt and Road initiative plays an important role now and in the future, and we should all become participants of it." In addition, he also volunteered to work as an interpreter during the Hangzhou Asian Games.
After 6 years at the Confucius Institute, Dafeng decided to further his studies at SCNU and came to Guangzhou for the first time. "Diversity" is the reflection of Dafeng's life here. Dafeng perceived difficulties in distinguishing the variable accents and dialects when he first set foot in the Lingnan region. "The Mandarin spoken here is very different from what I used to hear in northern China, and it was initially a little difficult to fully understand it. However, the vast difference in accents is also a reflection of the great depth of the Chinese language, which makes me feel the diversity of Chinese culture," Dafeng said.
Dafeng has a special fondness for the diverse local food and friends here. He said the snacks in and around SCNU are abundant and delicious. Apart from his studies, he often gets together with some friends and hangs out. After wandering through SCNU, he often visits the bustling commercial streets around SCNU to taste his favorite seafood and Chaoshan specialties. In addition, Dafeng made various friends from Sierra Leone, Egypt, Poland, Sri Lanka and so on at SCNU. "I have a lot of good friends from famous tourist countries, we will meet each other and travel to each other's countries," Dafeng said happily.
Dafeng (first left) smiles with his teachers and classmates at SCNU.
Dafeng also has a clear plan for the future. "I plan to go back to Thailand to teach Chinese language and Chinese culture and tell Chinese stories to Thai people."
Source from SCNU News Center
Translated by Li Mengjie, Zeng Wenting
Proofread by Edwin Baak
Edited by Li Jianru
What to read next:
