Middle school students of Laos and China perform together

Middle school students of Laos and China perform together

A group of Lao teenagers from Vientiane middle school and Vientiane Liaodu public school came to Yunnan province in October to take part in the second China-Laos youth friendly exchange program----Charming Yunnan, held by Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Municipal People’s Government. During the program, 26 members of the Lao youth delegation and their classmates in Yunnan had a great time, studying together, playing together and living together.

Sincere Communication

It was a meeting held among the students from Vientiane middle school and Vientiane Liaodu public school in Laos as well as Kunming No.1 High School and the High School Affiliated to Yunnan Normal University. During the activities, a rope skipping game was held in the gym of Kunming No.1 High School on October 18. Students from Laos and Yunnan all took part in the activity, and their excellent performance and accurate cooperation won the thunderous applause of the audience.

This is the second time that Tavisa Penpe, whose Chinese name is Liu Jiaxiang, came to Yunnan. He first came to Yunnan in 2016 after he won the third prize in the ninth Chinese Bridge International Chinese Competition for middle school students in Laos and got the opportunity to watch the competition in Yunnan.

Liu recalled his experience as a tough time. “The competition was fierce as the players are of high standard,” he said. After returning home, he began studying Chinese, and the most difficult part for him is the grammar. He likes to study Chinese while watching TV shows such as Happy Camp of Hunan Satellite Television and King Cross of the Beijing TV.

Liu’s elder sister is studying international trade in Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and she often shares with him her experience about studying in China via WeChat. Influenced by his sister, Liu is also eager to study in China and engage in work related to the economic, trade and cultural exchanges between Laos and China.

On the evening of October 18, students of the schools in Yunnan made a well prepared performance for the students from their paired schools in order to welcome them. Liu Zhaowang, a grade 2 student as well as the president of the hip-pop club of the High School Affiliated to Yunnan Normal University, did three street dances with his club members. And Yang Yanshuo, president of the music club of the same grade, sang a song composed by students of the school one week in advance for the Lao students.

With the sound of music of the Lao folk song Zhanba Flower, five girls from Vientiane Liaodu public school took Zhanba flowers, the national flower of Laos, and danced with local characteristics.

Chen Jiani from the first grade was one of the five performers. Since she attended kindergarten and preschool in China, and her father was an overseas Chinese while her mother was a Lao, Chen speaks fluent Chinese. She said her brothers and sisters and some cousins often ask her to teach them Chinese, and that makes her happy.

Strengthen Cooperation

On the morning of October 14, Zhao Candong, headmaster of the High School Affiliated to Yunnan Normal University, introduced the history of the school to members of Lao youth delegation. He said the school is 113 years old, and that countless celebrities, like Ai Siqi and Yang Zhenning, have graduated from the school.

During the visit, Vientiane middle school signed an agreement on establishing friendly inter-school relationship with Kunming No.1 High School and Mile No.4 Middle School; Vientiane Liaodu public school also signed the same agreement with the High School Affiliated to Yunnan Normal University and Mile Qinglai School. They will give full play to their advantages in running schools through regular exchange of visits and other means, jointly promoting cooperation in education and exchanges, and the construction and development of schools of both sides.

According to the agreement, the four paired schools will make exchange visits for managers and teachers as well as outstanding students representatives in the next five years. And regular sharing of education information and other activities will be held to promote the cooperation of teaching between senior middle schools and high schools in Yunnan and Laos as well as the progress of teenagers of the two countries.

Yang Weidong, director of the international department of the High School Affiliated to Yunnan Normal University, said they started exchange students and teachers with the High School Affiliated to Chulalongkorn University in Thailand 10 years ago, and that it is good for them to reach an agreement on establishing a friendly relationship via the Foreign Affairs Office to promote the communication and cooperation between the two schools and broaden their students’ horizons.

Tao Ju, vice-president of Vientiane Liaodu public school, said the school is the largest full-time Chinese language school in southeast Asia, having more than 3,000 students from kindergarten to high school. The school has set up HSK test center, the students of the school can only get the graduation certificate if they reach level 4 in the HSK. In terms of cooperative education, the school has cooperated with Yunnan Normal University for 10 years, and that it is the enrollment point of Yunnan Normal University in Laos. Moreover, the school has cooperated with Yunnan Minzu University and Kunming Medical University as well. There are more and more outstanding students in Laos coming to China for further development.

“Currently, there are more than 5,000 Lao students studying in Yunnan, and more than 6,000 Lao students with multiple academic degrees, including junior college, bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctor's degree, have returned home after getting excellent skills. We hope that teenagers of both countries could pass on the long-lived friendship, promote the cooperation and contribute to the development between China and Laos.” said Hao Kun, deputy director of the Foreign Affair Office.

Before going back to Laos, students from Vientiane Liaodu public school exchanged their WeChat ID with those in Yunnan in order to keep in touch in the future. “After returning to Laos, I will work harder to study. I hope that I can come to study in China in the future and get job that can promote the friendship between Laos and China.” said Cai Meili, an 18-year-old girl from Vientiane Liaodu public school.