(Translated by Li Shan, Proofread by Sun Wei ) On March 1, the opening ceremony of the “2022 HSK & Li Sisters Program of Experiencing on China’s Leading Universities - Nankai University” was held online. This program was jointly organized by Nankai University (hereinafter referred to as NKU), Chinese Testing International Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as CTI), Japan Youth Development Association (hereinafter referred to as JYDA), and the famous Japanese social media influencers “Li Sisters”. Li Pei Ze, Chairman and General Manager of the CTI, Mr. Liu Xiaolong, Global Operating Officer and Marketing Director of the CTI, Keizo Honda, Director of HSK Japan of the JYDA, Wang Lixin, Dean of School of International Education (hereinafter referred to as SIE) and College of Chinese Language and Culture (hereinafter referred to as CCLC) of Nankai University, Ou Yingxi, Vice Dean of the SIE and the CCLC, “Li Sisters”, the well-known Japanese social media influencers and the spokespersons of HSK Japan, all teachers, and 189 Japanese students attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Ou Yingxi, Vice Dean of the SIE of NKU.
Li Peize delivered a speech on behalf of the CTI. He expressed his great pleasure to welcome the students online with colleagues from Nankai University on the beautiful spring day. He pointed out that as a prestigious comprehensive institution of higher learning in China and the alma mater of Premier Zhou Enlai, Nankai University had a profound academic and cultural heritage. He believed that the students participating in this program would be able to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of NKU and experience Chinese culture. He also introduced the basic information of the program and hoped that more outstanding Japanese young people would come to China for further study in the future.
On behalf of the HSK Japan of the JYDA, Keizo Honda expressed his gratitude to the CTI and NKU for their careful preparation. He mentioned that 50 years ago when he was in elementary school, he witnessed the new beginning of friendly exchanges between China and Japan as Premier Zhou Enlai of the People’s Republic of China and Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei of Japan initiated the normalization of the Sino-Japan relationship. Now, 50 years later, it was a great honor for him to organize this “2022 HSK & Li Sisters Program of Experiencing on China’s Leading Universities (Nankai University)” with his colleagues from both sides.
Keizo Honda opined that the essence of communication was to feel the same atmosphere in the same space and gain beneficial experience and friendship. Affected by the COVID-19, students couldn't go to China in person, but Nankai University had prepared online Chinese learning and Chinese culture experience activities that would be infinitely close to the real environment. He hoped students could start a wonderful “cloud” journey of Chinese culture!
On behalf of Nankai University, Dean Wang Lixin welcomed all Japanese students participating in this online experience program and introduced the basic information about NKU and the SIE. He pointed out that from 2020 to the present, in order to effectively meet the learning needs of Chinese learners around the world under the COVID-19 situation, Nankai University has taken the lead in using the Internet to provide online Chinese education opportunities for worldwide young people, with the strong support of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of China's Ministry of education and other departments.
Wang mentioned that “Mountains and rivers on any foreign land, with wind and moon under the same heaven stand.” -- the phrase on the epidemic prevention materials provided by the HSK Japan in 2020 sparked hot discussion and good response in China and also made more Chinese and Japanese people realize the tradition of friendly exchanges between the two countries. As an old saying goes, “Friendship between nations lies in the closeness of the people.” The roots of Sino-Japanese friendship lay in the people as well and educational exchanges played acrucial role in promoting them. The participating students were expected to sow the seeds of friendship in the future and make the precious China-Japan friendship last forever! He also quoted the poem of Han Luo, a poet of the Tang Dynasty – “The best time is March, and the only one who will never return is the youth” to send good wishes to the Japanese students.
“Li Sisters” were the famous Japanese social media influencers and the spokespersons of HSK Japan. They shared their three-year growth experience - from shooting short videos about Chinese language, food, and tourism to becoming HSK Japan spokespersons and noted social media influencers. Achievements were gained though, their original intention of promoting Japanese people's comprehensive understanding of Chinese society and culture and promoting friendly exchanges between the two countries had never changed.They mentioned that the students participating in the Nankai University experience program may come from different environments with different backgrounds, but they all had one thing in common, namely, the courage to face new challenges. They expected all of the students to make some accomplishments in learning.
Zou Yayan, Director of the Chinese Language Advanced Study Department of NKU and the teacher representative, explained the curriculum arrangement, attendance, and regulations on the completion of courses.
It is reported that the HSK & Li Sisters Program of Experiencing on China’s Leading Universities is an online experience activity initiated by the CTI and the HSK Japan of JYDA, jointly carried out by prominent Chinese universities. The program has gradually developed into a well-known brand in Japan for understanding Chinese universities and Chinese society and culture, and has a strong influence on the young Japanese students, with its novel forms and participation of renowned Japanese social media influencers. So far, several prestigious universities in China, such as Fudan University, Beijing Institution of Technology, Nanjing University, Tianjin University, Southwest University of Finance and Economics, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, have hosted the program.
In 2022, Nankai University becomes the first host university of the year. Excellent teachers and a professional team are prepared to successfully organize this program. In addition to Chinese language courses, we will also offer special course themes such as traditional Chinese culture and modern Chinese cities. Through live interaction, “cloud” tours, and other forms, we will help students get an immersive experience of Nankai University online and of learning about China in all-around aspects, from various perspectives such as history, humanities, food, beautiful scenery, study, and life.
