Mdm. Peng Liyuan meets with students and teachers from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) in Germany

Mdm. Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, met with students and teachers from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) in Germany at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on October 19th.

Mdm. Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, meeting with students and teachers from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on October 19th (Photo by Xie Huanchi/ Xinhua News Agency)

The golden autumn of October is a great time of the year. Amid the joy of reunion, Mdm. Peng Liyuan, together with teachers and students from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) in Germany, reviewed her visit to the school in 2014, watched the photos taken by German students and teachers during their study trip in China, enjoyed their chorus singing and instrumental performances by the students, and listened to their experiences in China.

Mdm. Peng Liyuan said that the students’ singing made her recall her visit to Burg-Gymnasium (High School) in 2014. After more than two years, the students could not only speak more fluent Chinese, but also sing Chinese songs better. She believed that this study trip would deepen their understanding of China. She also encouraged the students to continue to learn the Chinese language and culture and learn more about China, so that they may become envoys to promote the friendship between people in China and Germany in the future.

Mdm. Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, meeting with students and teachers from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on October 19th (Photo by Xie Huanchi/ Xinhua News Agency)

Mdm. Peng spoke highly of the unremitting efforts of Burg-Gymnasium (High School) in cultivating Chinese language talents, spreading Chinese culture and promoting cross-cultural communication. She also expressed her belief that the flower of China-Germany friendship would blossom more beautifully with the joint efforts of German teachers and students.

Mdm. Peng stated that this year marked the year of China-Germany youth exchange. Even though China and Germany are endowed with different historical and cultural background, youths in China and Germany share a great deal in common and face-to-face communication will elicit more resonance. Mdm. Peng encouraged young people in both countries to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning and sow the seed of China-Germany friendship in their hearts, so as to create broader prospects for China-Germany friendship.

Mdm. Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, meeting with students and teachers from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on October 19th (Photo by Xie Huanchi/ Xinhua News Agency)

Principal of Burg-Gymnasium (High School) and representatives of students and teachers said that they felt honored when Professor Peng Liyuan visited Burg-Gymnasium (High School) two years ago and communicated with students there, which aroused their interest in learning more about China and Chinese culture. With great excitement, they visited China’s spectacular natural and cultural landscape, made new friends, and experienced the profundity and extensiveness of the Chinese history and culture and the hospitality of the Chinese people. The students would work harder to learn Chinese and contribute to promoting China-Germany friendship.

Burg-Gymnasium (High School), located in Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia of Germany, is one of the 12 oldest public high schools in Germany. Burg-Gymnasium (High School) started to offer Chinese language course in 1994 and is the only school in Essen offering a compulsory course of advanced Chinese and incorporating Chinese into Abitur (high school exit examination in Germany). In recent years, Burg-Gymnasium (High School) has organized students to visit China every year. In March 2014, during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Germany, Professor Peng Liyuan visited the school and observed a Chinese class.

Background information

In 2014, Burg-Gymnasium (High School) turned into a teaching site affiliated to the Confucius Institute Metropolis Ruhr at University of Duisburg-Essen. This school has incorporated Chinese into Abitur and has around 700 students, among whom over 100 are Chinese language learners.

In 2014, when Mdm. Peng Liyuan visited Burg-Gymnasium (High School), she observed a Chinese language class, watched performances of the Chinese chorus and encouraged students to learn Chinese through various ways so as to enhance China-Germany youth exchange. She also pointed out that they could practice pronunciation through singing Chinese songs. Mdm. Peng hoped more children, especially girls, would have access to high-quality education.

At the invitation of Hanban, teachers and students from Burg-Gymnasium (High School) visited Wuhan, Yichang and Beijing, experiencing local customs and practices, attended Chinese courses and HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi or Chinese Proficiency Test) and obtained certificates.