Confucius Institute at University of Latvia visits Ventspils University of Applied Sciences

On June 1, 2023 local time, Professor Peteris Pildegovics, the director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia from Latvian side, Professor Shang Quanyu, the director from Chinese side, his wife Zhang Guiying, and secretary MS Anastasija Galkina went to Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) to participate in the closing ceremony of the 2022-2023 Chinese course in VUAS. The Rector of VUAS, Professor Andris Vaivads, the Dean of the Translation Faculty, Ms. Sandija Skudra, the Head of the study department, Ms. Liga Koloda and the Head of lifelong learning center, Ms. Egita Udodova welcomed them. Nearly 30 students attended the ceremony. Chinese language teacher Xu Shen was the host of this event.

At the beginning of the ceremony, a teaching video overviewed the whole academic year, which brought tears to the eyes. The Rector Andris shared his travel experience in China in his speech, saying that he attached great importance to the cooperation with the Confucius Institute at LU and hoped to continue to strengthen communication and enhance friendship in the future. The Dean Sandija emphasized the importance of cultural experience. Language is the carrier of culture, and language learning is more about experiencing culture. She hopes that students can understand China and feel Chinese culture through learning Chinese. The Director Shang Quanyu highly praised the achievements of Chinese language teaching in VUAS and showed appreciation to VUAS for its continuous support since the establishment of the Chinese teaching point in 2017. Professor Peteris introduced his working career and his indissoluble bond with China, and donated his books “My China Story” and “Selected Translation of Tang Poems” to the university library. Li Yaling, the student representative, also shared her feelings about learning Chinese over the past year. At last, Rector Andris, Professor Peteris, and Professor Shang Quanyu presented certificates to the students, and the event ended successfully.

当地时间2023年6月1日，拉脱维亚大学孔子学院拉方院长贝德高教授、中方院长尚劝余教授及其夫人张桂英、秘书高安娜等一行亲赴文茨皮尔斯应用科技大学参加文城汉语教学点2022-2023学年中文课程结业典礼。校长安德里斯教授、翻译学院院长珊迪亚女士、学习部负责人里佳女士、终生学习中心负责人爱吉塔女士等热情接待，近30位学员参加典礼，中文教师徐申主持本次活动。

仪式伊始，一段教学视频回顾了整个学年的过往点滴，引人泪目。安德里斯校长在发言中分享了自己的中国旅行经历，表示非常重视与拉大孔院的合作，希望未来能继续加强交流、增进友谊。珊迪亚院长则强调了文化体验的重要性，语言是文化的载体，学习语言更是体验文化，希望学生能通过学习汉语了解中国、感受中国文化。尚劝余院长则高度赞扬文城教学点取得的汉教成果，并感谢文茨皮尔斯应用科技大学自2017年置点至今一如既往的支持。贝德高教授介绍了自己的工作生涯及与中国的不解之缘，并将其著作《我的中国故事》、《唐诗选译》赠予大学图书馆。学生代表李雅灵也分享了一年来学习汉语的所得所感。最后，安德里斯校长、贝德高教授、尚劝余教授为学员颁发结业证书，本次活动圆满结束。