On July 26, twenty teachers and students from the Confucius Institute at Carthage University, Tunisia, participating in the exchange program “Chinese Bridge: Tunisian Youth Perceiving Contemporary China” organized by Dalian University of Foreign Languages, set foot on the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing for the first time. Faced with the Great Wall’s profound historical significance, the members could hardly contain their excitement. Some climbed high to gaze into the distance, taking in its majestic grandeur, while others captured the moment with their cameras, preserving this special occasion forever.
Ines Ghazouani, a student from Manouba Ninth High School in Tunis, described ascending the magnificent Great Wall as a magical experience and a dream come true. She expressed great joy and hope to return to the Great Wall in the future. Ahlem Ben Soussia, the Chinese program coordinator at the Tunisian Ministry of Education and the lead teacher of the exchange group, shared her gratitude for the opportunity to visit China. She noted that the students gained insights into China’s language and culture, and each day was fulfilling and happy. She hopes for more exchange opportunities between Tunisia and China and encourages students to master Chinese well, becoming young ambassadors of Tunisia-China friendship.
Established in 2018, the Confucius Institute at Carthage University is the tenth Confucius Institute founded overseas by Dalian University of Foreign Languages and the only one in the Republic of Tunisia. The high school students participating in the first “Chinese Bridge” exchange program to China studied Chinese language and culture at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, interacted with Chinese students in both Dalian and Beijing, and immersed themselves in cities and communities to deeply experience the lives of contemporary Chinese people. Through this program, they not only improved their Chinese proficiency but also gained a comprehensive and multi-dimensional understanding of the real China. (By Ding Yang)
