Honorable Mr. Posta Bahadur Bogati, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal,
Dear teachers, students and friends,
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests,
Good morning.
It’s my great pleasure to be here with you to celebrate the complete success of the 3rd Ambassador Cup Chinese Language Contest. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, I wish to extend my warm congratulations to all winners of the contest, and sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Education as well as Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal for your strong support, especially to Honorable Mr. Posta Bahadur Bogati, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal for your kindly presenting at the ceremony. Meanwhile, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all participants of the contest and all schools, as well as all Chinese teachers who have dedicated to the contest.
Nepal and China are neighboring countries with long history of cultural exchanges. People-to-people friendship between our two countries has been handed down from generation to generation. This year is China Nepal Friendship Exchange Year. We have witnessed active exchanges between our two countries in the fields of education, culture, tourism, business, religion etc. More and more Nepalese people are eager to know about China, while more and more Nepalese students want to learn Chinese language. Therefore, the Chinese government has set up a Confucius Institute at Kathmandu University and 6 Confucius Classrooms in Nepal to provide convenient access for Nepalese people to learn Chinese languages. Up to now, 8 groups of Chinese language volunteer teachers have been sent to Nepal. Currently more than 80 Chinese teachers are teaching Chinese language and culture in different places in Nepal, including Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Barhabise, Biratnagar and so on, and over 10 thousand Nepalese people are learning Chinese language.
Chinese language is the most ancient and mostly spoken language in the world. It is also one of the official working languages of the United Nation. It not only represents Chinese civilization which has a long history of more than 5000 years, but also becomes China’s fastest growing and most influential external cultural product and communication tool. I should say learning Chinese language is the most direct and effective way to better understand the contemporary China.
I’m very glad to see that after 3 years experiences, both Ambassador Cup Chinese Language Contest and Chinese Cultural Performance Contest have become platforms for Nepalese students to enhance Chinese language level, learn Chinese culture and understand China better. This year, more than 1000 participants from nearly 70 schools, colleges and universities all over Nepal have taken part in the contests. Among them, the eldest is 74 years old and the youngest is only 5. There are participants even from India and South Korea. I believe when taking part in the competition you have also enjoyed the charm of Chinese language and profound Chinese civilization. Your wonderful performances have not only shown your talents but also embodied fruitful achievements of educational and cultural exchange between our two countries. I sincerely hope more and more Nepalese friends will learn Chinese language, and understand better about the splendid Chinese civilization, Chinese cultural tradition and the harmonious fast development of China today. It will also help you to know more about the history of China-Nepal culture as well as the better perspective of China-Nepal relations. Wish more and more Nepalese friends can find new personal development space through Chinese language study and become friendly envoys for China-Nepal friendship.
Once again, congratulate all winners and thank you.