DAR ES SALAAM, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 20 Tanzanian secondary school students who are learning the Chinese language will attend the 2023 Chinese summer camp under support from the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam in cooperation with Zhejiang Normal University in China.
The students from Baobab Secondary School and St. Christina Girls' Secondary School on Wednesday left for the two-week summer camp that will take them to Beijing, Jinhua in east China's Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai.
Speaking at the pre-departure ceremony Tuesday, Zhang Xiaozhen, the director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam, said she hoped the students would have different feelings and benefits after visiting Beijing, the political, economic and cultural center of China, Shanghai, the business and financial hub, and Jinhua where Zhejiang Normal University is located.
During the visit, the students will be trained to improve their Chinese language skills, and they will also be exposed to Chinese culture, high-tech, food and infrastructure, according to Zhang.
Wang Siping, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, told the students that while in China, they will experience traditional Chinese culture, and understand more about Chinese people.
"You will see that China is sharply different from Tanzania. You will see the hospitality and friendliness of Chinese people," said Wang.
Shalia Yasini Mpenda, 17, a Form Four student at Baobab Secondary School, thanked the Confucius Institute for supporting them to travel to China.
"The trip to China will be a great exposure to us, and we hope to broaden our Chinese learning and learn about the Chinese culture," said Yasini. ■