Be a Bridge for China-Georgia Friendship and Exchanges

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his delegation visit Beijing Language and Culture University

On July 30, 2023, during the visit of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his delegation to Beijing Language and Culture University, one young man caught everyone's attention with his busy running around and sweat-drenched face. He is Wang Hui, an international Chinese language teacher who had worked in Georgia for six years. Having devoted himself to the frontline of international Chinese language education in Georgia, he returned to China to become a full-time teacher at Beijing Language and Culture University. As he participated in the reception of the leader of a country that he had dedicated his youth to and which he could call his second home, one can imagine how excited he was. Doing his best to ensure the success of this state visit reception is perhaps the epitome of him being a bridge for friendly communication between China and Georgia.

Staying True to Original Aspiration and Forging Ahead

Looking back at his past, Wang Hui recalled that when he was applying for college in 2011, he heard a senior student casually mentioning that "Teaching Chinese as a Second Language" was a major about teaching foreigners how to speak Chinese and understand China. He found it both interesting and inspiring, so he decided to devote himself to this ordinary yet glorious career. After five years of study, he became a volunteer Chinese language teacher in Georgia in 2016. Georgia was his first and only stop so far.

During his years of teaching Chinese, many of his students had realized their dreams of studying Chinese in China. One student named Nini was born in a single-parent family and lacked maternal love from an early age. This made her feel inferior in both her studies and daily life, and she was a silent presence among her classmates. When they first met, she was very shy in speaking Chinese. Later, after Wang Hui got to know her situation, he encouraged her to actively participate in various cultural activities and competitions. Under his guidance, Nini passed the HSK 5 test and began to stand out in Sino-Georgian cultural exchange activities, serving as a host and translator for events organized by the Chinese Embassy and Chinese enterprises. Later, she applied for a Confucius Institute scholarship, returned home after completing her study, and became an outstanding local Chinese language teacher in Georgia. Last year, she bought her first house, fulfilling her dream of settling down in Tbilisi. Whenever Nini talks about her experience of learning Chinese, she cannot help but say, "Learning Chinese not only changed my life, but also changed me internally. It turned me from a girl who struggled to change her fate into a teacher who wants to be a bridge builder for friendly communication between China and Georgia. I can say that Chinese language gave me hope, Mr. Wang Hui gave me strength, and the profession of being a Chinese teacher gave me faith."

It's not just Nini. Watching batches of Georgian students who could only say "hello" and "thank you" in Chinese grow into outstanding talents who can fluently communicate in Chinese and work on the front line of politics, economy, culture, and education in Georgia, Wang Hui never thought that being a Chinese language teacher could be so sacred and glorious!

Dedicating Youth Without Regrets

Due to the impact of COVID-19, when Chinese language classes turned to online teaching, one student fought against the disease while learning Chinese with Wang Hui through the computer screen. He said that he had always had a belief, that is, he must come to China to learn Chinese and travel around China after the pandemic is over. He wanted to chat with Chinese people fluently, introduce the real, three-dimensional, and comprehensive China he knew to everyone around him, and let more and more people join the team of building bridges for friendly communication between China and Georgia.

With these students who love learning Chinese and are brave enough to pursue their dreams, Wang Hui overcame many difficulties and did his best to stay on the front line of teaching Chinese during the pandemic till the end of the semester. They had not only a teacher-student relationship linked by the Chinese language, but also a friendship as "comrades" forged through fighting against the pandemic together.

When asked about his future plan, Wang Hui said that as an ordinary Chinese language teacher at Beijing Language and Culture University, he would always practice the school motto of “Virtue and Words for a Harmonious World” and treat teaching Chinese language and cultivating Chinese language talents, and enhancing the bonds of people around the world as his glorious mission. He would be a storyteller of China's stories and a contributor for world friendship.