I Hope to Present a More Dynamic and Diverse Image of China to the World

Lai Lin, a faculty member of the School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing Vocational Institute of Engineering, has worked in Serbia for nearly 5 years as a volunteer and an international Chinese language teacher. She was dispatched to teach in Serbia twice, awarded the Certificate of Volunteer of the Year by the Confucius Institute Headquarters, and rated an "Outstanding Teacher" by the Confucius Institute at the University of Novi Sad. In teaching Chinese, she sows the seed of cultural confidence and shows the world the charm of Chinese culture. 

At the Confucius Institute, University of Novi Sad in Serbia, Lai Lin mainly taught basic Chinese at the level of HSK Level 1 to Level 3, as well as traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Based on years of teaching experience, she developed the pedagogical model featuring "the combination of intellectual development with fun in immersive classrooms". "In teaching, I focus on students and design special games and interactive sessions to make the boring language lessons immersive and interesting." Lai Lin stressed the need to find the strong points of students and give them more encouragement and recognition in the teaching process.

Lai Lin (first from left) is teaching traditional Chinese painting in Serbia.

In Lai Lin's heart, every student is a star brimming with potential. It takes a teacher's eye to discover them, a caring heart to nurture them, and time to grow them. Only the joint efforts between teachers and students can turn them into a dazzling constellation of stars.

Since her first teaching trip to Serbia in 2015, all the students taught by her have passed the HSK test with high scores. Under her influence, some local students have kept learning Chinese from primary school, chosen Chinese major in their universities, or determined to pursue a career in Chinese translation. Some students of her traditional Chinese painting class have even fallen in love with fine-line painting and come to China to put on a personal painting exhibition in 2018.

Lai Lin (middle) is teaching Chinese in Serbia.

In addition to classroom teaching, the Confucius Institute at the University of Novi Sad regularly organizes various cultural experience activities and lectures to enhance local people's understanding of Chinese culture. During the Spring Festival of 2025, Lai Lin and her colleagues organized paper-cut experience activities. Also, they went to other teaching sites of the Confucius Institute to tell the story of the "new year of China", teach children how to write the character "福(blessing)" or sing Chinese songs, and experience the atmosphere of the "Chinese new year" with local people.

As a true Chongqing girl, Lai Lin likes Novi Sad from the bottom of her heart. It is Serbia's second largest city and cultural center, known as the "City of Souls on the Danube". The city not only features quaint streets and typical buildings of the Gothic style, but also blends historical, artistic and natural beauty. In the eyes of Lai Lin, local people are helpful and patient, and are particularly friendly to Chinese. 

Over the years, Lai Lin has always been proud of her status as a volunteer and an international Chinese language teacher, and has done her best to contribute to the friendly exchanges and mutual learning between China and foreign countries. Looking into the future, she hopes to continue her role as an envoy of culture, with a view to building a bridge for the China-Serbia friendship and presenting a more dynamic and diverse image of China to the world.