The 12th Shanghai Summer School: Diplomats' Program recently came to an end with a closing ceremony held at East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai on June 17.
Thirty-three diplomats from the consulates of 20 countries in Shanghai took part in this year's program, which was held from April 12 to June 17.
During the ceremony, four representatives from Thailand, Laos, the Philippines and Russia used Mandarin to share what they had gained from learning Chinese and experiencing Chinese culture through the program. They also expressed their gratitude to ECNU for organizing this program and building a platform for cultural exchanges for diplomats.
Jin Lijun, deputy director of the ECNU Global Education Center, congratulated the diplomats on their successful graduation from the program. To date, more than 500 consulate officials from nearly 60 countries in Shanghai have participated in the annual program, according to Jin. She also encouraged the diplomats to continue to study Chinese.
The fifth Diplomats' Chinese Show was also held at the ceremony, which saw the diplomats showing off their proficiency in the language through tongue twisters, poetry recitation, and Chinese songs.
The Diplomats' Program is jointly sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, and organized by ECNU. It is held in ECNU from April to June every year.
The program is unique in that it provides learning content that is suited to the needs of diplomats. This year, more activities featuring Shanghai's regional cultural characteristics, including a lecture on Shanghai's historical changes, an intangible cultural heritage experience activity, and the "Go Chongming" social and cultural practice activity, were carried out.
The program, which allows diplomats to further understand China's history, customs and contemporary social development, has been popular among foreign diplomats in Shanghai for many years.
