At local times on the afternoon of September 28, the inauguration ceremony of the first Chinese language center in Maldives- the Chinese Language Center of Villa College, jointly established by Maldives Villa College, Chang'an University and Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College was held. The ceremony was held in three venues of Male, Xi'an and Changsha. Wang Lixin, Chinese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Maldives, Latheef, Foreign Secretary of Maldives, Yang Wei, President of Chinese International Education Foundation, Anwar, President of Villa College, Sha Aimin, President of Chang'an University, Luo Guixiang, member of the Education Working Committee of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and member of the Party Leadership Group of the Education Department of Hunan Province, and Li Sanfu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College, attended the ceremony. Liu Guoqing, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the HNMMC, Jiang Minquan, Vice President of HNMMC, Cheng Guizhen, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of HNMMC, Vice Presidents of HNMMC Xu Jingxue and Xie Jingwei, and all middle-level cadres attended the ceremony.
(From left to right, Figure 1: Wang Lixin, Chinese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Maldives Figure 2: Latheef, Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives Figure 3: Yang Wei, President of the Chinese International Education Foundation Figure 4: Sha Aimin, President of Chang'an University Figure 5: Najeeb, Vice President of Villa College Figure 6: Li Sanfu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College)
Wang Lixin congratulated the inauguration of the Chinese Language Center. She said that language was not only a bridge of communication, but also a carrier of culture, a stepping stone and a golden key to understand a country and its splendid civilization. The establishment of the Chinese Language Center of Villa College was a major achievement of cultural and educational exchanges between China and Maldives. She stressed that China is an important tourism partner of Maldives and also the largest source country of tourists in Maldives. The Chinese language center would help Maldives people better understand China and gain more employment opportunities. It is hoped that the Chinese Language Center become a friendly bridge for language and cultural exchanges between China and Maldives, and boosting the connection and communication between people in two countries.
Latheef expressed his best wishes to the Chinese Language Center. He said that in recent years, Chinese has been widely welcomed around the world, and more and more countries have brought it into the national education system. The establishment of Chinese Language Center of Villa College not only provided an important opportunity for the Maldivian people to understand Chinese language and culture, but also offered a favorable platform for the Maldivian culture to enter China. It is hoped that all parties would take the construction of the Chinese Language Center as an opportunity to continuously deepen cooperation in education, culture and other fields between China and Maldives.
Yang Wei, on behalf of the Chinese International Language Education Foundation, congratulated the successful inauguration of the Chinese Language Center. He expected that the Chinese Language Center would teach students in accordance with their aptitude and adjust measures to local conditions to become a bridge for educational cooperation and people- to- people exchanges between China and Maldives, and provide talent support and intellectual security for cooperation in other fields. It is hoped that the Chinese Language Center of Villa College will become a bridge of language, culture and friendship to promote friendly communications between the two countries, and jointly witness the new development of friendly relations of the two countries with the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.
On behalf of Chang'an University, Sha Aimin expressed his gratitude to people from all walks of life who supported the preparation of the Chinese Language Center. He said that Chang'an University has a deep relationship with Maldives. The scientific researchers of the university once presided over the landscape and modeling design of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge. Now, the university is once again bound up with the Country of Pearl along "the Belt and Road", and shall continue to support the construction and development of the Chinese Language Center, making greater contributions to deepening the cooperation in higher education between the two countries and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among diverse civilizations.
Li Sanfu, on behalf of Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College, thanked the guests and friends who paid attention to and made great efforts in the establishment of the Chinese Language Center. He mentioned that the college has been committed to the international communication of Chinese language and culture for a long time. The vast number of foreign friends who love Chinese and Chinese culture knew about Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College through "Chinese Bridge". As the first higher vocational college in China that cooperates to host an overseas Chinese language center, the college shall integrate multiple resources, actively cooperate with the center, and contribute to further boosting China and Maldives educational and cultural exchanges, as well as the mutual understanding between the people in two countries.
Wang Lixin and Latheef together unveiled the Chinese Language Center of Villa College. The guests watched the congratulatory video of Confucius Institutes around the world and enjoyed the special Chinese programs performed by Maldivian teenagers.