Faraway letter from Australia catches first lady's eye
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E-mail China Daily, May 22, 2015
In the digital age, letter writing may not be as common as it once was, but its ability to enrich lives and launch adventures was on display on Thursday when Tasmanian teenagers presented Chinese calligraphy and artwork to first lady Peng Liyuan.
![First lady Peng Liyuan talks to visiting Tasmanian pupils from Scotch Oakburn College at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, May 21, 2015. Peng encouraged them to study Chinese culture and become young ambassadors for China-Australia exchanges. [Photo/Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20150522/7427ea210acc16c8c7d810.jpg "First lady Peng Liyuan talks to visiting Tasmanian pupils from Scotch Oakburn College at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, May 21, 2015. Peng encouraged them to study Chinese culture and become young ambassadors for China-Australia exchanges. [Photo/Xinhua]") |
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First lady Peng Liyuan talks to visiting Tasmanian pupils from Scotch Oakburn College at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, May 21, 2015. Peng encouraged them to study Chinese culture and become young ambassadors for China-Australia exchanges. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The story began last May when 16 pupils from Scotch Oakburn College in Tasmania wrote to President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng, inviting the couple to the island, an offer realized in November during Xi's Australian visit.
The following 12 months have seen the 6th graders gain more fluency in Mandarin as well as develop a deeper interest in Chinese culture. Both were on display in Beijing on Thursday.
William Hurd, a student at the school, presented calligraphy reading, "A Journey of Chinese Culture" to Peng, but confessed that he didn't do it in one sitting, an admission that sparked laughter.
The first lady, who was addressed by the students as Peng Mama (meaning Mother Peng in Chinese), immediately put him at ease and said it was much nicer than her own calligraphy.
Hurd is one of 22 visiting students from the school, which played a special role in bringing Xi and Peng to Tasmania in November, making Xi the first president to have visited every state and territory in Australia.
Xi once said that the handwritten letters by these pupils introduced him to the unique and spectacular views of their hometown, and the invitation was too good to refuse.
In response, the couple met the pupils and planted a yulan magnolia together at Government House in Tasmania months later.
On Thursday, Peng encouraged the children to stay in touch with friends they met in China, continue to study Chinese and China's culture, and to be young ambassadors for friendly China-Australia exchanges after they return home.
She also called for the countries to strengthen cooperation in education and expand exchanges between teachers and students.
Andy Muller, head of the school, said a newly established partnership with Jingshan School in Beijing will help the countries build stronger ties as the young people provide the bridges between nations.
Chinese is the second most common language in Australia, and China also accounts for the most foreign students and tourists. Last year, 4,721 Australian students studied in China.
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