Recently, the President of the Republic of Colombia, Gustavo Petro Urrugo, made a state visit to China. Lina Maria Castiblanco Diaz , a Colombian international student from the School of Tourism and Urban-rural Planning of Zhejiang Gongshang University, was invited to attend the welcome banquet held for Colombian President Petro in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People as a recipient of the Chinese Government Scholarship.
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Lina is an international student who loves Chinese culture and is enthusiastic about public welfare. She has had a strong interest in Chinese culture since she was a child. With her excellent academic performance, she received the Chinese Government Scholarship in 2021 and successfully entered the School of Tourism and Urban-rural Planning to pursue a master's degree in tourism management. During her studies, Lina not only delved into the professional knowledge of tourism management in China, but also actively participated in social practice and public welfare activities. She has received the Cultural Promotion Contribution Award and actively participated in the promotion activities of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, including recording the theme song Asian Games Fever and participating in theme experience activities such as Foreigners Watch the Asian Games. In addition, she was also invited to participate in the 6th Hangzhou International Day in 2023 and other activities.
Being invited to the welcome banquet is not only a recognition of Lina's academic achievements in China, but also an affirmation of her efforts to promote cultural exchange between China and Colombia. She hopes that her experience can inspire more students to actively participate in cultural exchanges and social practices, and contribute to the promotion of cultural exchanges and friendship between China and foreign countries.
In recent years, our university has continuously deepened exchanges and cooperation, adhered to open education, and improved the international level of strategic cooperation, discipline construction, faculty, talent cultivation, scientific research, and integration of industry and education, promoting the in-depth development of international education and building a new high ground for international talent cultivation. The school has truly integrated the education of international students studying in China into the higher education teaching and education system, deepened the integration and development of Chinese and foreign students, and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive educational environment, cultivating more international students who know, befriend, and love China, and making them friendly ambassadors for promoting future exchanges and cooperation between China and foreign countries.
The following is Lina's statement:
For Colombia, my country, it is very important to strengthen the academic ties between China and Colombia; As a CSC scholarship holder and in recognition of my achievements in China, I had the privilege to be invited to the welcome reception for the Colombian President Gustavo Petro, held last Wednesday, October 25 in Beijing.
In the morning, during the visit to the Colombian Embassy, I had the opportunity to greet my president, and I expressed to him my wishes and availability to help increase the connection between the two nations. We took a picture as a way to mark the moment.The agenda followed with a visit to Tiananmen Square, where the Colombian President received an official greeting and the Colombian National Anthem was played.
We continued to the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, where Colombian President Petro gave an emotional speech from which I highlight the following phrases:I was 15 years old when I read Mao, his five philosophical theses and his studies about contradiction.The flow between life and history.Commander, you sowed illusions in the youth around the world and opened the path for your country to be great on earth.History continues and conflict can draw us into human extinction. Today it is capital or life. We are going for the great march through life.
During dinner I was able to speak to high officials and diplomats from both nations, sharing with them my achievements and the dreams I want to come true. Being close to China´s President Xi Jinping and Colombia´s President Gustavo Petro was a great honor for me.
