Jona Putri from Indonesia speaks fluent Chinese. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

“As an old Chinese saying goes, ‘it is the first step that is troublesome.’ It is not easy to gather sinologists across the world together for the first time. This program is an unforgettable experience for me.” Jona Putri, an Indonesian woman who has been learning Chinese for seven years told the reporters in fluent Chinese. “There is also an Indonesian saying, ‘if we do not learn about a person or a place, we would not be able to love and cherish it.’ The three-week program provides us with an opportunity to learn and love China. Young sinologists at the discussion will be ‘Chinese ambassadors’ around the world as they have already learned about and fallen in love with China.”

According to Zhang Aiping, Director of Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture, Visiting Program for Young Sinologists 2014, is the first annual program centered on young sinologists, aiming to promote cultural exchanges between China and the world, helping young sinologists know more about Chinese history, culture and contemporary development and spreading Chinese values across the globe.