A Teacher from The Confucius Institute in Sofia Has Given a Lecture on the Chinese Language and Culture at The Yordan Radichkov Foreign Languages School in Vidin

On March 11, 2024 following an invitation from the Yordan Radichkov Foreign Languages Secondary School in Vidin, Mrs Wang Ruping, a teacher from the Confucius Institute in Sofia, has given a lecture on the subject of Chinese Language and Culture. Mrs Boyanka Nikova - the headmaster of the school as well as more than 30 students and teachers, have attended the lecture.

Mrs Boyanka Nikova – the headmaster of the school, has introduced the topic of the lecture to the students and has expressed her hope that through thе lecture the students could learn more about Chinese language and Chinese culture.

The lecture has consisted of two parts: Chinese language and Chinese culture. The teacher introduced the history and the basic features of the Chinese language. The students have expressed their opinion that the Bulgarian letters are phonetic ones but unlike them, the Chinese characters are ideographic ones. They have also confessed that the two writing systems are very different but at the same time very interesting. The students first attempt in writing Chinese characters has been a challenge for them. The teacher introduced the strokes and the stroke order, and the students tried to write the greeting hello and their own names in Chinese.

In the Chinese culture part of the lecture, the teacher has highlighted some classic elements of the Chinese culture, such as calligraphy, the Go game and wearing traditional costumes. Moreover, she has introduced the development of calligraphy, the four treasures of the literati, the contemporary values, the history and the rules of Go, the classic costumes of the major dynasties, and the similarities and the differences between the Chinese and the Bulgarian traditional costumes, and so on. Afterwards, there were cultural experiences, including calligraphy, Go and Chinese dress, in which teachers and students have actively participated and the atmosphere was a warm one.

The Yordan Radichkov Foreign Languages Secondary School is located in the city of Vidin in the northwestern part of Bulgaria. Educating about 500 students, the school is currently planning to offer Chinese language courses. The lecture has triggered the students' enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture, and has further enhanced the influence of the Confucius Institute in the region.

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Wang Ruping

Photos: Wang Ruping

Editors: Aksinia Koleva, Chen Chen, Liu Xiuming

English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1: A group photo.

Picture 2: The headmaster Mrs Boyanka Nikova experiencing calligraphy.

Picture 3: Students experience the Go game.

Picture 4: Students experience traditional Chinese clothing.