Liberian President highly praises the Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia for performing at the ground-breaking ceremony for upgrading and reconstructing its international airport

On Nov. 21st, local time, teachers and students of the Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia performed at the ground-breaking ceremony for upgrading and reconstructing the Roberts International Airport, which received high praise from Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

In collaboration with local art groups, students of the Confucius Institute staged the tambourine and dancing performances with rich local charm, showcasing local people’s diligence and kind disposition as well as their longing and pursuit for a better life. The singing and dancing Moonlight over the Lotus Pond performed by teachers and students of the Confucius Institute, winning waves of cheers, extended their good wishes to enhance exchanges between people of the two countries and jointly build a beautiful homeland.

The singing and dancing Moonlight over the Lotus Pond performed by teachers and students of the Confucius Institute

Local primary school students performing the singing and dancing San Zi Jing (Three Character Classic)

Afterwards, students from the Kingdom Heritage Model School, instructed by teachers of the Confucius Institute, performed the singing and dancing of San Zi Jing (Three Character Classic). Their fluent Chinese and English singing won full recognition of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and other officials and was responded with thunderous applauses from the audience. This school, after several consultations with the Confucius Institute, will soon launch a Chinese teaching site.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2nd left) meeting with the performers from the Confucius Institute

After the performance, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Zhang Yue, met with the teacher and student performers from the Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia and expressed her full recognition and appreciation of their hard work and splendid performance. She also hoped that more Liberian youths would learn the Chinese language and culture in the future, so that the Confucius Institute would contribute to further nourishing a sound development of the friendly cooperative partnership between China and Liberia.

Ambassador Zhang Yue also highly affirmed the Confucius Institute’s active efforts in staging art performances to serve Chinese enterprises in Liberia and praised its actions in promoting the Chinese culture and effectively enhancing the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

It is learned that the upgrading and reconstruction of Roberts International Airport is a classic project representing the “China Quality” and “China Speed”, key initiatives emphasized in the addresses by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ambassador Zhang Yue, which will create new channels for cooperation between Chinese and Liberian governments and inject fresh vitality into bilateral relations and economic cooperation. This project is funded by concessional loans from the Export-Import Bank of China and will be jointly constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC) and SINOHYDRO Corporation.

This event was also attended by several hundred guests, including local politicians such as Vice President of Liberia Joseph Nyumah Boakai, teachers and students from the Confucius Institute and local residents. Dozens of local mainstream media reported this event.