Yichang, Suzuka students exchange New Year greetings

By Chen Si. Xie Fang also contributed to this article.

Since the start of the New Year, high school students from Yichang and Suzuka City in Japan have exchanged postcards to express their wishes and celebrate the friendship established during last year’s meeting.

Yoshida Shin, a student at Suzuka’s Iino High School, expressed her excitement in a postcard to a friend: “I'm so happy to have made it to the finals of a Chinese speech contest.”

Last September, a delegation of 17 teachers and students from Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan, visited Yichang, marking Shin's first trip to China.

During the visit, she sang Chinese songs, created lacquer fans, and knitted Chinese knots with students from Yiling High School and Tianwen High School. They exchanged gifts reflecting Japanese and Chinese cultures and formed friendships.

After returning home, Shin developed a strong interest in China and began learning Chinese independently.

This month, she participated in a Chinese speech competition organized by the Confucius Institute at Hokuriku University, reaching the final round in the beginner category.

Some Japanese students switched their second foreign language to Chinese after returning to Japan, noting increased interest in Yichang and China among their peers. They expressed eagerness for more opportunities to learn Chinese and gain knowledge about China.

Upon their return, the Japanese teacher and student delegation shared their experiences in Yichang with the Mie Prefecture Education Department.