On December 24th, representatives of volunteer Chinese teachers, Chinese enterprises and overseas students were warmly received by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Xi Jinping happily took a group photo with all the representatives there. Among the participants were Tan Xiaoyi, Li Hong and Cao Cong, who are volunteer Chinese teachers sent to Thailand by Shandong University in 2011.

Xi Jinping expressed that youths are the future of a country, and the hope of a nation. He hopes that the volunteers shoulder the burden of the historically important task of carrying forward and developing Sino-Thai friendship, and to protect, carry forth, and advance Sino-Thai friendship for generations to come.

After the interview, Xi Jinping visited the Confucius Institute at Chulalongkorn University. He was greeted by Lion Dances and drumming performance and a thunderous round of applause on the campus. Teacher and student representatives from Chulalongkorn University and the Confucius Institute waved the national flags of China and Thailand on both sides along the road, extending their warmest welcome to Vice President Xi Jinping. More than ten volunteers from Shandong University attended the welcoming ceremony and, committed by the Representative Office in Thailand of Hanban, several of them joined in the planning and organization work.

Written by: Deng Jiangtao, Li Jing, Yan Xiao

Edited by: Ben Hammer, Jing Zizhao

Source: Office of Confucius Institute,www.view.sdu.edu.cn