3 students from the China Cultural Center in Brussels came back from China with wonderful memories!
Every year, the Ministry of Culture of China organizes the Chinese Culture Trip文化中国行, allowing 60 students from the China Cultural Centers from all over the world to travel to China in a quest for a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Three of the students of the China Cultural Center in Brussels joined this ten-day long trip to China. On December 14, 2017, they were invited at the Center, along with their families, to share their experiences and discoveries. On this occasion, the exhibition “China through our lens – Experience China 2017” displays the students’ travel photos at the Center for a few weeks!
On Thursday December 14, Taiji student Vicky Vandecavey, Qigong student Marion Boulard, and Chinese language student Nathanaël Lambot spent an evening at the Center to share their cultural journey through China. During their trip, they had the chance to take part in multiple activities and cultural visits. The exhibited pictures are a marvellous souvenir of the places they have visited, such as the Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Bund, etc.
The opening ceremony of this exhibition started with a word from Matsuo Schleusner, training administrator at the China Cultural Center. He encouraged the audience to travel around the world to get a better insight into the different cultures and what they can offer us. Mr. Xiang Shihai, Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Kingdom of Belgium, also shared a few words of wisdom, he pointed out that travelling and reading are two of the most important resources of knowledge. Afterwards, it was the travellers’ time to talk. Vicky Vandecavey was the first one to share her beautiful memories and experiences with the audience. She talked about how impressed she was by the way China values its ancestral culture and heritage. She saw that aspect of cultural pride during their visits to the Song Qing Ling International Experience Center, the Great Wall in Beijing and finally also by the way China proudly welcomes people from all over the world to learn more about their unique culture. Then, Nathanaël Lambot, a Chinese language student held a speech in both English and Chinese. He explained how his first time visiting China really impressed him. As he is a musician, he was especially excited about discovering some of the traditional Chinese music instruments, and had the chance to visit a few specialized stores. He even brought a Chinese flute home, and performed a song with it in front of the amazed crowd. And then finally, Marion Boulard thanked the Center for organizing the trip that allowed them to get to know China from a different perspective. The trip encouraged the three travellers even more to continue their efforts to learn about the Chinese culture, even when in Belgium.
This privileged moment of sharing allowed the audience to look at China through the lens of the travellers, and to learn more about what they experienced along this journey. As a closure to this ceremony, the Center announced the trip “Experience China 2018” and the opening of the registration for the different classes offered by Center during the second semester.
The China Cultural Center in Brussels is thrilled to be hosting this photo exhibition and hopes for a second edition next year, with photos from a new group of its students.
The China Cultural Center is open from Monday to Friday from 9.30 AM to 6 PM and will be closed from December 23 to January 1 included.
