CIUON organized a Photo Exhibition of Nanjing City Wall & Lecture on the Maritime Silk Road

On 4th November afternoon, local time in Kenya, the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi played the host to Nanjing Cultural Exchange Delegation that visited the Confucius Institute. The Delegation held the Nanjing City Wall Pictures and Cultural Products Exhibition, the Maritime Silk Road Lecture, and the Nanjing City Tourism Promotion among other series of activities to the faculty and students of the Confucius Institute.

Also, the delegation set up a funded project called Chinese Book Window in the Confucius Institute. Xu Yi, the Second Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, Zhuo Wu, Chairman of the Chinese Business Association in Kenya, Mr. David Gitonga, Director of the Kenya Tourism Research Institute, Mr. Orindi, Director Corporate Affairs University of Nairobi, and Prof. Jane Oduor, Chairperson Department Linguistics and Languages at the University of Nairobi attended the event.

The head of the delegation, Xie Senlong, the director of the Industrial Development Division of the Nanjing Cultural and Tourism Bureau, said in his speech that Nanjing has a long history exchanges with Kenya as early as 600 years ago, when Zheng He, a Chinese navigator of the Ming Dynasty, travelled to Kenya for 7 times. The huge ship of Zheng He voyage to the West was built in Nanjing. He reported that these series of activities such as the opening of the China Book Window in Kenya would further strengthen the cultural exchanges and cooperation between Nanjing and Kenya.

Yan Wenying, executive deputy director of the Nanjing City Wall Protection Management Center, gave a special lecture on protection and utilization of Maritime Silk Road heritage. She mentioned that Nanjing, as an important city in Maritime Silk Road, is participating in the joint application of the Maritime Silk Road.

Mr. David Gitonga, Mr. Orindi and Prof. Jane gave welcoming speeches on behalf of the Kenyan Ministry of National Tourism, the University of Nairobi and CIUON respectively.

More than 50 faculty and students from the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi participated in the event. Everyone acknowledged that the ancient Chinese defensive walls are solid, beautiful, and there is a long history between Kenya and Nanjing. Their enthusiasm to learn Chinese was elicited for them to have the opportunity to visit Nanjing.