Foreign Minister of the Republic of Congo Basile Ikouebe (3rd R) attends the completion ceremony of the Sino-Congolese friendship primary school in Chengduo County of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 22, 2012. [Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang]

The envelope featured the phrase "China-Congo long-lasting friendship" in both Chinese and French, along with images highlighting key points of bilateral cooperation. One such point is the Sino-Congolese Friendship Primary School in Yushu, China's western Qinghai Province, the recipient of Le Roy's letter.

BRAZZAVILLE/XINING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) — "Hello everyone, I wish you a happy 2024-2025 academic year," wrote Mvey-Likibi Sylvie Le Roy, a student at the Confucius Institute at Marien Ngouabi University in the Republic of the Congo, in a letter in Chinese.

After carefully folding the letter, he placed it in a special envelope issued jointly by China and the Republic of the Congo earlier this year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The envelope featured the phrase "China-Congo long-lasting friendship" in both Chinese and French, along with images highlighting key points of bilateral cooperation. One such point is the Sino-Congolese Friendship Primary School in Yushu, China's western Qinghai Province, the recipient of Le Roy's letter.

In April 2010, after a powerful earthquake struck Yushu, the government of the Republic of the Congo donated a primary school to Yushu, which was later named Sino-Congolese Friendship Primary School by President Denis Sassou Nguesso.

This school was mentioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his address to the parliament of the African nation during a state visit in March 2013. "Our two peoples have forged deep brotherly friendship in the course of overcoming hardships together and helping each other with all sincerity," said Xi.

As the new academic year begins, Le Roy's warm greetings from the African country to Chinese students tell a new story of China-Africa friendship.

Pupils read books in a classroom of Sino-Congolese friendship primary school in Chengduo County of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 22, 2012. [Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang]

Work Together for a Brighter China-Africa Future

During his state visit to the African country in 2013, Xi and Sassou Nguesso attended the inauguration ceremony of the library of the Marien Ngouabi University and its China Reading Room, during which Xi had talks with Congolese teachers and students.

"President Xi encouraged us to learn Chinese well," said Le Roy, who has been studying at the Confucius Institute for almost a year.

He told Xinhua that he wanted to send his greetings as a gift to the children at the primary school. "I wish them a bright future," he said. "I also want to make friends with them and open up new chapters for China-Africa cooperation."

"President Xi's visit was a real highlight moment and a warm memory to many," said Kanza Leveau, a teacher at the Confucius Institute. "It demonstrates how much he valued talent and educational cooperation."

According to Leveau, the collections at the China Reading Room are expanding constantly. Besides reference books and Chinese language textbooks, four volumes of the French version of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" are also available for readers.

"The future of our country belongs to young people, his in-depth thinking on China's national governance and global governance issues will inspire them significantly," Leveau said.

"I hope our university can play a more prominent role in China-Africa exchanges and cooperation, fostering more Congolese youth who can speak the Chinese language and truly understand China. I also aim to cultivate more talents for our country and the continent through educational cooperation with China," he added.

My Hometown Is Beautiful "Just Like Africa"

In April 2010, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Yushu. As locals were struggling to rebuild their homes, Sassou Nguesso, who was attending the Shanghai World Expo, announced that his country would help rebuild a primary school in the quake-affected area.

In July 2012, the Sino-Congolese Friendship Primary School was completed. Surrounded by mountains, the new campus features a modern teaching building, a comprehensive laboratory building, a cafeteria, a standard basketball court, and a sports field with plastic running tracks.

Basile Ikouebe, then foreign minister of the Republic of the Congo, attended the inauguration ceremony. "We presented him with a golden Khata and a ceremonial scarf to express our gratitude to our African friends," recalled Samdin Tyairing, a Chinese teacher at the school.

Teachers perform dance during the completion ceremony of Sino-Congolese friendship primary school in Chengduo County of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, July 22, 2012. [Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang]

According to Samdin Tyairing, every September, the school organizes events to remind the students of the genuine friendship between the two peoples. "Our teacher told us that Congo was not a rich country. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher to help the children there," 11-year-old student Jiangwen Gantso told Xinhua.

"Welcome to China! Welcome to my hometown Yushu. The sky is high, and the grasslands are vast here, just like Africa," said the sixth grader-to-be Gamalado Tenzin in his invitation to African children. "Hope we can all study in such well-built classrooms and grow up to make our hometown a better place."

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha