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china news service, shaoxing, september 15th, title: south african foreign teachers have been "connected" with china for 20 years, walking tens of thousands of steps a day to measure the yuewang city

author: xiang jing

"my name is li yue, the yue of king gou jian of yue, and i come from yuewang city."

when we first met, li yue, a 51-year-old english teacher from south africa, introduced himself confidently. on the 15th, in yuecheng district, shaoxing city, zhejiang province, li yue and his wife jin hong welcomed their first mid-autumn festival holiday. the two planned to stroll through the ancient city and hike in the countryside to enjoy the scenery.

although it has only been a year since li yue moved from africa to china, his relationship with china spans 20 years.

as the chinese saying goes, “if you haven’t climbed the great wall, you are not a true man.” in 2004, li yue first visited china and climbed the badaling great wall in beijing. the majestic mountains and rivers made him, who loves outdoor travel, fall in love with china. since then, he has left his footprints in shanghai, shenzhen, guangxi, henan and other places.

in 2006, by chance, li yue fell in love with heilongjiang girl jin hong at first sight. the two fell in love and entered into a sweet marriage. "her smile attracted me very much." li yue said that for more than ten years, the two had run a small family in south africa. he had done sino-african trade and worked as an english teacher, while his wife worked as a chinese teacher in south africa, teaching local people spoken chinese and sharing chinese culture.

thanks to his wife's recommendation, li yue "met" goujian, the king of yue who lived more than 2,500 years ago. "i really admire goujian, the king of yue, so my chinese name also has the character 'yue' in it." talking about goujian, the king of yue, he was very excited. "we watched the tv series "sleeping on firewood and tasting gall" in south africa. it has english subtitles. the king of yue, goujian, played by chen daoming, is deeply engraved in my mind. in order to achieve hegemony, he was willing to sleep on firewood and taste gall every day. this spirit is very inspiring to me."

thanks to years of experience in teaching english, li yue was hired as an english teacher by zhejiang yuexiu university of foreign languages ​​in 2023. the couple decided to return to china to live. li yue said frankly: "the school is in shaoxing. it is said that this is the place where king goujian of yue slept on firewood and tasted gall. it's like a dream come true."

climbing fushan mountain, watching toulao river, walking along the rizhuling ancient trail... whenever he has free time, li yue will go hiking outdoors to learn about the traces left by king goujian of yue in shaoxing and experience the modern new look of the thousand-year-old ancient city. "not long ago, the remains of yue state buildings were discovered five or six meters deep under jishan middle school in shaoxing. it was very shocking. i must go to the archaeological site if i have the chance."

china's cities are changing with each passing day, and the countryside is also developing in sync with them. li yue was very surprised that the bus could go directly from the city to the countryside.

"i often take the bus from the city to the countryside. it's not only convenient but also cheap." li yue used the word "magic" to describe what he saw in the countryside. "fresh air, vast fields, long ancient roads, the beauty of nature seems to be endless in a lifetime. walking 30,000 steps a day is normal, and the maximum is 40,000 steps."

"traveling thousands of miles is as important as reading thousands of books." as a college english teacher, li yue loves life and cherishes this new career. due to his outstanding teaching performance, li yue was awarded the honorary title of "outstanding foreign teacher of 2023" by the school on the 40th teachers' day in china. "this is a very important gift i have received in my life. i am very happy to make progress with young people. students say that my classes are more interesting. i also hope to do my best to improve students' self-confidence and oral english level."

like her husband, jin hong has gradually adapted to life in jiangnan. she has moved her career online, teaching chinese to some south african students through the internet, building a bridge of cultural communication. "the new semester has just begun, and we have made plans. we must work together to educate people, and we must also work together to visit more places and see more new scenery." (end)