| James Kon |
TO PROMOTE cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and China, 10 Chinese volunteers are currently serving as teaching assistants at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in the fields of medicine, accounting and Chinese language.
The volunteers from the Canton Province of China came to the Sultanate as part of Phase II of the Chinese Volunteer Programme which was launched in 2012 and has been going on since August last year.
Seven of the volunteers – Guowei He (group leader), Haijian He, Daoxing Zou, Xiaohua Chen, Xiaojun Zhong, Yun’ao Ma and Shuzhen Wu – are working at the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS) while Tang Lin and Ting Luo are at the School of Business and Economics and Yiqin Lou at the Language Centre of the UBD.
In addition to their responsibilities at UBD, these volunteers also take part in community works by visiting Pusat Ehsan twice a month.
Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism with Yang Jian, trying out Chinese calligraphy. – PHOTOS: JAMES KON
The Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism with Yang Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darus-salam and the Chinese volunteers in a group photo
“Brunei is a green jewel where there are vast areas of pristine jungles and the people here are very friendly and courteous,” said Guowei He.
Before coming to the sultanate, “we didn’t know much about Brunei. It’s like a mysterious country to us,” he added.
“Since our arrival, we have made many Bruneian friends, and now are looking to build further friendships to have a better understanding of the Bruneian culture. We visited the Water Village and had the opportunity to see crocodiles. We tasted ambuyat which is so good. It is amazing spending life here.”
On the visit to Pusat Ehsan, he said, “We wanted to gain an insight into the system of special education in the country. We are impressed to see such energetic students at Pusat Ehsan and have learned various skills at the centre.”
The Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, yesterday visited the Chinese volunteers’ booth which they set up as part of the BIMP-EAGA Culture and Food Expo at The Airport Mall.
Also present were Yang Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, and officials from the embassy.
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