This year too, the National Library for Children Ion Creanga has celebrated the Chinese New Year, with the event becoming a tradition.

In a speech delivered online, China’s Ambassador to Moldova Yan Wenbin noted that it is a special edition, as this year the holiday coincided with the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Moldovan children learning Chinese are the future of Sino-Moldovan friendship, said Yan Wenbin. The new year per to the Chinese calendar is the Year of the Water Tiger and the diplomat wished the children to live happily, like tiger cubs.

Eugenia Bejan, the Library’s director, pointed out that more and more children in Moldova are learning Chinese and are studying Chinese history and culture. Children and parents interested in discovering the beauty of this country can find a collection of books in Chinese at the Ion Creanga Library.

At the event, children from Chisinau’s Kindergarten no. 133 sang Chinese songs and students of the Mihail Berezovschi Arts Lyceum recited poems.

Radu Plămădeală, an administrator at the Chinese Center in Chisinau, spent twelve years in China, earned a master’s degree in international relations, and his two children attended kindergarten and school in this country. Plămădeală shared some curious facts about the Chinese education system. For example, Chinese school students were uniforms that resemble tracksuits. Every day, they do gymnastics at school, Wushu or dance. Children learn ten hours a day, and often do extra sports and math.

There are Kungfu schools in China with a strong emphasis on physical culture. There are both public and private schools, and there are 50 students in public school classes. Students in Chinese schools learn a lot by heart. They are educated in a spirit of special respect for teachers, as the profession is considered prestigious in China.