May 21 marked the 71st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. Organized by the China-Pakistan Education and Culture Center and the Sunshine Classroom of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and co-organized by the Kunming Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the 3rd "Silk Road Cup" Reading Contest and "Kunming Book House" inauguration ceremony was held online under the guidance of the Chinese Language and Culture Foundation of China. All the participants observed a minute of silence for the teachers killed at the Karachi Confucius Institute.
In his speech, Ma Heju, president of China-Pakistan Education and Culture Center, wished the participants the best of themselves and registered gratitude to the establishment of the "Kunming Book House". He hoped that the students would take this opportunity to improve their Chinese comprehension and expression, enjoy reading, and therefore become more confident in themselves.
La Jielian, president of the Pakistan Overseas Chinese Association, expressed his hope that the children should maintain their love for Chinese reading, inspire more people to join in such reading and feel the beauty of the world through reading.
He expected more Chinese writers and reciters to emerge from these contestants in the future. He said that the inauguration ceremony of Overseas Reading Event of Kunming Book House is a major move to reach overseas Chinese education.
The completion of the Kunming Book House in Pakistan will enhance the reading ability of overseas Chinese school students, promote the spread of Chinese language and Chinese culture, and achieve the innovation of the reading style and quantification of reading outcomes.
There were a total of 81 participants respectively from the infant group, child group, teenager group and adolescent group. Guest judges gave a deep review after the completion of each group contest.
Xing Lijun, first-level secretary of the Cultural Office of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, expressed his hope that future competitions should be conducted jointly by families and schools, with emphasis on children's training in reading.
Zhou Changming, director of the Faisalabad Confucius Institute, said students should have a deep understanding of the emotional tone of the work in order to perform better.
Finally, Ma Bin, the principal of the China-Pakistan Education and Culture Center, gave a concluding speech. He said, "After the incident in which our compatriots were killed at the Karachi Confucius Institute, this online reading contest was held on the anniversary of the day when China-Pakistan friendship was sowed so as to show that we look forward to working with Pakistan to maintain Sino-Pakistani friendship, promote cultural exchanges, and promote the development of friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries and between the two peoples. We expect children to be better able to spread Chinese culture in Pakistan in the future."
