Consul General of Greece in Guangzhou Visited GDUFS

North Campus, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, April 17^th 2018: On April 17^th, Grigorios Tassiopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Guangzhou and his delegation, visited GDUFS, and were invited to participate in the first “Greek Language Day” activity at GDUFS. SUI Guangjun, Party Secretary and President of GDUFS, received the guests in the VIP Hall of the Administration Building.

Talks between the two sides

SUI Guangjun introduced the current development of GDUFS, including subject construction, talent cultivation and the construction of the Greek major. He mentioned that GDUFS established the Greek major in 2015 and is the only university which has set up this major in South China. During the establishment of the Greek major, the Consulate of Greece in Guangzhou provided a lot of help and support, which he sincerely appreciated. He hoped to establish cooperative relationships with more Greek universities and colleges and deepen the cooperation and exchange with the Consul’s support.

Grigorios Tassiopoulos affirmed the Greek major construction of GDUFS. He expressed that the Consulate of Greece in Guangzhou would continue to provide necessary support and help, such as introducing Greek foreign teachers and establishing cooperation with Greek universities. He hoped that the two sides would keep and deepen the present cooperative relationship and structure a broader platform for cooperation.

Grigorios Tassiopoulos making a speech

The “Greek Language Day” was held at Youth Homes. Grigorios Tassiopoulos gave a brief overview of the Greek language’s development from ancient times until the present, and mentioned that the World Greek Day was established by both the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education in memory of the poet Dionysus Solomos. The date was set at February 9^th every year. This year the activity was put off, for the World Greek Day happened to be during the Spring Festival holiday. He hoped the Greek language can manage to meet all kinds of challenges and continue to carry on the cultures and traditions.

YANG Xiaomin, Vice Dean of the Faculty of European Languages and Cultures of GDUFS and Dean of the Greek Department, introduced the current development of the Greek Department. She thought that under the background of “The Belt and Road”, the economic and social interaction between China and Greece has become closer, which requires a large demand for talents of the Greek language. She hoped that the students of the Greek major would learn their specialized knowledge well to devote to the promotion of the two countries’ cooperation and communication. She mentioned that the “Greek Language Day” activity aims to further the students’ understanding of Greek and increase their learning interest, and she hoped that the activity could go on and become a university brand activity.

The Greek Play: The Golden Apple

Students from the Greek Department showed their well-prepared programs. The freshmen performed the play The Golden Apple, which was adapted according to a Greek mythology. The students vividly demonstrated a series of events caused by three goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite competing for the golden apple. The sophomores’ passionate singing of Greek songs was also praised by the present audience.

The students singing Greek songs

The group photo

CAI Hong, Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange; YANG Ke, Dean of the Faculty of European Languages and Cultures, and LIANG Xuehong, Dean of the Institution for International Education, also attended the meeting.