Timorese students and Chinese students
October 10th, in the evening from 7:00 to 8:40 in Room 5, No. 63 building, West Campus of CUG, students from Timor-Leste hosted the event “Dialogue with International Students”. This event is supported by the Silk Road Institute and International Education Collage in cooperation with the Learning Support Center as part of the Silk Road cultural exchange program. The program has been held for 102 times, which has built a strong friendship between the Chinese and international students here at CUG, and indeed has created a peaceful atmosphere for cultural exchange.
The theme for this event was “Experiencing Timor-Leste”. Five students from Timor-Leste participated in the event: Nicodinoda Cruz (欧阳鸿飞), Conidia da Silva (孔妮), Lucio Fernandes (卢克), Alexandarinho Oliveira (蒂诺) , and Miguel Rua (米古尔), along with a group of Chinese students. During the event, Nicodino da Cruz (欧阳鸿飞) the presenter from Timor-Leste made a brief introduction about their country and the country’s relations with China.
A woman in a typical dress of Timor-Leste
The official name of Timor-Leste is Republic Democratic of Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste is the youngest country in Asia; it became an independent country in May 20, 2002. The people of Timor-Leste come from three major ethnic groups: Melanesian, Polynesian, and Austronesian, who have lived on the island and have built their different culture and traditions based on their geographical location. Moreover, Timor-Leste is an island country with many tourism resources. It owns some of the pristine beaches and crystal clear waters on the planet, and owns the most expensive coffee in the world, civet coffee “Kopi Luwak”, and the precious sandalwood. It is a country rich in natural resources such as offshore and onshore oil and natural gas. For the time being, Timor-Leste’s economy relies on the oil revenue; however, 90 percent of its exports is coffee.
Pristine beach and clear water
The presenter emphasized that the friendship between China and Timor-Leste , has started long before the Portuguese colonization in 1415 and the Indonesian illegal occupation in 1975. In some of the ancient history books from China such as《诸蕃志》(Zhu Fan Zhi) ,《岛夷志略》(Dao Yi Zhi Lue) , and《星槎胜览》(Xing Cha Sheng Lan) in 14th century during the time of General Zheng He’s voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa (郑和下西洋), mentioned that Timor-Leste was included in the trading network of China and India. Sandalwoods were the major trading products between Timor-Leste and China. During Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence from 1975 to 1999, China was always supportive of the Timorese. In 2002, after the independence, China was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Timor-Leste and also the first country to build an embassy in Timor-Leste. Due to the two country’s friendship, some of the important government office buildings such the Presidential Palace and office buildings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense in Timor-Leste were offered by China.
History books of ancient China
Along with the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, many countries including Timor-Leste have enjoyed socio-economic advantages. China has helped Timor-Leste in many sectors, with infrastructural development being the major investment in Timor-Leste. Last year the first highway construction project in Timor-Leste was successfully delivered to the government of Timor-Leste from China Railway First Group Co,. Ltd. (CRFG). Moreover, many other large-scale projects such as ports are currently undertaken by Chinese companies.
Tibar Bay Port Poject
The “Dialogue with International Students” was one of the very successful events organized by the Timorese students at CUG. The Chinese students and Timorese had a lot of interaction. During the presentation, Chinese students were invited to learn the daily use language of Timor-Leste. They were astonished by the photos of beautiful landscapes, pristine beaches, and the crystal clear waters of Timor-Leste. Timorese students on the other hand offered free coffee from Timor-Leste. The audience enjoyed the coffee while listening to the folk music played by the Timorese students on the stage. To the Chinese students, they were happy to take part in this event which enabled them to get to know the youngest country in Asia. They like the unique culture, the people who are able to speak more than four languages, and the coffee that gave them a unique taste and original aroma from Timor-Leste. Meanwhile, Timorese students were happy to host this event because it was one of the opportunities for promoting Timor-Leste. Every Timorese student believes that wherever they are, they carry a mission as a “Little Ambassador” and it is their duty to promote their country.
Nicodino da Cruz (欧阳鸿飞) during the presentation
Conidia (孔妮) introduces the Timor Coffee
Timorese students play music
Written by
Nicodino da Cruz
欧阳鸿飞
