THE Mayor of Huangshi city in China and the Chinese Ambassador to Northern Ireland made a historic visit to St Kevin’s College in Lisnaskea on Monday.
Mayor Wu Zhiling and Madame Zhang Meifang arrived at the college with their Chinese delegation amid heavy rain, but the bad weather could not put a dampener on the big occasion.
St Kevin’s College has been teaching Mandarin lessons since 2012 and a group of students visited Huangshi last year. Mr Wu and Ms Zhang said they were now keen to establish an exchange programme for St Kevin’s College with a secondary school in China.
It was a whistlestop tour for the two Chinese dignitaries who only arrived in Enniskillen the night before. Both attended a business meeting at Enniskillen Castle on Monday morning before making their way to St Kevin’s in the afternoon where a celebration of Irish and Chinese cultures took place.
“This is my first time to visit your school, however, I have heard a lot about your school, your cultural heritage, and your wonderful students who have been learning Chinese Mandarin here,” Ms Zhang said.
“It’s already been explained to me how outstanding the students are, especially their appreciation of Chinese culture and heritage.”
Last November, St Kevin’s College became the first secondary school in Northern Ireland to visit China.
The group of 20 students went for two weeks on the once-in-a-lifetime trip. In China, they visited the Chinese capital, Beijing, for a week and the city of Huangshi for a week where they were part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Confucius Institute.
“The trip was fantastic and we now want to put in place an exchange programme with a school from Huangshi. They will come here for two weeks to experience teaching and learning in Northern Ireland,” St Kevin’s College Principal, Gary Kelly, explained.
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