A flag-raising ceremony is held during a grand gathering celebrating the Communist Party of China (CPC) centenary at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
‘The Historical Knowledge’ Based on ‘Learning’
“In his speech, President Xi reviewed the glorious course of the CPC’s century-long struggle,” said Malian cadet Semega, who still remembers the sentence repeatedly emphasized by President Xi: Through the mirror of history, we can gain foresight into the future. “There is also an old saying in my country: If you know where you are from, you will know where you are going. Therefore, it is very important to learn history. If a country does not have a good understanding of its own history, it will be very difficult for it to move forward,” Semega said.
Semega has deep feelings about learning history, “it is also important for us to learn Chinese history. We can learn some experience from it and use in the development of our country. Since this year, our Chinese teachers have been using the first three minutes of their classes to introduce us to Chinese history, economy, culture, diplomacy, science and technology, through which I’ve got a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China. For example, I learned about Yuan Longping, who devoted his life to the great cause of hybrid rice research and his great targets of “benefiting all people around the world.”
Speaking of Chinese history and culture, Semega said that he expected to have more opportunities to learn more about China and visit various parts of China in the future. “As President Xi said in his reply letter to 45 representatives of overseas students from 32 countries who are studying at Peking University: it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Before I came to China, some people told me that China was good, and some others told me that China was not very good, but I did not care, because I can feel it myself after I come to China, and I find the charm of this country after I really understand China,” Semega said.
On behalf of all the cadets, Mozambican Army second lieutenant Gimo expressed his sincere congratulations to the CPC’s centenary: “In the past 100 years, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to change the Chinese nation from weak to strong, achieving the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong. It's amazing. Happy birthday to the great Communist Party of China!”
The foreign cadets all expressed that they will cherish the last one or two years in China, work hard in their studies, cultivate military literacy, and more importantly, learn from China’s development experience through their own personal experience, so as to contribute to the development of their own country after returning home.
The Department of International Training (DIT) of the Army Engineering University of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) pays attention to telling good Chinese stories in cadets training. Since beginning of this year, the DIT has carried out a series of themed activities to help the foreign military students learn more about the CPC’s history and see a real, many-sided and comprehensive China.
