The opening ceremony for the 2010 Summer Camp for Filipino-Chinese Youth to learn Chinese was held at Funan Hall in Jimei School Village, Xiamen. Attendees included Yan Changcheng, Chairman of the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center; Huang Duanming, Vice Chairman of the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center; Deng Luncheng, Deputy Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Fujian Province; and Zhang Yudong, Vice President of Huaqiao University.
Leaders and guests attending the opening ceremony pose for a group photo with the performers.
At the ceremony, Ke Xianliang, General Manager of E-Sun Industrial (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., delivered a speech on behalf of the initiator and sponsor of the "Summer Camp for Filipino-Chinese Students to Learn Chinese," Lucio Tan, Chairman of Philippine Airlines. He stated that China is one of the world's four great ancient civilizations with a long history and profound cultural heritage. He expressed his hope that the Filipino-Chinese students would cherish their time, study diligently, and share in the glory of Chinese culture with the people of their ancestral homeland.
Following the opening ceremony, Zhang Yudong accompanied guests including Yan Changcheng and Huang Duanming to visit the newly constructed dormitory for the Filipino youth summer camp students at the College of Chinese Language and Culture of Huaqiao University.
It is understood that 918 Filipino-Chinese students attended the opening ceremony, 240 of whom will study at the College of Chinese Language and Culture of Huaqiao University. During the 50-day summer camp, the Filipino-Chinese students will take courses in Mandarin, calligraphy, painting, paper-cutting, and martial arts to fully appreciate the brilliance and greatness of Chinese culture.
The Summer Camp for Filipino-Chinese Students to Learn Chinese is sponsored by Filipino overseas Chinese leader Lucio Tan. Since 2001, he has sponsored a total of 6,621 Filipino-Chinese students to return to their ancestral homeland for study over 10 consecutive years, with the College of Chinese Language and Culture of Huaqiao University hosting over 2,000 of these students.
