Chinese-Hispanic dedicated to language talents cultivation

While speaking at a Teacher's Day event held at Hainan Normal University on Sept 10, Ellen Sun, a Chinese-Hispanic, noted that "it was by no means a sudden impulse to give up high paying positions at central enterprises or at an embassy and choose to be a teacher in Hainan."

"At present, Hainan is ushering in a new round of reform and opening up, and building a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. I think this is exactly what I can dedicate myself to," Sun added. 

Sun studied at Peking University where she obtained her master's and doctorate degrees. While studying in Beijing, she worked at a foreign embassy and state-owned enterprises, while also receiving offers from many colleges and universities.

However, she decided to forgo all of those opportunities to come to Hainan, a Chinese island province striving to build itself into a free trade port with distinctive Chinese characteristics.

"Spanish is the second most popular language in the world, with 18 countries in Latin America that use Spanish as an official language," she said, noting that there is still more that Hainan can do to cultivate Spanish-speaking talents.

"So, I came up with an idea to work at a university in Hainan to cultivate a group of Spanish talents with language and cross-cultural communication skills, as well as rich practical experiences," Sun said.

Sun checked the recruitment information on the websites of several universities in Hainan. Among them, she determined that Hainan Normal University was the most appealing destination.

The school put the contact information of the main people in charge on their website, which showed Sun the full sincerity of the school.

"I came a long way to Hainan just to do something meaningful and I hope to build a Business Spanish Department at Hainan Normal University," she said.

Sun hopes to integrate the relevant policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) to establish a curriculum system, introduce professional teachers, as well as cooperate with foreign universities and strengthen two-way exchanges between teachers and students so that students can truly understand the customs, social structure, and thinking of Latin American countries to become contributors to the construction of the Hainan FTP.

Ellen Sun poses for a photo. [Photo/hkwb.net]