margela gats

Some of China's practices are also worth learning, such as how it trains its officials" What do you feel has been China's biggest achievement over the past five years? What's the most notable change you've observed? China has achieved much in many aspects over the last five years

Over the last 21 years, South Korean teacher Cho Sung-hye has contributed much to the friendship between the people of her country and ChinaA remarkable South Korean teacher took up residence in Hefei, Anhui province, at the urging of her young son and never looked back"Nowadays all the primary schools in my country have made Chinese-language courses available to students," said Cho, who was believed by some local media to have given the strongest push to the achievementIt was the first primary school in the country to do so"At the peak, I had 21 relatives living here, and there are still 12 of them now," Cho said

For the last five years, the air has been clearing upWhat do you think China will be like in five years' time? How do you view China's longer-term future? Chinese people's incomes have increased significantly in recent years and they will become richer in the next five years"In the early years, transportation between Hefei and South Korea was not convenient

In 2002, she became the first person from her country to receive China's Friendship Award, the highest honor given to foreigners by the central government"He wanted to go to the inland provinces, and he had some knowledge of Anhui, so he chose Hefei as his destination," Cho saidHalf a year later, Park returned to Hefei University and has been there ever sinceSome of the South Korean companies based in the two zones, the largest in the province, were attracted through Cho's efforts

In the runup to the meeting, China Daily asked a prominent South Korean teacher to talk about her experiences in promoting educational improvements, business cooperation and people-to-people understanding in her native country and her adopted homeAnd she was the first South Korean citizen to gain permanent residency in China in 2006

The boy - a great fan of Chinese history who was able to give the names of more than 900 figures in the Chinese classic Romance of Three Kingdoms - was inspired and wanted very much to follow the suggestionPresident Xi puts a lot of emphasis on environmental protectionWhat's the most memorable experience you've had in China, or related to China? Unforgettable experiences in China are manyIt also extends to boosting Sino-South Korean economic ties and helping the province's poverty-stricken areas

Cho's reputation is not limited to education, howeverWhen we were living in a community about 10 kilometers away, we could seldom see the hill from the windowWhat's the biggest challenge China faces, and how do you think the country should go about overcoming it? The biggest challenge could come from the changesThe improvement of the people's confidence itself is one of the biggest achievements

In 2010, she was listed as one of the most influential women of the century in HefeiEditor's Note: The Communist Party of China will hold its 19th National Congress on Oct 18

More policies should also be made to attract more foreign talent to work in ChinaIt was unforgettable because my family watched the relay in South Korea in 1988 but didn't get the chance to participate

"Now I often accompany Hefei officials to South Korea for business recruitment and students for educational exchanges," Cho said"Nowadays, flights connecting Hefei with Incheon in South Korea are available five days a week, and the situation is improvingDozens of universities are located here, including the University of Science and Technology of China, one of the country's best," she saidBefore they became major officials, dozens of years should have passed and they should have collected enough experience to tackle seemingly tough problemsIn 1998, when she was back in her hometown, Cho delivered a three-hour speech to 82 heads of primary schools, trying to persuade them to offer Chinese coursesA teacher of Korean at Hefei University in Anhui province, Cho has helped to boost the two countries' ties in multiple aspects - not just in education

The couple found employment quickly at Hefei University and began teaching Korean the next yearcn  Cho Sung-hye talks with her students at Hefei University in Anhui province

The latest example was a 2016 donation of 20,000 yuan ($3,000) to four high school graduates in Hefei's Feidong county who had been enrolled at universities but were about to give up for lack of moneyWhat is your impression of President Xi Jinping? I think he is a determined man

After finishing middle school and high school studies in the city, Cho's elder son was admitted to Peking University for undergraduate studies, and then returned to Hefei later for his MBA at the University of Science and Technology of ChinaShe has played a prominent role in education, business development and friendship

After about a year in Hefei, Park took a job in the United States and tried to persuade Cho to give up HefeiWhat three words would you use to describe China today? Revitalizing, changing, confidentIn 2000, with Cho's help, the Banyang Elementary School - in which she had studied - began teaching Chinese"I told him that we had just started here and we should at least spend five years in the city before judging whether we should move to another place," Cho said

"There were even South Korean businessmen who intended to invest in Hefei but decided to invest in Shanghai and Nanjing instead, as they found the two cities to be more developed," she addedChina is a big country, so officials have to collaborate with each other well

I don't believe the Western countries' political practices could work in China, though many of them are considered successful by the Westerners themselvesFirst, China is playing an increasingly important role in the world, so some neighboring countries, and especially some developed Western countries may regard China as a challenger to the power they have maintained for many years

She has helped more than 3,000 students from Anhui to study in her country, and more than 1,000 were given job opportunities thereOne of the results is that the Chinese people are more confident than ever about their country's development

It's hard to make long-term predictions, but I hope China can keep its own development pace and have its own development patternsI believe that in the coming five years, the gap between coastal and inland regions will be narrowedOpening up to the world has brought dramatic changes to the coastal regions, which have been more developed that the inland areasCho's brothers and sisters also brought their children to Hefei

The younger one attended Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and earned bachelor's and master's degrees there"When the eldest of my two sons was in the third year of middle school, his history teacher, who had some experience in China, suggested the students go to live there and have a close look at the old country," Cho said

Before coming to China as an adult, she worked at Soon Chun Hyang University as a teacher"On the visit to Hefei, I found it was not very developed but thought it would have great potential

To better promote the educational exchanges, Cho and her husband founded the Handa Cultural Exchange Co in Hefei in 2006, with Cho as presidentShe herself knew little of the province or its capital at that time, so she decided to have a look before taking her family there