I would like to share two points with you.

Firstly, the reason why an international school born in a local area places emphasis on the teaching of Chinese culture is the need for a liberal arts education.

The goal of education is not to teach a single skill, but to provide a broad foundation of general education. It is not to produce specialists in a particular trade, but to produce generalists. What students gain from school is not a supply of knowledge, not a peddling of vocational skills, but a stimulation and expansion of the mind, which requires considerable effort and cost. At Harvard University, for example, students must major in six general courses in three fields: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, with at least one course in any of the literary classics, philosophy, or art studied in the humanities. Peking University compiled a series of books in 2006 - the Classical and General Education Series - which provides a detailed introduction to general education in the United States, which reflects Peking University's recognition of general education and emphasises the importance of Chinese culture. As a result, from the day SIFC  opened, we have attached great importance to the value of Chinese culture in international education. To this end, I have compiled a one-million-word, seven-book set, The Essence of Chinese National Studies, with me as the chief editor, for students to study.

Secondly, 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation has had a huge impact on the world and without deep Chinese cultural roots, Chinese students will be left with a big gap when interacting with people abroad and it may also greatly affect what they may achieve.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, some of the most advanced scholars in Europe, represented by France, were inspired by Chinese civilization and started the Enlightenment movement against Christianity, which led to the appearance of palaces in Europe, where there were only castles. The invention of printing in China had an epoch-making impact on the whole West; the famous scholars who spread Chinese civilization were almost all great philosophers like Montesquieu and Voltaire; the Russian literary master Lev Tolstoy was deeply shocked after seeing the Chinese books I Ching, Tao Te Ching and The Middle Mean more than 100 years ago, and he said that they were extremely profound works ......

Deng Xiaoping once said, "I am honored to be a citizen of the world by being a member of the Chinese nation." This heartfelt statement illustrates the infinite and deep love of the old revolutionaries who founded the new China for our country and our nation; and it also shows: the great influence of the Chinese nation, Chinese culture and Chinese civilization on the world.

President Xi Jinping has also pointed out that "Cultural confidence is the most fundamental, deepest and most enduring force in the development of a country and a nation. An upward-looking culture is an important bond that connects a nation and a people to each other and to their bloodline." Cultural confidence makes us fully aware that Chinese culture is an important subject that cannot be ignored in international education, so let's work together to take Chinese international education forward continuously!