High schoolers studying Chinese in Leipzig realised a milestone the past week for their being the first trip here made by a particular learning institute in Germany in over 3 years. They made the most of it too, with a packed program full of culture and learning.
上周，在莱比锡学习中文的高中生们实现了一个里程碑，他们是三年多来德国某特定学习机构首次来到莱比锡。他们也充分利用了这一机会，举办了充满文化和学习的项目。
Yesterday, 11 October, marked 51 years since the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany established diplomatic relations. Hence, it was a fitting day for the German students to be visiting the Nanjing Sister Cities Exhibition Hall.
昨天，10月11日，中华人民共和国和德意志联邦共和国建交51周年。因此，对于德国学生来说，今天参观南京友好城市展览馆正合适。
Hosted in China during their trip by Renmin University in Beijing, the 22 students are all enrolled at the Confucius Institute in Leipzig, that in 1988 was one of the first cities to become a sister to Nanjing.
此次访问中国期间，受到北京人民大学的接待，这22名学生均就读于莱比锡孔子学院。莱比锡于1988年成为首批与南京结为友好城市之一。
At the Exhibition Hall, the student delegation were welcomed by the Foreign Affairs Office of Nanjing Municipal People’s Government and the Nanjing Peopleʼs Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The Nanjing Foreign Affairs Service Association was also on site to give a helping hand.
在展览馆，学生代表团受到了南京市人民政府外事办公室和南京市人民对外友好协会的热情接待。南京市外事服务协会也在现场伸出援手。
Touring the exhibition, The Nanjinger found the time to speak with two of the students; Maricel (16) and Daniel (17), both from Leipzig and who can both speak Russian, English, German, French and now Chinese, having studied part time with the Institute for 2 years.
在参观展览时，《南京人》抽出时间与其中两名学生交谈。 Maricel（16 岁）和 Daniel（17 岁）都来自莱比锡，都会说俄语、英语、德语、法语，现在又会说中文，在该研究所兼职学习了 2 年。
“I think we have both studied Chinese not only for the language, but also because we are really interested in the cultural meaning and the history as well”, said Daniel.
“我认为我们学习中文不仅是为了这门语言，还因为我们对它的文化意义和历史也很感兴趣”，丹尼尔说。
On the difference between the Chinese they have learned in Germany and the real-world of everyday life in the Middle Kingdom, Daniel said, “The Chinese speak really fast and some sounds are not exactly on the point”.
谈及在德国学到的汉语与中国现实生活中的差异，丹尼尔说，“中国人说话速度很快，有些声音不太切中要害”。
Maricel added, “I’m actually surprised at myself; I can understand almost everything, but I don’t speak so much. But the Chinese I learned in my lessons is really practical here in China; for example, at the market we are often buying things and I always say, ‘That’s too expensive! Can you do it a little cheaper?’”.
Maricel 补充道：“我其实对自己感到很惊讶；我几乎什么都能听懂，但我说得不多。但是我在课程中学到的中文在中国非常实用；例如，我们经常在市场上买东西，我总是说，‘那太贵了！你能便宜一点吗？’”。
In additional to her language skills, Maricel loves playing musical instruments. She said, “Chinese music fascinates me, so I have decided to buy an erhu while I’m here, and not only that, also a guzheng and a pipa, and take them all back to Germany”.
除了语言技能之外，马里塞尔还喜欢演奏乐器。她说：“中国音乐让我着迷，所以我决定来这里买一把二胡，不仅如此，还买一把古筝和一把琵琶，把它们都带回德国”。
During their few days in Beijing, the students visited the famous sights, as well as the 798 Art Zone and some local hutongs, while in the Southern Capital they took in Nanjing University for a presentation about John Rabe and the history of Nanda, as well as finding time for our local scenic spots.
在北京的几天里，学生们参观了著名景点、798艺术区和当地的一些胡同，而在南都，他们在南京大学听了拉贝和南大历史的讲座，并抽出时间参观了当地的景点。
Also while in our fair City, the delegation was shown around a local school’s campus to then engage in various activities with the students; table tennis, volleyball, badminton, calligraphy, music and more.
此外，在我们公平的城市期间，代表团还参观了当地一所学校的校园，然后与学生们一起参加了各种活动；乒乓球、排球、羽毛球、书法、音乐等。
As to the highlights of their trip, all were virtually united in their particular enjoyment of the Great Wall, Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing; Confucius Temple and Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum in Nanjing; and of course, dumplings, everywhere.
至于此次旅行的亮点，大家几乎都一致对北京的长城、天安门广场和故宫有独特的兴趣；南京孔庙和中山陵；当然，到处都是饺子。
