On June 17, the Top 10 2021 WHU Luojia Fengyun Students Award ceremony was held in the lecture hall of the main library. On stage, an international student in a red Tai chi suit captured the audience’s attention. She is Leret Bonnie, a French student from the School of Journalism and Communication.
During the ceremony, Bonnie performed a piece of Tai chi fluidly and gracefully, demonstrating her deep appreciation of Chinese culture. After the wonderful performance, she gave an acceptance speech. “In the future, I hope I can present a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China to the world through my endeavor.” As this half-Chinese girl said, she has been working hard to tell China’s stories well and make the voice of China heard by the world.
Leret Bonnie during the Top 10 2021 WHU Luojia Fengyun Students award ceremony
Even before her birth, Leret Bonnie had already had a connection with China. Being an adventurer, Leret Bonnie’s father once cycled around the world, meeting Bonnie’s mother in China. They went back to France and then gave birth to Bonnie. When Bonnie was seven years old, the family started from Le Mans, drove across nine countries, and eventually arrived in Guilin, Guangxi. Falling in love with its lifestyle, they decided to settle in this beautiful city.
It is this unique life experience that nurtures Bonnie’s goal—— telling China’s stories well and making the voice of China heard. Years of life experience in China have helped Leret perceive a different kind of culture. “Meanwhile,” she said, “I also realize that there is always bias toward other cultures, whether it is in China or France. For example, some of my relatives in France thought that China didn’t have many skyscrapers or even good toilets. Not until they came here did they realize that China has already been modernized.” From her point of view, what she should do is try to reduce these prejudices and misunderstandings as much as possible.
How to tell China’s stories well? Bonnie gave us a good answer. “The most important rule is keeping real. Use vivid language to depict what we have seen and experienced. Besides, we should tell more stories about ordinary people, reflecting China’s huge progress through those plain and small stories.”
Bonnie’s words are materialized by her practices. During her college years, she participated in many TV variety shows. She made her appearance in the preheating live stream of the Tencent Digital Ecosystem Summit, leading the audience to go sightseeing in Wuhan and showcasing the unique lifestyle of this city. She also took part in the recording of a music video titled “Together for a Shared Future” which was produced by Hubei International Culture Exchange Center and Cnhubei Co., Ltd., cheering on athletes in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. On the day when the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics took place in Beijing, this music video was broadcast in Times Square, showing the enterprising spirit of Chinese youth to the whole world. In the video, Bonnie sang the climax of the song. As the lyrics go, “together for a shared future” is what Bonnie has been working for.
Nourished by two types of cultures, Bonnie has her own advantages in spreading the voice of China. “As an international student, I think I have more persuasiveness in telling China’s stories. Chinese people are modest and always feel shy about acknowledging their achievements in front of others. Therefore, I hope I can take advantage of my identity to present the vivid, progressive China, honestly and panoramically,” Bonnie said.
This summer, Bonnie got the bachelor’s degree and is going to leave Wuhan University. With the knowledge she has got here, she will do more to accomplish her dream. “In the future, I will take part in more social practices to know more about Chinese ordinary people’s lives,” she said. “Meanwhile, I will continue participating in some TV programs, using these platforms to show what I have seen and heard to a wider range of people.” What’s more, as she chooses to read the master’s degree in Journalism and Communication, she also hopes to learn more knowledge about intercultural communication, combining theories and practices together to boost cultural integration. The journey toward her goal is still a long one.
Photo by Leret Bonnie
Edited by Li Jing, Zhou Yue, Zhang Yilin, Sylvia, Xi Bingqing
