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I am a student hailing from Spain and now study at Beijing Normal University in China.I really enjoy readingChina Today’s culture column and the section of East Meets West.“Cultural Envoy between China and Spain”in the July issue left me with a deep impression.In the story,Inma González Puy, a Spaniard from Madrid, said, China’s profound history and culture has the charm to captivate her heart and inspired her to help build a platform for cultural exchanges between China and Spain.This is also what I want to do for the rest of my life.At present, I am writing a doctoral dissertation based on my research ofA Dream of Red Mansions, a masterpiece of Chinese novels.The book’s author portrays a wide range of Chinese cultural elements in the novel, including cuisine, tea culture, the different religions and philosophies.The text is particularly notable for its use of grand poetry.My academic work seeks to unveil the lives of Chinese people during that historical period through analysis of the main characters such as Jia Baoyu and his beautiful cousin Lin Daiyu.It is a challenging task but very fascinating and rewarding.

Patricia Jiang

Spain

I am director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business.My study of the Chinese path to modernization has made me realize the far-reaching impact China’s national governance experience has on the global community.I think both traditional and modern Chinese culture are important sources of inspiration for the country’s innovation-driven development.I have watched the short videos on the official website ofChina Today, which introduce Chinese intangible cultural heritage and traditional musical instruments.I am a fan of the Chinese violin –erhu, a two-stringed musical instrument,which can express various moods with only two strings.I once bought anerhuwhen I traveled in China and brought it back to Brazil.I know the most famous piece oferhumusic in China isMoon Reflected on the Second Spring,which was composed by a blind streetside folk musician called Ah Bing to express the grief of his bitter life in the old society.Besideserhu, I also know about theguzheng– the Chinese zither,andpipa– the Chinese guitar.In order to tell Chinese stories well,there is a need to focus on both inheritance and development of culture, and improve the affinity of Chinese stories in international communication.

Ronnie Lins

Brazil