劉金祥：鄉村振興中的文化力量

劉金It was not the first time for Lee, now an activist, to travel around the world to tell people what it means for her to seek justice, especially for those who did not survive to hear a formal apology from the Japanese government

祥鄉What 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村振He has been trying his best to achieve what he has vowed to do

興中To better promote the educational exchanges, Cho and her husband founded the Handa Cultural Exchange Co in Hefei in 2006, with Cho as president化力She has played a prominent role in education, business development and friendship劉金Opening up to the world has brought dramatic changes to the coastal regions, which have been more developed that the inland areas祥鄉" 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村振In 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 courses

興中In 2010, she was listed as one of the most influential women of the century in Hefei化力Officials should all start from basic positions and get promotions gradually劉金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 home

祥鄉And she was the first South Korean citizen to gain permanent residency in China in 2006村振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 suggestion興中President Xi puts a lot of emphasis on environmental protection化力What's the most memorable experience you've had in China, or related to China? Unforgettable experiences in China are many

It also extends to boosting Sino-South Korean economic ties and helping the province's poverty-stricken areasCho's reputation is not limited to education, however

When 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 achievementsIn 2010, she was listed as one of the most influential women of the century in Hefei

Editor's Note: The Communist Party of China will hold its 19th National Congress on Oct 18More 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 said

Before 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 courses

A teacher of Korean at Hefei University in Anhui province, Cho has helped to boost the two countries' ties in multiple aspects - not just in educationThe 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 provinceThe 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 manAfter 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 China

She has played a prominent role in education, business development and friendshipAfter about a year in Hefei, Park took a job in the United States and tried to persuade Cho to give up Hefei

What 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 added

China is a big country, so officials have to collaborate with each other wellI 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 yearsShe has helped more than 3,000 students from Anhui to study in her country, and more than 1,000 were given job opportunities there

One of the results is that the Chinese people are more confident than ever about their country's developmentIt's hard to make long-term predictions, but I hope China can keep its own development pace and have its own development patterns

I 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 areas

Cho's brothers and sisters also brought their children to HefeiThe 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 saidBefore 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 potentialTo better promote the educational exchanges, Cho and her husband founded the Handa Cultural Exchange Co in Hefei in 2006, with Cho as president

She herself knew little of the province or its capital at that time, so she decided to have a look before taking her family there"In the five years since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has invested more than ever before in poverty relief, and President Xi Jinping has vowed to eliminate poverty by 2020," Cho noted

She is now helping the development area build a China-South Korea Industry Park, and she has already brought in three South Korean companies to invest in the city's high-tech zoneOfficials should all start from basic positions and get promotions gradually

He has been trying his best to achieve what he has vowed to doI became the first South Korean person to receive the Chinese Central Government's Friendship Award in 2002 and the first from my country to get permanent residency in China in 2006