Dedicated Cuban teacher finds formula for Chinese learners

HAVANA — Every day, Sochi Alay spends several hours at Confucius Institute in Havana to help students understand the complexity of Chinese calligraphy and pronunciation.

The 42-year-old Chinese-language teacher has been living in the surroundings of the city's Chinatown and working at the institute for more than seven years. He says his special connection with China dates back to childhood.

Among the memories of growing up, attending activities organized by the Chinese community in the Cuban capital remains vivid, says Alay, who is of Chinese descent.

With a deep love for China, a young Alay chose to go to Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to study Chinese language and literature.

Teaching Chinese at Confucius Institute would not have been possible without Jorge Alay, his father, who also worked as a Chinese-language teacher at the institute and has continued to serve after retirement.

"My father instilled many values and principles into me, namely love for the motherland, discipline, respect and dedication to studies," says Sochi Alay.

"The support of my family has been fundamental in my life."

Besides Chinese language, Sochi Alay has also found Chinese martial arts a platform for spreading knowledge about Chinese traditions and customs among Cubans.

"I inherited from my grandfather and father the love for martial arts, which is in my blood," he says.

"This is part of my family legacy."

As a Chinese-language teacher, he has witnessed a growing passion among Cubans for learning Chinese.

"Our student community is very diverse," he says. "Among pupils, we have elderly citizens, workers and university students. I feel they are making progress."

The study of Chinese language and culture has been on the rise in Cuba thanks to the work of social organizations and institutions, such as the Confucius Institute, which has seen thousands of students graduate since its founding in 2009.

Noting that Cuba was the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with China, Sochi Alay says the two countries share important historical links that make them more united and "share common values and principles since we are focused on the development of our socialist systems".

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez paid a state visit to China last week. Sochi Alay believes the visit would reinforce the 62-year-long diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"Cuba and China defend socialist values and principles," Sochi Alay says. "The visit of the Cuban president to China will boost the economic, social and political collaboration between the two countries."

Xinhua