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A Croatian tour guide with connection with China spanning decades

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STORY: A Croatian tour guide with connection with China spanning decades
SHOOTING DATE: Feb. 2, 2024
DATELINE: Feb. 4, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:01
LOCATION: Zagreb
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of central square in Zagreb and Zlata Merlin working
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Croatian): ZLATA MERLIN, Croatian tour guide 
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Croatian): ZLATA MERLIN, Croatian tour guide
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Croatian): ZLATA MERLIN, Croatian tour guide

STORYLINE:

There are only a few Croatians who can speak fluently the Chinese language, and Zlata Merlin is one of them. Despite lacking formal education in Chinese, her life trajectory unexpectedly led her to China. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (Croatian): ZLATA MERLIN, Croatian tour guide
"45 years ago, my husband, who graduated in Chinese language in China, was employed by the embassy, and our family went to work in China."

Merlin graduated in literature, Russian and Italian language at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb. When she came to China, she didn't speak a word of the Chinese language, but she didn't hesitate to change that.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Croatian): ZLATA MERLIN, Croatian tour guide
"I realized there that I must start to learn Chinese. Just a few days after arrival, I took a private tutor and started learning the language. Back then, the Chinese didn't speak foreign languages and you had to learn Chinese."

During the eight-year stay in China, Merlin seized the opportunity to immerse herself in the Chinese culture and language. Upon returning to Croatia, she leveraged her newfound fluency as a tour guide.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Croatian): ZLATA MERLIN, Croatian tour guide
"I speak Chinese, and I work as a tour guide, which means that I am good at it. They can understand me and I am very happy because of that. I think the Chinese know much more about Croatia now than before, first through sports. Chinese people know a lot about the sports, they follow sports and they follow our football. When they come here, they already know about Croatian football players, about tennis players like Goran Ivanisevic, and such knowledge inspires them to visit the country."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zagreb.
(XHTV)

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