STORY: Peruvian sinologist dedicated to bridging cultures between China, LatAm
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 28, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 31, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:50
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1.  SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
2. SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua Correspondent
3. various of Esteban Poole Fuller in the campus of Peking University, Beijing

STORYLINE: 

2023 marks a new chapter for Esteban Poole Fuller, a Peruvian sinologist.

In September, an over-10,000-mile journey from the peaks of South America to the beat of China has unfolded his dream -- from learning the country at a distance to experiencing it firsthand.
     
SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
"I've been looking forward to this opportunity for years. I always find Chinese history very interesting.
Then when I was in college, there was so much good news about China. The Beijing Olympics had just taken place. People talked about the Chinese economic miracle and the trade and investment opportunity for China.
It was a really exciting place where a lot of things were happening, or there were a lot of opportunities. I became more and more engaged since then with Chinese studies."
           
SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua Correspondent
"Is China different from what you expected after coming here?"
           
SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
"I mean there are so many things about this country. You cannot learn from the books. There are many things you can only learn by living here and experiencing life here."

SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua Correspondent
"What are the things that surprised you in China?"
           
SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University, Peru
"The pace of life, the scale of things. Everything is so fast. You live at another level. Our idea of China in the West has been that it's a country that symbolizes the past, tradition. But in many senses, I feel the future is in China. Like, for example, all these, the spread of e-commerce, and artificial intelligence. It's actually like taking a glance at our future.
And I think understanding China, is a way of better understanding the world we are living in."

Before coming to China, Esteban worked as a lecturer in his country. He said he had been dispelling stereotypes about China and cultivating an understanding of its rich culture and history, sparking curiosity and interest among many.

SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
"I think the stereotype is like (that) it's a very traditional society, that is very rigid or homogenous.
But it's an extremely dynamic society. It's been changing a lot more than Western societies in recent years. It's diverse. There are many kinds of people. I've had a chance to dispel stereotypes as a lecturer of modern Chinese history.
And I feel that when I come back from China, and (if) I teach again this course, I will have a lot of real-life experience that will enrich the content because I think many of these stereotypes are due to the lack of contact with Chinese society."

SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
"I can say several of my students (in Peru) have started studying Chinese. And actually, one of my students just a couple of months ago, presented his first paper about Chinese studies in an Asian studies congress. And he might be coming to China next year. So I feel this kind of stories are a big success. I feel they left their class not just more knowledgeable, but especially more curious."
           
SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua Correspondent
"More curious about China."

SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
"Yeah."

SOUNDBITE (English): WU YAO, Xinhua Correspondent
"After finishing your PhD program, what do you want to do in the future?"

SOUNDBITE (English): ESTEBAN POOLE FULLER, PhD student at Peking University
"Establishing big bridges between Latin American society and Chinese society. I want to bring my deeper knowledge about the local circumstances to my country, and foster spaces of inter-cultural communication, which I think are very important. I hope I can give a grain of sand to foster this greater communication. A greater understanding of China."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)