Overseas Chinese students attend online classes delivered by Wenzhou teachers. [Photo/WeChat account: zgwzswxcb]
Online classes have in recent years become a cultural bridge connecting Wenzhou and local residents living overseas, local media outlets reported.
The idea to deliver online classes to overseas Wenzhou residents came up in early 2020, when COVID-19 broke out in Italy, cities locked down, schools shut down, and the safety and education of overseas Wenzhou residents and their children became the most pressing issues for people in Wenzhou.
Wencheng county, which received support from the Wenzhou Overseas Media Center, was the first to answer the call. It introduced classes covering a variety of topics, such as Chinese language, epidemic prevention and control, and folk customs.
Lucheng and Ouhai districts and Rui'an city also opened online classes reaching overseas Chinese living in Italy, Spain, France, and the Netherlands.
French media reports on cultural classes arranged by Wencheng county, Wenzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: zgwzswxcb]
So far, a total of 12 million people from 13 countries have attended the classes. More than 200 central and provincial media agencies, including People's Daily and Xinhuanet.com, have published reports, and more than 40 overseas Chinese media, including The European Times, have forwarded the reports. Total page views at home and abroad have exceeded 72 million, and they have received more than 300,000 likes from overseas Chinese.
The classes have also been praised by the central publicity department as a model in promoting Chinese culture overseas.
