2017年CRI China-New Zealand people-to-people exchange on the rise

 

People-to-people exchange between China and New Zealand has been on the rise in recent years. CRI's Min Rui has more.

Zhang Luwen is a senior student at Massey University in Wellington. She says studying in New Zealand has been a wise move.

"I came to New Zealand four year ago. I'm not from a super-rich family, so I don't want my parents to spend big on my education. New Zealand is quite affordable¹ for middle-class Chinese people. I think the lifestyle here is different from home, it's slow and natural, and gives you that feeling of security, so you could study and focus on it."

Last year, China became the largest source of international students in New Zealand, taking up 27-percent of all international students.

The good environment and tranquility of the oceanic country also attracted a record number of tourists from China.

Last year, more than 400-thousand Chinese tourists visited New Zealand, spending some 7 million U.S. dollars in the country and surrounding islands.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics², China is the second largest source country of visitors to New Zealand, after Australia.

Meanwhile, many New Zealanders are visiting China. Tom Kong, from Wellington City Council, says in recent years, more Kiwis have been sampling Chinese culture.

"I think economically trade deals promoted exchanges, and at the same time, they are taking a liking³ to Chinese culture. I know some kiwis who have been to China, not only travel, but are also working as teachers, journalists, and in other sectors⁴. They like to travel around the world, and lots of them are interested in going to China. Some of them visit China, come back, and show me pictures of the Palace Museum, and so on. They are very happy to find the Chinese culture so different from theirs. It's just not the same as traveling to New York or to European cities."

Kong, as a Chinese migrant to New Zealand, has also witnessed a rise in the number of migrants from China in the past decade.

Former Chinese ambassador⁵ to New Zealand Chen Mingming says, hard-working Chinese migrants are contributing to the local economy.

"Chinese immigrants have injected vitality⁶ into the New Zealand economy by providing capital, skills that are needed for the growth of the New Zealand economy. I think it's a good thing for New Zealand to accept Chinese immigrants."

The largest Chinese communities are to be found in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin, with only a quarter of the Chinese population in New Zealand were actually born there.

For CRI, I'm Min Rui.

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 statistics   

n.统计，统计数字，统计学

参考例句：

• We have statistics for the last year.我们有去年的统计资料。
• Statistics is taught in many colleges.许多大学都教授统计学。

3 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

4 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

6 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。