Ni hao, Cork! Councillors and staff take on Chinese lessons to strengthen links with China

Five councillors and 18 staff are taking weekly lessons as the council seeks closer cooperation with Jiangsu in trade and education

Cork County Councillor Frank O'Flynn, pictured in Jiangsu with Irish and Chinese delegates, said it gave an insight into Chinese culture.

Cork county councillors and staff are learning Chinese as the local authority attempts to ratchet up trade and education linkages with one of the biggest ‘powerhouse provinces’ in the Asian country.

The county council is determined to capitalise on its twinning links with Jiangsu Province, which is a major hub for electronic and chemicals and boasts a population of more than 85 million.

Chinese students represent the second highest number of foreign-born students attending UCC.

In total, five councillors and 18 staff are taking part in Chinese language lessons, which are being provided to them free of charge by interpreters from the Confucius Institute at UCC.

They have started receiving in-person and hybrid lessons on a weekly basis, which will continue until the end of November.

A spokesman for the local authority said it had a long-standing "sister-region partnership" with Jiangsu Province.

“As part of this relationship, the council has hosted a number of official delegations from cities throughout Jiangsu Province to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, education, culture, science and technology, research, and innovation. Recent visits to County Hall have included delegations from Nanjing and Yangzhou,” the council spokesman said.

The course is providing "practical basic Chinese words, phrases, greetings and cultural awareness which can be beneficial in the workplace and in business". 

A spokesman for Cork County Council said it had a long-standing 'sister-region partnership' with Jiangsu Province.

Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O’Flynn, who is the oldest taking the course, said it gave an insight into Chinese culture.

“I have found that Chinese language is different to other writing and is more complex. The writing is different and characters involve strokes up, down left and right and need a lot of practice to learn the shapes, characters, sounds and letters. 

"While the course is challenging, I am up for it, and it is an enjoyable learning experience,” he said.

Mr O’Flynn was recently invited to represent the council at a special function in Dublin hosted by the Chinese ambassador to celebrate the 77th anniversary of foundation of the People’s Republic of China.

The youngest member of the council, Independent councillor Ben Dalton-O’Sullivan, said it was an opportunity to learn some of the basics of the language during their lunch break.

“I like the idea of continuous learning. So, when the opportunity came along, I thought why not? It’s a good opportunity to learn the basics of a language, I’m enjoying the classes which are once a week, and look forward to the next few weeks,” he said.