On January 20th, H.E. Dr. Yue Xiaoyong, Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, met with Anne Dillane, a student from St. Laurence’s National School in Greystones, County Wicklow, and his father Mr. John Dillane.

Recently, Anne Dillane, a 11-year-old girl told by email the Chinese Embassy about her school project about China and expressed her wish to have a photo with the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland. Ambassador Yue happily invited her and her parents to his residence.

Anne shared with the Ambassador her understanding and knowledge of China. To the Ambassador’s surprise, Anne not only knew that China has nearly 1.4 billion people and 5,000 years of civilization and is panda’s homeland, but could also say some Chinese like “Ni Hao” (“hello” in Chinese). Ambassador Yue appraised Anne’s excellent knowledge and spoke highly about St. Laurence’s National School’s project, saying that it would enhance mutual understanding between Chinese and Irish youngsters. He gave a pig toy to Anne for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, and Ann asked the Ambassador to convey her greetings to the students in China.