Ruth and Rakotoarivony Mamisoa:Tianjin's expats proud to learn about Chinese culture

Tianjin is an ancient coastal city at least 600 years old located right next to Beijing in North China. It is a balanced blend of old and new, abundant in historical and cultural resources and a major economic center with national impact.

It has witnessed positive outcomes in its efforts to pursue high-quality development, and will continue boosting productivity and seeking new momentum to foster sustainable development.

Following the success of season one, Tianjin releases the second season ofTianjin Insight series, which presents a panoramic view of the port city’s evolution and achievements through the eyes of expats living there.

Tianjin Normal University is where international students Ruth and Rakotoarivony Mamisoa's Chinese dream began.

Ruth is a doctoral student from Kenya, and Rakotoarivony Mamisoa from Madagascar is pursuing his master’s degree. But if you just listen to their voices, you won’t recognize they are from Africa.

Ruth has visited a lot of scenic spots in Tianjin, including the Ancient Culture Street, The Residence of The Shi Family, and Jixian Great Wall.

In her eyes, people in Tianjin are very kind and friendly, and she takes Tianjin as her second home.“I really love Tianjin,” she said.

Rakotoarivony Mamisoa thinks the life in Tianjin is perfect as he gradually integrates into the country and the city. Ruth is very much interested in Chinese Yueqin, a four-stringed plucked instrument with a full-moon-shaped sound box, and the Beijing Qinshu,a performing art combines ballad-singing and storytelling. Although she has never learned a musical instrument before, Ruth has now become the inheritor of these two intangible cultural heritages through hard work.

“Through these different cultural aspects, I can get a better and deeper understanding of Chinese culture,” she said.

Rakotoarivony Mamisoa was deeply attracted to the art of Xiangsheng (crosstalk), especially the Tianjin Xiangsheng and Kuaiban, a rhyming storytelling performance accompanied by clapping bamboo pieces. He wrote a Kuaiban work on Tianjin’s efforts to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic, telling the stories of the city in an inimitable Tianjin way.

Rakotoarivony Mamisoa believed the art of Xiangsheng is closely related to the history of China. He said that through this art, he not only learned the Chinese language, but also was able to better learn and understand Chinese culture.

Over the past 10 years, Tianjin has made continuous efforts to exchange cultural information with other countries. The Tianjin Juilliard School opened, 20 Luban Workshops were established worldwide, and large-scale international conferences such as the Summer Davos Forum and the World Intelligence Conference were held with great national impact.

The unique Tianjin culture attracts friends from all over the world to the city.