China News Service, Urumqi, February 6th: Title: French guy’s love affair with Xinjiang
Author Pan Qi
The Chinese New Year is getting closer and closer. Besançon Charles Tom, a French young man who has lived in Xinjiang for 12 years, is familiar with the "customs" of the Chinese New Year. Early in the morning on the 6th, he planned to write a Chinese couplet in French.
In 2014, Besançon Charles Tom opened a French training institution in Urumqi, where he married a wife and had children, and lives to this day. On the 6th, at his training institution, Besançon Charles Tom told reporters his story about China in an interview.
Besançon Charles Tom's hometown is Bourges, a city in central France. In 2011, he came to China to study at Chongqing Technology and Business University. After graduation, he traveled to Xinjiang and accidentally discovered that many local enterprises in Xinjiang had cooperation projects with some French-speaking African countries. There was a huge demand for French learning, but there were very few French training institutions in Xinjiang, which made him see business opportunities.
Besançon Charles Tom said he had three reasons for taking root in Xinjiang. "In addition to family business, there are also Xinjiang's deserts, grasslands, lakes, and colorful ethnic customs."
The delicacies of Xinjiang also make Besançon Charles Tom unable to stop. Besancon Charles Tom said: "The barbecue in Hotan is the most fragrant, the noodles in Ili are authentic, and the pepper chicken made by Hui masters is the most delicious."
Recently, French young man Charles Tom of Besançon showed off the "Spring Festival Tree" made by him and his students. Photo by Pan Qi
During the interview, Besançon Charles Tom joked that he was a workaholic. "Work seven days a week." In order to teach students well, he always does enough homework in advance to understand the professional terminology, industry rules, etc. involved as clearly as possible.
Today, Besançon Charles Tom’s students range from retired teachers to young children. They come from Urumqi, Qingdao, Yantai, Ningbo and other places. No matter what the students' level is when they first arrive, he works hard to help them succeed academically.
Besançon Charles Tom told reporters that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and he plans to organize relevant activities to give the people of China and France more opportunities to communicate and enhance understanding. "I am willing to build bridges and let more young people become good friends."
The Spring Festival is approaching. In addition to writing Spring Festival couplets, Besançon Charles Tom also mobilized students to imitate Christmas trees and make "Spring Festival trees". New Year decorations such as blessing characters, lanterns, and Chinese knots were hung on the pine trees one by one by the students. Reporters also joined in to pray for peace and good luck in the year ahead. (over)