第一夫人彭丽媛赞扬澳洲书信

In the digital age, letter writing may not be as common as it once was, but its ability to enrich lives and launch adventures was on display on Thursday when Tasmanian teenagers presented Chinese calligraphy and artwork to first lady Peng Liyuan.

在当今的数字时代，书信已不如以前常见了，但在本周四，塔斯马尼亚的青少年们向中国第一夫人彭丽媛展现中国书法和工艺品时，书信展现了其丰富生活和勇于冒险的一面。

The story began last May when 16 pupils from Scotch Oakburn College in Tasmania wrote to President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng, inviting the couple to the island, an offer realized in November during Xi’s Australian visit.

故事开始于去年5月份，塔斯马尼亚州的苏格兰奥克本学院的16名学生给习近平总理和彭丽媛夫人写了一封邀请信，这个邀请再去年11月份习近平澳洲之行时得以实现。

The following 12 months have seen the 6th graders gain more fluency in Mandarin as well as develop a deeper interest in Chinese culture. Both were on display in Beijing on Thursday.

在接下来的一年里，这些六年级的小学生们普通话说得越来越好，并且对中国文化产生了浓厚兴趣，这些周四在北京都有展示。

William Hurd, a student at the school, presented calligraphy reading, "A Journey of Chinese Culture" to Peng, but confessed that he didn’t do it in one sitting, an admission that sparked laughter.

威廉姆·赫德，一名来自于此学校的学生，给彭丽媛展示了一副“中华文化之旅”的字画，他承认说这幅字画并非一气呵成，其诚恳的态度引来大家欢笑喝彩。

The first lady, who was addressed by the students as Peng Mama (meaning Mother Peng in Chinese), immediately put him at ease and said it was much nicer than her own calligraphy.

中国第一夫人，被学生们亲切地称为“彭妈妈”，亲切地称赞赫德的书法要比自己的好很多，赫德听后就不那么紧张了。

Hurd is one of 22 visiting students from the school, which played a special role in bringing Xi and Peng to Tasmania in November, making Xi the first president to have visited every state and territory in Australia.

赫德是22位来自塔斯马尼亚州学生的其中一位，并在其中发挥了特殊的作用，他让习近平和彭丽媛去年11月来访塔斯马尼亚州，并且让习近平成为一地个访问澳大利亚每个州的国家主席。

Xi once said that the handwritten letters by these pupils introduced him to the unique and spectacular views of their hometown, and the invitation was too good to refuse.

习近平曾说过，这些学生的书信让他看到了这些学生家乡的独特而优美的一面，这样的邀请实在不忍拒绝。

In response, the couple met the pupils and planted a yulan magnolia together at Government House in Tasmania months later.

为了回馈这些孩子的盛情邀请，习近平夫妇几个月后看望了孩子们并在塔斯马尼亚的政府办公室门前种植了一棵木兰树。

On Thursday, Peng encouraged the children to stay in touch with friends they met in China, continue to study Chinese and China’s culture, and to be young ambassadors for friendly China-Australia exchanges after they return home.

周四，彭丽媛鼓励了孩子们回国后和在中国认识的朋友们保持联系，继续学习中文和中国文化，回国后成为中澳交流的小使者们。

She also called for the countries to strengthen cooperation in education and expand exchanges between teachers and students.

彭丽媛还号召两国之间加强教育方面的合作，扩大师生间的交流合作。

Andy Muller, head of the school, said a newly established partnership with Jingshan School in Beijing will help the countries build stronger ties as the young people provide the bridges between nations.

安迪·缪勒，这所学校的校长说道，在这些孩子提供了两国之间的桥梁的前提下，学校和北京的京山学校已经建立了合作关系，这将帮助两国之间建立更深厚的关系。

Chinese is the second most common language in Australia, and China also accounts for the most foreign students and tourists. Last year, 4,721 Australian students studied in China.

中文在澳大利亚是第二大常用语言，在澳洲，中国人也占据了大量的外国留学生和游客比重。去年，4721名澳大利亚学生在中国留学。