By?FU?Ying

Foreign experts in Shandong province gathered to celebrate the 2024 Chinese New Year. (COURTESY PHOTO）

On?February?2,?the?Shandong?Provincial?Department?of?Science?and?Technology?organized?a?vibrant?Spring?Festival?event?for?foreign?experts?and?their?families.?More?than?30?foreign?experts?from?15?countries?including?Germany,?Italy,?and?South?Korea?participated?in?the?event.

The?event?was?a?melting?pot?of?international?and?local?talent?with?the?audience?treated?to?a?mix?of?saxophone?music,?Chinese?martial?arts?and?traditional?comic?dialogues,?besides?lion?dances,?Peking?Opera?performances,?and?face-changing?acts.

The?guests?tried?their?hands?at?Chinese?calligraphy,?paper-cutting,?sugar?painting?and?dough?modeling,?unique?charms?of?traditional?Chinese?culture.?

The?event?not?only?facilitated?a?lively?exchange?among?the?foreign?experts?in?Shandong?but?also?helped?them?to?understand?and?integrate?more?deeply?into?the?local?community?and?discover?the?charm?of?China?and?the?Chinese.

Peter?Monka,?a?Slovakian?expert?from?the?Qingdao?University?of?Technology,?shared?the?story?of?his?five-year?journey?in?China,?highlighting?Shandong's?history,?natural?beauty?and?forward-looking?innovations.

“In?China,?I?have?discovered?one?big?secret?that?cannot?be?seen?in?tourist?brochures?or?promotional?videos,?or?found?on?the?Internet,”?Monka?said,adding?that?“the?greatest?wealth?of?this?country?are?its?wise,?skilled?and?hardworking?people.”

Pan?Jun,?deputy?director?of?the?Science?and?Technology?Department,?extended?warm?New?Year?greetings?to?all?guests?and?their?families,?lauding?their?contribution?to?the?social?and?economic?development?of?Shandong.?