山東青"Nowadays, flights connecting Hefei with Incheon in South Korea are available five days a week, and the situation is improving

島全國愛鳥周鳥cn  Cho Sung-hye talks with her students at Hefei University in Anhui province春光中A remarkable South Korean teacher took up residence in Hefei, Anhui province, at the urging of her young son and never looked back

火烈What do you think China will be like in five years' time? How do you view China's longer-term future? Chinese people's incomes have increased significantly in recent years and they will become richer in the next five years山東青He has been trying his best to achieve what he has vowed to do島全國愛鳥周鳥To better promote the educational exchanges, Cho and her husband founded the Handa Cultural Exchange Co in Hefei in 2006, with Cho as president春光中She has played a prominent role in education, business development and friendship火烈Opening up to the world has brought dramatic changes to the coastal regions, which have been more developed that the inland areas

山東青" What do you feel has been China's biggest achievement over the past five years? What's the most notable change you've observed? China has achieved much in many aspects over the last five years島全國愛鳥周鳥In 1998, when she was back in her hometown, Cho delivered a three-hour speech to 82 heads of primary schools, trying to persuade them to offer Chinese courses春光中In the urban area of Hefei, there is a hill called Dashu Hill

火烈I think China should attract even more foreigners, because from my own experience, having a look at the real China, not just the view from overseas, makes a big difference山東青"China is developing very fast and will play more important roles in the world島全國愛鳥周鳥The two countries must promote cooperation in many areas, but how can cooperation go well if our next generation doesn't understand Chinese?" Cho asked春光中"In the past 21 years, I have witnessed great development achievements in China, and I believe the five years to come after the pending 19th CPC National Congress will bring the country a more prosperous future

Also, Xi has been very good at choosing the right people to work with himI was one of the torchbearers for the Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Hefei in 2008

Impressed by how the history teacher had influenced her son, Cho has encouraged Chinese students to go to South KoreaTravelers had to change flights in Shanghai or Nanjing, Jiangsu provinceThe university was the first in the province to have such a courseShe also serves as an economic counselor for the Hefei Economic and Technological Development Area, where Hefei University is based, and the Hefei High-Tech Industry Development Zone

"My husband and I came to China - to Hefei - to fulfill my elder son's dreamHow to make the other countries believe a rapidly developing China is not a threat is really a tough issueWithin a year, she moved to the city with her husband, Park Nam-gyu, and her sonsI hope it can play a more important role in world peace in the future

"In the early years, transportation between Hefei and South Korea was not convenientIn 2002, she became the first person from her country to receive China's Friendship Award, the highest honor given to foreigners by the central government

"He wanted to go to the inland provinces, and he had some knowledge of Anhui, so he chose Hefei as his destination," Cho saidHalf a year later, Park returned to Hefei University and has been there ever since

Some of the South Korean companies based in the two zones, the largest in the province, were attracted through Cho's effortsIn the runup to the meeting, China Daily asked a prominent South Korean teacher to talk about her experiences in promoting educational improvements, business cooperation and people-to-people understanding in her native country and her adopted homeAnd she was the first South Korean citizen to gain permanent residency in China in 2006The boy - a great fan of Chinese history who was able to give the names of more than 900 figures in the Chinese classic Romance of Three Kingdoms - was inspired and wanted very much to follow the suggestionPresident Xi puts a lot of emphasis on environmental protectionWhat's the most memorable experience you've had in China, or related to China? Unforgettable experiences in China are many

It also extends to boosting Sino-South Korean economic ties and helping the province's poverty-stricken areasCho's reputation is not limited to education, however

When we were living in a community about 10 kilometers away, we could seldom see the hill from the windowWhat's the biggest challenge China faces, and how do you think the country should go about overcoming it? The biggest challenge could come from the changes

The improvement of the people's confidence itself is one of the biggest achievementsIn 2010, she was listed as one of the most influential women of the century in Hefei

Editor's Note: The Communist Party of China will hold its 19th National Congress on Oct 18More policies should also be made to attract more foreign talent to work in ChinaIt was unforgettable because my family watched the relay in South Korea in 1988 but didn't get the chance to participate"Now I often accompany Hefei officials to South Korea for business recruitment and students for educational exchanges," Cho said

"Nowadays, flights connecting Hefei with Incheon in South Korea are available five days a week, and the situation is improvingDozens of universities are located here, including the University of Science and Technology of China, one of the country's best," she said

Before they became major officials, dozens of years should have passed and they should have collected enough experience to tackle seemingly tough problemsIn 1998, when she was back in her hometown, Cho delivered a three-hour speech to 82 heads of primary schools, trying to persuade them to offer Chinese courses

A teacher of Korean at Hefei University in Anhui province, Cho has helped to boost the two countries' ties in multiple aspects - not just in educationThe couple found employment quickly at Hefei University and began teaching Korean the next year

cn  Cho Sung-hye talks with her students at Hefei University in Anhui provinceThe latest example was a 2016 donation of 20,000 yuan ($3,000) to four high school graduates in Hefei's Feidong county who had been enrolled at universities but were about to give up for lack of moneyWhat is your impression of President Xi Jinping? I think he is a determined manAfter finishing middle school and high school studies in the city, Cho's elder son was admitted to Peking University for undergraduate studies, and then returned to Hefei later for his MBA at the University of Science and Technology of China

She has played a prominent role in education, business development and friendshipAfter about a year in Hefei, Park took a job in the United States and tried to persuade Cho to give up Hefei

What three words would you use to describe China today? Revitalizing, changing, confidentIn 2000, with Cho's help, the Banyang Elementary School - in which she had studied - began teaching Chinese

"I told him that we had just started here and we should at least spend five years in the city before judging whether we should move to another place," Cho said"There were even South Korean businessmen who intended to invest in Hefei but decided to invest in Shanghai and Nanjing instead, as they found the two cities to be more developed," she added