Birthday greetings from Portuguese president
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of Portugal, visited Shanghai International Studies University on Tuesday during his state visit to China, talking with students and extending his congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the university.
Students at the university chanted classic Portuguese poems and folk songs for the president and other delegation members. They also gave him a painting they created based on the campus scenery.
De Sousa said he was impressed by their performance, as well as the achievement the university has made in education, especially in Portuguese education and research.
As the first university dedicated to foreign-language education established after the founding of New China, Shanghai International Studies University launched its first bachelor’s program in Portuguese in 1977 and started its linguistic master’s program in the language in 2007.
By now, it has produced more than 300 graduates specialized in Portuguese and has established cooperation with many Portuguese universities, including the University of Lisbon and the University of Porto, resulting in close relationships in talent exchange and joint works in translations and publications.
“I’m touched by this outstanding university for its contributions to promoting Portuguese language and culture, which is unprecedentedly important for exchanges of the two peoples,” de Sousa wrote in his celebratory remarks.