Hands across the water

Guillermo Pulido Gonzalez, director of the Mexican Studies Center in Beijing Foreign Studies University, has initiated many cultural exchange programs between China and Mexico. Wang Jing / China Daily

A two-way bridge

Now the director of the center, he continues to promote Mexican culture in China and, somewhat surprisingly, Chinese culture in his home country. It is a two-way bridge of communication, he likes to emphasize.

Pulido is not frustrated when some mistake one Spanish-speaking country for another.

"I'm proud that Chinese people realize we all share the Spanish language, 21 countries in the whole world. Sometimes they are surprised we do not speak English. We use that as the start of a dialogue. After they learn something about Latin America, I'll shift to Mexico."

He finds China's young people not only "creative and innovative", but also very open to other cultures.

The first year Pulido taught at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1979, he noticed many Chinese students there and on other Mexican campuses. "They came to Mexico to study the language, politics, literature, among other things. When they returned to China, they helped us open the door to their country," he says.

Some Chinese students found themselves "so sunny and happy" after spending six, seven months in Mexico because the people there are very similar in temperament to their own. Likewise, his Chinese friends enjoyed going out to share a hearty meal and a laugh. The only barrier he has is the Chinese language.

"Fortunately you have 80 universities in China that teach Spanish," he says. "We in Latin America have to do our job. We have certain centers, such as the one at UNAM, that teach Chinese language and culture. Mexico has more Confucius Institutes than any other Latin-American country and we look forward to opening more of them."

Pulido explains that Mexicans used to obtain information on China through the United States, Germany and other third-party countries, but "now we can get it directly without the filter of other languages", he says.