HANGZHOU—Sheng Baihui and Liu Shuang are postgraduate students majoring in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages at the College of Media and International Culture (CMIC) at Zhejiang University. In 2020, they volunteered as Chinese language teachers at the Confucius Institute at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Officially inaugurated on May 20, 2005, the Confucius Institute at UWA was the first to be established in Australia, accommodating over 20 language volunteers from Zhejiang University each year.

During the volunteer period, Sheng Baihui worked as a teaching assistant at St. George’s Anglican Grammar School where she helped Danielle, a local teacher to hold classroom activities such as communication exercises and in-class games to enhance the learning experience. Sheng also rotated to Weld Square Primary School and St. Mark's Anglican Community School.

Liu Shuang, though initially unaccustomed to the new environment, quickly adapted to her life in Perth. She was assigned to Christ Church Grammar School where she began a Chinese Cuisine course with local teachers.

Both volunteers were fully engaged in their tasks where they observed different teaching styles, learned from experienced colleagues, and attended to every detail with the utmost care. During their volunteer period, they won the hearts of their students and were highly complimented by school leaders.

Associate Professor Fu Zheng, the Associate Director of the Confucius Institute at the UWA, wrote a letter to applaud the contributions of the two volunteers mentioning their endeavors in spreading Chinese stories and Chinese culture in Australia. She also expressed her appreciation for the CMIC’s efforts in training these students.