More than providing “Chinese in China” language training programs, Global Exchange Center set a broader goal of improving intercultural understanding, among all people. So we will start to publish some of our students writing about his or her home country, such as the community they live, popular movies or books there, or contemporary figures that have big influence in their society. By such input, we hope to enhance the mutual understanding between our teachers and students, as well among our students from different nationalities. We like to thanks all students who have given us his or her feedbacks.

Student name:  Mr. Domenico Latorraca
Nationality: Italian
Time in Global Exchange Center: 11weeks from July 4

Currently we like to publish some students

1, Could you tell us about one or two Italian contemporary movies that are popular in your country and have influence in young people?

I can say 'Notte prima degli esami' and 'Amici miei'

2, Could tell us about your university students’ life in Italy? Such as what do you and other students like to do in free time? Where to go?

I'm not a student right now. I finished my study at the university in the 2009. I work from around 2 years. The students go to the squares, meet the other people in the bars and in the pub. I like a lot gym, so in the free time I was there, learning latino-americano dancing.

3, Could you tell us which book (and which Italian book) has biggest influence in your life?

Maybe you know 'Il Principe' from Niccolò Macchiavelli.

4, Could you list a few contemporary figures that have big influence among young people in Italy?  They can be in any professions.

1. Silvio Berlusconi, 2. People from TV programs and soccer players

5, Could you tell us more about the city or community you live in Italy?  Its background, history and modern developments.

In the last two years I've lived in three italian cities: Bari, Parma and Udine. Bari is a city in the south of Italy; south is the sub-devoloped area of Italy. Unfortunately my region is surrounded by regions Mafia-controlled like Sicily, Calabria and Campania. It makes the devolopment very hard compared with the possibility of north Italy (surrounded by other nations like France, Germany, Austria...). Bari is more dangerous than Beijing, but something is changing. Parma is the where Giuseppe Verdi was born; this city pays a lot of attention to the culture and there're a lot of activities related with the culture; Udine is a city in the extreme North-East of Italy: is in a authonomous region of Italy and has a lot of interchenges with the other countries like Austria and Slovenia. Is one of the most devoloped cities in Italy.

6, From your own experiences, what you know from your friends, tell us more about their view to the world? Such as how they see American, Chinese, other European countries comparing your own country and cultures?

During the lasts two centuries Italy was a country of emigrants, so now you can see in America the e.g. the fourth generation of these emigrants... we see the german people like the very precise people, the spanish people like an happy people, but we don't know a lot about the people outside Europe.