Street Vendor in SW China's Sichuan Wins Hearts with English Fluency
- Home
- News
- People
- In-depth
- ACWF
Street Vendor in SW China's Sichuan Wins Hearts with English Fluency
January 17, 2024A woman street vendor in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has recently captured widespread attention online for her fluency in English, especially when communicating with foreign buyers.
Xie Hongying, 49, effortlessly bridges the language barrier in her interactions with foreign buyers. With a warm, inviting tone, she often asks, "Which one do you want to buy?" or informs them, "Half a kilo for 12 yuan ($1.69)." One day, while introducing fresh figs, she said the figs were "very delicious."
Originally from Jianyang city in Sichuan, Xie moved to Chengdu in 2012 and became a fruit vendor.
She frequents the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a favorite among foreign visitors, and various public transit stations after 9 a.m. daily. The end of her workday varies, depending on her business volume. "Apart from figs, I also sell strawberries, cherries, loquats and other fruits," she said.
Xie decided to learn English on her own in 2019 after communicating through body language with a foreign buyer. Her method is simple: looking up words in a dictionary and memorizing the vocabulary. Yet, she emphasizes that the most important thing is to communicate with foreigners often.
"I'm not afraid of making mistakes or being laughed at, and my spoken English has improved rapidly. There were times when foreign buyers helped with my mistakes, and I corrected them immediately," she said.
Now, she is genuinely interested in learning English and actively greets and converses with foreign visitors. "Only by communicating with them can you truly understand how to speak and improve your English. Simply memorizing content from textbooks doesn't always work," she said.
(Source: People's Daily Online)
32.3KPlease understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: [email protected]. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn.
Comments
Magazines
Projects
- 2023 Women Science and Technology Innovation Pioneer...
Photos
- People Enjoy Blooming Tulips in Jinan, East...
- Flowers Bloom Across China in Spring
Special Coverage
Related articles
Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America
NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna, Matt Turner and Tim Ream will be given the three weeks ahead2024-05-21BRI an 'opportunity for all', says FM
Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed China's pledge to make the Belt and Road Initiative "a lasting o2024-05-21Xi congratulates Putin on reelection
President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday China's commitment to advancing the China-Russia comprehen2024-05-21Washington manipulates freedom of speech, report finds
China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing released a report on "Freedom of Speech in the United St2024-05-21- Cancer-stricken King Charles will be feeling fresh heartache after a former IRA commander confessed2024-05-21
China reprimands U.S. for economic bullying over semiconductor restrictions
The Chinese embassy in the Philippines criticized the U.S. for voicing further restrictions on chip2024-05-21
atest comment