Venezuelan teacher explores China through marathon

STORY: Venezuelan teacher explores China through marathon

SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 21, 2024

DATELINE: Oct. 22 2024

LENGTH: 00:01:54

LOCATION: TIANJIN, China

CATEGORY: SPORTSSHOTLIST:

1. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): RAYDIS FRANCO, Venezuelan teacher at Nankai UniversitySTORYLINE:SOUNDBITE (Chinese): RAYDIS FRANCO, Venezuelan teacher at Nankai University

"I am Wu Ruilong from Venezuela. I came to Tianjin in 2015 to study and started to work here after graduation. I am now a Spanish teacher at Nankai University in Tianjin.

As a child, I was not doing good at sports. I was not good at any ball sports like football or basketball. So I always wanted to find a sport that was suitable for me.

When I was in college in my country Venezuela, I met a friend. He liked to run marathons. He told me to follow him to run and he could coach me. I think it would be a good idea, since the threshold of running a marathon is not very high. What you need is only a pair of shoes and a suit.

I had to find a sport that was suitable for me. And then I discovered the marathon, and in order to run further, I set a new goal in my mind.

After running a marathon, I like to visit the local museums to learn about the local history and culture. For example, when I ran a marathon in Xiamen (in southeast China's Fujian Province), I got this magnet in a local museum. And then when I participated in a marathon held in Anyang (in central China's Henan Province), I saw this in a local museum. Anyang is dubbed the hometown of oracle bone scripts.

I especially like to enjoy the scenery while running, and I think the night scene of the Hai River is magnificent. And when I run in South Cuiping Park, I can see a hill that reminds me of my hometown Caracas.

China is so big. I plan to run marathons in other cities as a reason to travel across the country."Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tianjin, China.

(XHTV)