“I LOVE Chinese history and culture, and am willing to continue introducing it to Maltese audiences,” Stephen Cachia, lecturer in Chinese history at the University of Malta, said in a recent interview. From October 2020 to June 2022, Cachia held 18 online lectures on Chinese history at the invitation of the China Cultural Center in Malta. Each lasted 90 minutes, and the program was highly popular. Cachia made his lectures as concise and focused as possible and presented many photos to his audiences. “Most Maltanese are unfamiliar with Chinese history. I taught the subject through stories to keep them interested,” he said. Fluent in Spanish, Cachia worked at the Zaragoza Expo in 2008 in Spain, where he decided to learn Chinese because he wanted to work at the Shanghai Expo in 2010. He eventually got there and joined the team of Malta’s national pavilion. Between 2012 and 2018, Cachia worked as a teacher of Chinese language at the China Cultural Center in his home country. He has visited China several times. “Every time I visited China, I was impressed by the country’s fast growth and inclusiveness,” Cachia said, adding that he plans to visit more historical cities such as Nanjing, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, and Quanzhou, a starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. “I believe that visiting these places will help with my teaching,” he said. As a teacher of Chinese history, Cachia wishes to contribute to promoting cultural exchanges between Malta and China. He hopes more Maltese will learn about China’s history and culture. Whether teaching students at the university or giving lectures to local people, Cachia always encourages them to visit China and “see the country with their own eyes.” (Xinhua) | 