Nitinun Chomchuen, a young instructor at Tianjin Bohai Vocational and Technical College (TBVTC) teaching Chinese to international students from Thailand, aspires to play a useful role in transmitting a message of friendship between Chinese and Thai people.

Chomchuen demonstrates how to use automated equipment to assembly the Luban Lock. [Photo/tjyun.com]

The Thai girl, with the Chinese name Huang Keying, has lived in China for eight years. Over that period she has witnessed the increasingly frequent and in-depth economic, trade and personnel exchanges between the two countries.

Compared with her hometown Nonthaburi, which is warm and humid all year round, Tianjin's climate - which has four distinct seasons - made it difficult for Chomchuen to adapt to. However, she still fell in love with her life in the city.

"The China I heard about when I was seven or eight years old is exactly different from what I see with my own eyes. China is developing fast. The infrastructure here is excellent. It's very convenient to take buses or subways and spend time in many parks and bustling places."

According to Chomchuen, more and more Thai teenagers are beginning to learn Chinese and are intrigued by Chinese culture. "It is very common for Thailand high schools to offer Chinese classes, and even junior high schools and elementary schools. Many of my friends in Thailand are more fascinated than me by Chinese TV series and movies."

In 2014, Chomchuen won the Chinese Government Scholarship and came to Tianjin University to study as a postgraduate. After graduation, she came to TBVTC for work, where she came into contact with the Luban Workshop, a well-known brand of vocational education in China.

TBVTC established China's first overseas Luban Workshop in Ayutthaya, Thailand, in 2016. It is committed to spreading a vocational education system that covers secondary school to undergraduate studies, and focuses on both technical skills training and academic learning.

In addition to teaching Chinese, Chomchuen engaged in some foreign liaison and interpretation work for the Thailand Luban Workshop. She said that Thai Luban Workshop graduates are very popular in the job market. "They will get certificates from Thailand and China, which is of course beneficial to their future employment.

In Chomchuen's view, the Luban Workshop not only links the vocational education cooperation the two countries, but also radiates many ASEAN countries. "I think the Luban Workshop is a very good platform to cultivate high-skilled personnel. Many students from other countries, like Indonesia and Malaysia, also like to receive training in the Thailand Luban Workshop.”

At present, Chomchuen has a family and a career in Tianjin. She is chasing her dream through the Luban Workshop. "I am a small individual, but I wish to be a bridge between China and Thailand people."