While carrying out the “Harmonious Mission-2015”, PLA Navy hospital ship “Peace Ark” paid its first visit to Barbados, and provided medical as well as humanitarian service for Barbadians during this past November 27th to December 3rd (local time). During that short visit, all staff numbers of the Confucius Institute at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill (CI at UWI Cave Hill) participated in the reception and the related volunteer work, offering great conveniences for the personnel onboard the ship.

On the first day of the visit, all staff numbers of CI at UWI Cave Hill, together with diplomats of Chinese embassy to the hosting country, members of Chinese enterprises as well as representatives of overseas ethnic Chinese communities, gave a warm welcome to the ship’s arrival and toured it with ship personnel. Ms.Shi Yuchen, a volunteer teacher of the said Confucius Institute, was interviewed by CCTV newsmen on the ship’s deck.

While volunteers were busy with their work on the ship, Mr. Song Qingbao, Chinese Co-Director of CI at UWI Cave Hill, and Ms. Li Yanhua, a teacher of the same Institute, organized a sightseeing trip for a group of crew members. During the tour, staff of the Confucius Institute gave detailed introductions to those visitors providing a deeper understanding of this attractive small island.

On the afternoon of December 2nd, a lecture on basic knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was arranged on the “Peace Ark”. Mr. Ché Leon C Corbin, Foreign Co-Director of CI at UWI Cave Hill, was the speaker of this lively lecture which took place in the ship’s TCM clinic. Besides lecturing, he also joined the ship’s TCM doctors to demonstrate related treatments for the audience, and patiently taught the spectators to master some basic skills of TCM. Many local residents indicated that, by attending that lecture and participating in the ensuing treatment experiencing, they have learned more about TCM, and are eager to know more about it in the future.

On the morning of December 3rd, some members of the Confucius Institute teamed up with the same group of people, who had rolled out the red carpet for the arrival of the ship a few days ago, to bid farewell to the departing ship at the pier. To the chorus of “Song of Motherland”, the “Peace Ark” left the dock slowly and gently, concluding a successful 7-day visit to Barbados.