Chengdu Universiade | Italian student thrilled at lighting cauldron for Chengdu Universiade

CHENGDU, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Giordano Tudino never anticipated that his fascination with Chinese characters would one day lead him to the honor of being a torchbearer of a global sporting event.

The 25-year-old Italian, an overseas student at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu who majors in the Chinese language, was one of the 31 torchbearers that lit the cauldron of the World University Games last Friday at the opening ceremony.

"I never imagined participating in such a sacred cauldron lighting of an international sports event. When I lit it during the opening ceremony, I was both excited and nervous," Tudino told Xinhua.

"I sent videos and photos to my family back in Italy, and they were proud of me."

Besides lighting the cauldron itself, Tudino cherishes his friendship with other torchbearers. "I've met many celebrities I could find on Baidu Baike (a Chinese-language online encyclopedia)."

Among them are representatives of all walks of life, including plane Captain Liu Chuanjian, a heroic pilot who successfully made an emergency landing after the cockpit window broke in flight while carrying over 100 passengers.

"He is such a nice person. I took a photo with him and asked him some questions about aviation," Tudino said in fluent Chinese.

Tudino hails from the Lazio region of Italy and has a Chinese name - Su Yunzhe.

"I've been to Jiangsu province before. The word 'su' sounds beautiful, while 'yun zhe' means that I hope to become smarter through diligent work," Tudino explained about his Chinese name.

During his high school, Tudino learned several languages, including Chinese. "I was captivated by Chinese characters when I saw them for the first time on the Internet. Some Chinese characters just look like a painting. I wanted to see if I can master the Chinese language," he said.

So Tudino applied for an exchange student program in north China's Shi Jiazhuang city and then attended preparatory courses in east China's Nanjing city.

In 2019, Tudino moved to Chengdu to continue his studies at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. He enjoys his current life in this southwest Chinese city "for its delicious food, scenic sites, and warm-hearted citizens."

During his university years, Tudino actively participated in academic contests as well as social and artistic events.

Upon graduating from his undergraduate studies, Tudino plans to pursue a master's degree in foreign linguistics and applied linguistics.

"Embracing the Chinese language has been a key that unlocked the richness of Chinese culture for me and guided me toward my future path," he said.

"My dream is to stay in China and become a teacher."