A graduation ceremony is held on July 5 for foreign government workers who finished their language program at Huaqiao University in Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo/chinanews.com]

"Farewell, Huaqiao University." A special graduation ceremony was held on July 5 for 102 foreigners who finished a language program at Huaqiao University in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province.

The language skills learned during the course are expected to be of great use when they return to their jobs in law enforcement, commerce, and immigration in Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and more.

"The year-long program not only taught me how to communicate in Chinese, but also included a series of courses on traditional Chinese culture," said Cai Wanjing (Chinese name), a police officer from Thailand.

Cai praised Huaqiao University's efforts to organize class tours to explore all walks of life in China, specifically praising the time-honored cultural heritage items she witnessed over the past year.

"Graduating is just a new beginning," she said at the graduation ceremony, "I will use my new skills to try to help more Chinese tourists."

The language program has been around for 14 years and has trained over 900 people working in foreign government departments. For more information, please visit en.hqu.edu.cn.