Bai Suning, president of the Jiangsu People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, gives certificates to this year's envoys of friendship. [Photo/WeChat account: JiangsuNow]

Two foreign teachers from Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province were recently honored as "Jiangsu envoys of friendship" by the Jiangsu People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

One of the recipients was Jennifer Elizabeth Lo, who has been an English teacher at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology since 2011. Lo was born in 1960 and has been fascinated by Chinese culture since she was a child. She started studying Chinese at University of London in 1978 and was an exchange student at Beijing Language and Culture University from 1979 to 1980.

In her classes, Lo translates Chinese literary classics, including Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering and The Peony Pavilion, with students. She has also made about 400 videos over the past three years to promote cultural exchanges between China and the world.

The other recipient was Craig D. Roberts, a professor at Nanjing University's School of Physics. He started teaching full-time at the university in 2019 and has since established a high-level research team and made many scientific breakthroughs.

"I believe more and more international scientists like me will be able to witness Jiangsu's bright future. Some of them will also choose to stay here after learning more about the province," said Roberts.

Twenty foreigners from 12 countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada, received the honor this year for their contributions to Jiangsu's economic and social development and international cooperation.