May 18, 2007
Wang Shanshan
The Japanese Esperanto Institute is issuing a special invitation to 23 Asian Esperanto activists to take part in this year's World Esperanto Congress in Yokohama. In the April issue of the Japanese magazine La Revuo Orienta JEI has published statements by each of these people. I am reproducing them here, in English translation, one by one.
The next listed activist is WANG Shanshan of China. Wang is a 24-year-old announcer for China Radio International (Esperanto section). Among Esperantists she is appropriately known as "Eŭfonia".
Esperanto and I
I began to learn Esperanto in my university in September of 2003. I had previously studied Italian. And later, the Esperanto Section of China Radio International collaborated with my university (Chinese Communications University) to recruit students to learn Esperanto, and train new workers for the Radio. Informed of the news, I took part in the exams for the students to be recruited, and succeeded very well. So I changed my field and became an Esperantist. Truth to tell, at that time I still did not know exactly what Esperanto is.
Thanks to my learning of Italian, I learned Esperanto joyfully because of its easiness and because of the similarity of its pronunciation with that of Italian.
The 89th World Esperanto Congress was held in Beijing, and I and my classmates became volunteers and tour guides, although at that time we had been learning Esperanto for only eight months. I think that the World Esperanto Congress was the key period in my life, because it was at just that time that I fell wholeheartedly in love with Esperanto and decided to make whatever contribution I could for it. During the period of the Congress I saw, with astonishment, emotion and for the first time, that more than 2000 people from more than 50 countries could communicate in one language.
In August of 2005 I started work in the Esperanto Section of China Radio International. Since that time, I have worked every day in and for Esperanto. I very much enjoy my work.
World Esperanto Congress and After
During the World Esperanto Congress, I want not just to experience Japanese culture and life, but also to take part in various meetings. And I also want to help the Local Congress Committee or the Universala Esperanto-Asocio to do something during the period of the Congress, if they need me. Working as a reporter in and for Esperanto, I and my colleagues will be broadcasting daily reports about the World Esperanto Congress over the internet and by telephone as before. In addition, I will also be doing interviews with Congress participants.
As usual at China Radio International, when we return to our Radio, we will give detailed reports about the World Esperanto Congress over the entire week. The detailed reports will be available not only in our daily broadcast, but also in our web page.