A journey toward each other: One Italian's story with the Chinese language

It started with three classmates.

When Jacopo De Cinti was a child growing up in Rome, three Chinese students joined his school. He became friends with them, and somewhere along the way, curiosity took hold. He started attending Chinese school alongside them and never really stopped.

Now 26, De Cinti has turned that childhood curiosity into a career. He teaches Chinese language in Italy to Italian students, works as a cultural mediator for Chinese children, and has served as a bilingual host at events including the Chinese Embassy in Italy's Spring Festival gala. He is, in his own words, a bridge, and he wears that role with quiet pride.

"Being able to introduce Chinese culture in both Chinese and Italian in front of important government representatives in Italy makes me incredibly proud," he said.

This summer, De Cinti brought his family to China for the first time. Together they wandered through the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, marveled at the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, explored Xi'an's famous Muslim Quarter, and soaked in the energy of Beijing's Sanlitun district. For De Cinti, the trip was about more than sightseeing. It was about showing his family the country he has spent his life learning to understand.

"I want them to see the diversity of China," he said. "I think China has successfully blended history and modernity together."

His family, it turned out, agreed. After arriving, they found China even better than they had imagined.

For De Cinti, one of the most striking things about modern China is just how convenient daily life has become. "In China, all you really need is a phone," he laughed. "You always feel a sense of safety." It is a message he is eager to pass on. After sharing photos from the trip in his Chinese-language teaching group back in Italy, one parent replied that they couldn't wait to experience it for themselves.

De Cinti sees moments like that as proof that something is shifting. When he was a child, he was the only Italian kid at his Chinese school. Today, demand has grown so much that his school has opened two new classes and even an adult course.

"More and more Italians are beginning to learn about China," he said. "Whether it's the food, the stories, people are just becoming more and more interested."

At 26, De Cinti says he is still figuring many things out. But on one point, he is certain.

"I started learning Chinese simply because I was interested in it. I never imagined that interest would stay with me for so many years." Even now, he adds, every story he hears about China brings back the same curiosity he felt at 11 years old.

Some things, it seems, are worth holding onto.