On June 25, the Embassy of the Republic of Italy held a grand ceremony for the awarding of the Italian National Medal. On behalf of the Italian government, the Italian ambassador Luca Ferrari presented the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy and a Certificate of Honor signed by the President of Italy to Associate Professor Yang Lin, Director of the Italian  Department of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, in recognition of her contribution to the promotion of Italy studies in China, the teaching of Italian language and culture, and Sino-Italian cultural exchanges and cooperation. The Dean of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University and the representatives of the Italian department were also invited to attend the ceremony.

The award speech states: With a significant number of publications, Professor Yang has a profound academic background in Italy studies, and has been active in international academic research for many years. As the Director of the Italian Department of Nankai University, one of China’s leading universities, Yang has taught Italian language and culture for more than ten years and is one of the most active experts of Italian studies in China. Professor Yang is also engaged in promoting cultural cooperation and exchange projects between Italy and China. She maintained close cooperation with the Cultural Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Italy, and the Italian Consulates where she lived and worked to promote friendly exchanges between the two nations.

Yang Lin got her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Since joining Nankai University in 2017, Yang Lin has spared no efforts to the construction of the Department of Italian Language, laying a solid foundation for the development of the first Italian undergraduate major in a key comprehensive university in China. Yang Lin plays a significant role in the Sino-Italian cultural exchanges and is committed to building a bridge between the two countries. In 2019, Yang Lin published the article Friendship is the Result of Like-Minded People in People's Daily and opened the new column Writing New China Stories. In 2020, she hosted the Sino-Italian joint research project The Role of Sino-Italian Civil Aviation Cooperation in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting international exchanges during the epidemic. Yang Lin organized exchanges and cooperation between Nankai University and the Embassy of the Republic of Italy, and Italian colleges and universities Yang Lin winning this honor is of great significance to promote Italy’s friendly exchanges and cooperation with Nankai University and Tianjin.

The Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy National Medal is issued by the President of Italy. It is an award given by the government of the Republic of Italy to foreign citizens for their remarkable contributions to enhance cooperation between Italy and the host countries.

(Reported by Dou Shi, translated by Junjie Zhao)