Tanaka Edwin Gonyora, a Zimbabwean postgraduate from Zhejiang A&F University, teaches villagers basic English greetings. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]

Villagers in Yueliangqiao village — located in the Lin'an district of Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province — attended a fascinating ecological class recently.

The bilingual class on Aug 27 was led by Tanaka Edwin Gonyora, a Zimbabwean postgraduate from Zhejiang A&F University, ahead of the upcoming 5th World Biosphere Reserve Conference, which will take place in Hangzhou from Sept 22 to 27.

Gonyora introduced villagers to basic English greetings to better welcome international guests and he also shared cultural differences, such as using the expression "See you later" instead of "Bye-bye".

In addition, he highlighted global environmental practices, including the "3Rs" — reduce, reuse and recycle — linking them to Lin'an's green mountains and rivers.

The session blended language learning with ecological awareness. Villagers expressed their excitement about gaining both practical English and international perspectives on sustainability. The class ended with Gonyora singing "I Love You China" in Chinese, winning him warm applause.

Later, he and his fellow international students joined local volunteers in environmental activities on Tianmu Mountain in Lin'an district.

The day also saw the launch of the Tianmu ecological guardianship committee — a new cooperation agreement between local communities — and the appointment of ecological ambassadors to spread conservation stories via the new media.

Gonyora and fellow international students talk with a local boy. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]