From Italy to China: One teacher's tale

Alberto Casartelli, who joined Tianjin Foreign Studies University as a teacher in September, is expected to attract more students for the upcoming spring semester.

Casartelli, 46, taught Italian language and culture courses. Because of COVID-19, all the courses were conducted online. In the new semester, which will start on Feb 17, students will return to school and in-person courses will begin.

Casartelli's popularity with students comes partly from his role as an emerging singer and songwriter in China. His songs are written with Chinese and Italian lyrics, based on traditional Chinese culture and ancient stories. He had once performed on China's national television broadcaster CCTV.

Casartelli said his song Gli Amanti Farfalla (or Butterfly Lovers) was composed based on in-depth research into the Chinese ancient tale of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet.

In early 2022, he also wrote a Chinese song to encourage people around the world to fight together against COVID-19.

He cited the inspirational words of Chinese author Lu Xun (1881-1936) about "fighting with the pen" and then composed Our Struggle Together — a song in Chinese — along with his wife.

"Music has been my greatest passion and is part of my life since I was a child. Music has no borders, so I think it's a perfect bridge to join both Italian and Chinese cultures," he said. "I don't lack energy, so I've focused my will on bringing China and Italy closer, both as a teacher and as a musician."

Wen Ji, one of Casartelli's students, called Casartelli "a very learned professor".

Wen said his classes are interactive, and Casartelli is keen in getting students to express themselves.

"We are more like friends. He promised to teach me how to write a song," Wen added.

Casartelli once taught English and art history in Italy. He also taught Western art history at Communication University of Zhejiang in 2014.