On the morning of September 9, 2016 local time, Premier Li Keqiang, who was paying an official visit to Laos, visited the Lieu Tou School of Vientiane and communicated friendly with the faculty members and students.

Founded in 1937 and financed by overseas Chinese, the Lieu Tou School offers courses from kindergarten to senior high school in both Chinese and Lao. It hosts more than 2800 students.

When Li Keqiang arrived, faculty members and students warmly welcomed him with drum beats and lion dance. Students standing along the road and packing the hallways of teaching buildings waved national flags of the two countries and cheered "Hello, Premier!" with thunderous applause. Li Keqiang waved to the students and watched the performance of faculty members and students in the auditorium accompanied by the president of the school. Students recited with tender yet resonant voice the words "nourished by the same river and singing the song of friendship together" and sang the Chinese songs of Jasmine Flower and Ode to the Motherland. The ebullient and vigorous mental attitude of the faculty members and students enlivened everyone present.

Afterwards, Li Keqiang came to the classroom. He looked through textbooks on the desks while talking with students in Chinese. In another classroom, students were practicing calligraphy. The students were meticulous about every stroke. When Li Keqiang saw the characters "Zhongqiu (Mid-autumn)" written by a student, he said that the Mid-autumn Festival is the day for reunion, and I hope the friendship between China and Laos can be like the full moon on the Mid-autumn day. He also encouraged the students to study hard to become pillars of national development and successors of the friendship between the two countries.

Upon learning that the school has more than 20 volunteer teachers from China, Li Keqiang expressed his sincere solicitude to them and said that though you are spreading the Chinese culture in another country that is far away from the motherland and home, what you sow is not only the seeds of knowledge but also the seeds of friendship. Therefore, the harvest will be double-layered as well. Teaching abroad has truly rewarded you with students all over the world. It is hoped that all of you can be the spokesperson of China, communicators of the Chinese culture and envoys of China-Laos people-to-people and cultural exchanges. September 10th is the Chinese Teachers' Day. I sincerely wish you a happy Teachers' Day.

Li Keqiang donated a batch of computers, books and sports goods to the school on behalf of the Chinese government before informing them the good news that the Chinese government will invite 100 Chinese teachers of Laos to visit China next year. Li Keqiang affectionately called students who were cheering in the teaching buildings to come down to the playground and take group photos together, and conveyed his heart-felt hopes to them. He noted that during my brief visit to Laos this time, visiting Lieu Tou School is the only activity arranged to contact the Lao society directly. Lieu Tou School has a long history, and the bilingual teaching in both Chinese and Lao has nurtured generations of students for enhancing understanding and deepening bilateral friendly relations between the two peoples, making it a bridge of friendship between the two countries. Nourished by the same river, China and Laos enjoy not only strong political mutual trust, but also long-standing and profound friendship as well as close people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The further deepening of bilateral people-to-people and cultural exchanges relies on you, and I hope that the school will be better and better. Just like your education purpose "Making Peaches and Plums Widely Bloom to the World", I hope that China-Lao friendship can bloom to the ASEAN and the world as the peaches and plums.

After the visit, Li Keqiang came to the local people. He interacted and communicated with them and talked about China-Laos friendship to promote non-governmental friendly cooperation.