British teacher in Ningbo goes viral online

"I'm a Ningbo person. I can speak in Ningbo dialect, and I like Ningbo cuisines."

These are the words of Alan Foster, a British ballet teacher in Ningbo, who became popular online recently in the city thanks to a video clip showing him speaking in Ningbo dialect fluently. 

Alan settled in the city in 2017 and has since taught Ballet at the Nord Anglia School in the city's Fenghua district, before which he had worked at the Nord Anglia School in Beijing for three years from 2011. 

He described his feelings for China with the Chinese idiom of "falling in love with it at the first sight". 

As a professional ballet teacher, Alan believes in the important role of performance art in children's growth, and especially in helping them bravely express themselves on the stage. 

As for the teaching method, Alan holds the idea that "learning requires a good method, and you need to learn to explore instead of merely acquiring knowledge." He uses a Chinese saying to express himself, which is, "It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish." 

While teaching students ballet, he is also learning the Chinese language and its culture and history. In less than half a year since he came to the district, Alan can speak in the local dialect very fluently. 

"China is developing very fast, and Ningbo enjoys a high-level modernization. I feel very at ease here," Alan said. 

To fit in the local community, Alan often travels around the district, tasting local cuisines and experiencing the local culture. He is very fond of the seafood there, especially the crab and scallop, saying that the flavor reminds him of the food cooked by his mother. 

Alan also met his love in China and plans to stay in the district in the future, to expose children to more elegant art and cultural experiences.