(ECNS) -- An Air China staff member in Rome has gone viral among Chinese internet users for speaking fluent Mandarin with an authentic Beijing accent, prompting jokes that travelers must have landed in Beijing rather than Italy.
Gabriele Bonanni, whose Chinese name is Bo Tianxiong, works as a terminal representative at Air China's Rome office.
In a video circulating online, Bonanni effortlessly uses colloquial Beijing expressions such as "hao lei," an informal way of saying "all right," and "bei'er bang," meaning "really great."
"I was completely surprised at first," Bonanni said. Chinese friends and colleagues later sent him the video, leaving him "a little overwhelmed" by the attention and warmth he received from Chinese internet users.
Bonanni attributes his remarkably authentic Beijing accent to his Chinese teacher, a Beijing native who encouraged him to practice the city's distinctive rhotic pronunciation.
He enrolled at Beijing Language and Culture University in 2017, where he immersed himself in the Chinese language and culture and achieved excellent academic results.
When asked about his method for learning Chinese, Bonanni said it was simple: listen and speak as often as possible, do not be afraid of making mistakes, and watch Chinese short videos to develop a better feel for the language.
Bonanni said he makes a point of greeting Chinese tourists and business travelers at the airport to help them feel a little more at home while abroad. He also invited travelers to fly with the airline and "bring Rome's evening glow back to Beijing's morning light."
He also shared his memories of Beijing, saying he often visited Huguosi Snack Street and enjoyed roast duck, Chaogeda (stir-fried dough knots) and hotpot.
"Beijing is the only Chinese city I've visited. I hope to travel to cities such as Tianjin, Xi'an, Chengdu and Chongqing," he said.
(By Zhang Dongfang)
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