China has a block on Facebook, but that has not stopped founder Mark Zuckerberg from trying to open the social media channels by piling on the charm in front of a crowd of Chinese students — and speaking in Mandarin.
Mr. Zuckerberg kicked off his address to the students at Tsinghua University with a heavily accented Chinese, “Hello everyone,” Yahoo reported.
The 30-year-old then brought on the cheers and applause by speaking of all things he loves about Chinese culture, from food to his Chinese-American family and wife.
“I want to study Chinese culture,” Mr. Zuckerberg said, Yahoo reported. “Studying the language helps me study the culture. So, I’m trying to learn the language. Also, I like a challenge.”
China hasn’t been able to access Facebook since 2009, when it was blacklisted, along with Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Mr. Zuckerberg has traveled to China four times — and just this week, was named to the Tsinghua’s School of Economics and Management’s advisory board.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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