Italian Air China staffer in Rome wows travellers with fluent Mandarin: 'He speaks better than me'

When in Rome, speak like a Beijing native — at least, that seems to be the case for one Italian Air China employee.

Some Chinese travellers were left stunned after hearing flawless Mandarin, complete with a convincing Beijing accent, coming from an airport counter in Rome.

The man behind the viral videos is Bonanni Gabriele, an Air China staff member based in Rome or better known as Bo Tianxiong to many Chinese travellers, said the airline on its official Weibo account. 

A check by AsiaOne on the video of Gabriele uploaded on Air China’s Facebook page on Aug 3 found that has garnered more than 7,200 likes, over 220 comments and 407 shares.

Gabriele said he began learning Chinese in 2015 and later spent time studying in Beijing, China’s City News Service reported.

During his time in China, he also developed a taste for Chinese food, naming Peking duck and hotpot among his favourites.

Gabriele told aviation platform Airwefly that his unmistakable Beijing accent came from a Chinese teacher who encouraged him to adopt the capital's distinctive erhua pronunciation.

Erhua is a feature of the Beijing dialect in which an 'r' sound is added to the end of certain words.

Gabriele also shared that his approach to learning Chinese was simple: Listen and speak often, not be afraid of making mistakes, and watch short Chinese videos to develop a better feel for the language.

What impressed viewers was not just his fluency — it was the way he spoke.

@asiaone Gabriele Bonanni said that he took the initiative to talk to Chinese travellers at the airport so they could feel "warmth" in a foreign land. #news #China #AirTravel #Aviation ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

'He speaks Mandarin better than me'

A commenter said on Air China's Facebook page that Gabriele "sounds more Chinese than some Chinese".

"He speaks Mandarin better than me," said another commenter.

One commenter even joked that Gabriele may have been "raised in China", adding that his Italian did not sound as authentic as his Chinese.

Another wrote: "Give him dual citizenship."

"Wow, excellent, Gabriele's Chinese is on point!" said another commenter, impressed by Gabriele's language skills.

[[nid:714440]]

[email protected]