Italian Airport Staffer Stuns Chinese Travelers with Perfect Beijing Accent

An Air China staffer in Rome has gone viral among Chinese Internet users after speaking fluent Mandarin with a distinctly Beijing accent, prompting jokes that travelers had arrived in Beijing rather than Italy.

The airline said on its official Weibo account that Bonanni Gabriele, a terminal representative at Air China's Rome office, had unexpectedly become an online sensation. His Chinese name is Bo Tianxiong.

"I was completely surprised at first," Bo said. Chinese friends and colleagues eventually sent him the video, leaving him "a little overwhelmed" by the attention and the affection from Chinese internet users, according to an interview with Airwefly, an air travel information platform.

Bo said his Beijing accent came from his Chinese teacher, who is from Beijing and encouraged him to practice the city's distinctive erhua pronunciation. He said he gradually became used to expressions such as "hao lei," (好嘞), a colloquial way to say "all right," and "bei'er bang," (倍儿棒), meaning "really great."

Bo began learning Chinese in 2015 and once studied in Beijing. He said he often visited Huguosi Snack Street and enjoys zhageda, roast duck and hotpot. He also said his method for learning Chinese was simple: Listen and speak often, do not be afraid of making mistakes, and watch Chinese short videos to improve his sense of the language.

Bo said he makes a point of greeting Chinese travelers and business visitors at the airport so they can feel a little more at home overseas. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Air China's Rome-Beijing route, and he invited travelers to fly with the airline and "bring Rome's evening glow back to Beijing's morning light."

He said he hopes to visit Chengdu, Xi'an and Tianjin in the future to experience more Chinese cities and cuisine.