More international students come to China to learn Chinese
By Zhang Jiaqi
"More benefits to come from the Belt and Road Initiative"
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Ibrahim Elmansy from Egypt is taking a summer course to learn Chinese in Beijing Language and Culture University. [Photo provided to China SCIO] |
Aspiring millennials are not the only group coming to China to learn Chinese; working professionals are joining the trend as well. Ibrahim Elmansy, a tour guide and traffic manager at one of Egypt's biggest travel companies, is in Beijing to take a three-month summer course in the Chinese language.
"Egypt has vigorous tourism, and a considerable amount of tourists there are Chinese, so Chinese is essential in our communication with Chinese tourists," Elmansy said.
Many universities in Egypt offer Chinese classes, and there are two Confucius Institutes in Egypt, so it is easy to find some place to study Chinese in Egypt, especially in Cairo.
But Elmansy said learning Chinese in China is a very different experience. "I knew about China from my Chinese teacher in Egypt. This country with long history and profound culture, just like Egypt, is growing rapidly," he said. "Now I can see it for myself in China. I can also make many Chinese friends here, who are very kind and always willing to help. I enjoy talking with them, face to face or on WeChat."
Elmansy said he was impressed with the changes rapidly taking place in China. He took the popular Chinese mobile application WeChat as an example. "Things are very different from three or four year ago when I first came to China, and now I do not need to take any cash with me around at all. With the mobile phone, you can pay everything here: the taxi, the bicycle and the food. To buy something, you can just show the QR code on your WeChat. It is very convenient."
Elmansy said he was also fascinated with China's massive Belt and Road Initiative proposed to increase connectivity and cooperation with the rest of the world. He said he looks forwards to the initiative's effects on the tourism industry. "Egypt is one of the many countries along the Belt and Road. This ambitious project is good for not only China, but surely for other countries. More benefits are yet to come, and let us see," he said.