CPEC opportunity: 7 Chinese students heading to capital to study Urdu

Students hope to <br /> not just improve their language skills but also to learn about <br /> our society

ISLAMABAD: A group of seven Chinese students will soon leave for Islamabad to participate in a six-month-long training programme to further improve their Urdu language skills.

"The students were selected from a batch of 22 students who are currently studying Urdu at the university and will join National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad to improve their Urdu language skills," stated Zhou Yuan, the Head of the Urdu Department at the School of Asian and African Studies, of the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) in Beijing on Sunday.

"This activity [training] will provide a chance to our students to not only enhance their standard of Urdu language but also teach them more about Pakistan, its people and culture," she told APP.

Yuan, who has adopted the name 'Nasreen', said that they have been teaching Urdu at the Beijing-based varsity since 2007 and at least two batches of students have graduated from it thus far.  The current batch of students, of which some are heading to Islamabad, has been studying Urdu for the past two years.

Students graduating from the university’s Urdu department have had promising prospects, she said, noting that a few have gotten admissions on scholarships in foreign universities for further studies while some have joined different companies.

Yuan added that BFSU is not the only varsity offering Urdu language course in China with a number of institutions offering courses to Chinese students across the country. Universities in Shanghai, Tianjin, Kunming, Urumqi and Inner Mongolia are also considering setting up Urdu departments, she said.

The reasons for learning Urdu, though, vary.

Yuan said that some do it because they have been romanced by Pakistan's culture, food and landscape; others by the beauty of the language itself.

Yet, others see learning Urdu as a practical means of employment given that Chinese companies will eventually work on different projects in Pakistan under the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Chinese students excited

The seven students due to travel to Pakistan have all adopted localised names and are looking forward to their time in Pakistan.

Wu Jiahao, who has adopted the name ‘Amber’, said that it was an honour to have the opportunity to study in Pakistan.

"It will be an excellent opportunity for me to learn Urdu language and culture, and I'll make good use of the opportunity to become more proficient in Urdu,” she said, noting that amongst the things she plans to do is to read more books and newspapers in Urdu and expand her Urdu vocabulary.

"At the same time, I think my oral speaking and listening will be greatly improved through the communication with local speakers in my daily life," she hoped.

Moreover, she said that it was important for her to have a better understanding of the social culture and the local customs of Pakistan, the local cuisine and to make friends with Pakistani students and to understand each others' culture.

Wang Jingjiu, who has adopted the name ‘Junaid’, said that this was a chance to improve his Urdu.

"In my opinion, only if you go to Pakistan to learn Urdu, where Urdu is used as a daily language, can you think and live like a Pakistani does," he said. He hoped to improve his oral Urdu while deepening his understanding of Pakistani culture.

"Considering that we will go to Pakistan to work in the future, I think it will be a chance to adapt to the life there and get prepared for future work," he said suggestively.

Another Chinese student, Zhu Liyuan — also known as Sehrish — said that she had been learning Urdu for the past two years and hoped to only improve during her time in Islamabad.

Lu Dongxin, who has adopted the name ‘Sadaf’, hoped that she could gain some language skills during her time in the federal capital and experience a lot about Pakistan culture.

Xu Yichen, who has picked the local alias ‘Sahar’, expressed concerns over the difference in food and culture from Beijing to Islamabad but noted that this period of study would be an impressive and beautiful journey and that they were looking forward to studying in this country.

Chen Qiyuan, who has adopted the name ‘Musa’, said he was quite happy to be able to participate in the study programme.

"Living in a new environment, one can experience new customs and enjoy unventilated folk culture. It can open up a personal vision and appreciate the purest and most authentic Urdu, and learn the language further,” he said, adding that it would provide him with an opportunity to explore his personal potential as well.

"In a foreign country, one must solve every problem themselves and I can learn to be more independent,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to this experience.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2018.