Feature: Confucius Institute in Cairo helps China-Egypt cultural interaction

"Could you please teach me how to speak this sentence in Chinese?" an Egyptian student asked politely, with a smile on her face.

It was a normal and busy day for the Egyptian students and Chinese teachers in the Confucius Institute at Cairo University in Egypt. The first term of the ongoing academic year has just ended, and final exams and summer schools will soon begin.

"We are a little nervous about the exam because the pronunciation of Chinese is really difficult," said Aisha, a first-grade student of Cairo University majoring in Chinese.

Co-founded by the Cairo University and China's Peking University in 2008, the Confucius Institute of Cairo University is located in the campus of Cairo University, attracting hundreds of Egyptian students every year, most of whom are in their university years.

So far, about 4,000 to 5,000 students have graduated from this Confucius Institute, and that has helped to promote the popularity of the institute among young Egyptians.

"There is no restriction on enrollment; everyone can apply to learn Chinese from scratch here," said Xie Yinyan, a Chinese teacher who came to Cairo in 2013, noting that there will be about twenty classes this summer for 300 students. "We have to work hard this summer," she added, with high hopes.

"In recent years, the number of Chinese learning students has doubled, if not tripled. Even in 2013 and 2014, when the country was trapped in political chaos, that figure continued rising," she told Xinhua.

The Chinese professor mentioned that most students are Chinese majors from local Egyptian universities. They come to the institute, seeking help from native Chinese teachers to practice Chinese speaking and listening skills.

The institute also holds a number of different activities for the students, like photography contests and calligraphy competitions.

"I can learn traditional Chinese culture here, not only words and sentences. We have Chinese calligraphy, drawing and zither classes, which attract me so much," said Zainab, a 20-year-old girl.

"China is my dream, I dream of studying and living in China one day, and find my life there," she said.

All the Chinese teachers at the Institute are professors from various universities back in China. They all have at least three years of experience of teaching Chinese in different countries.

"After training for months in China, we are well prepared to introduce the Chinese culture around the world. We try to diversify the curriculum to make it more interesting for students," a Chinese teacher named Li Xinran told Xinhua.

She said Ms. Xie teaches Chinese zither and calligraphy while another teaches traditional Chinese dancing, adding that the Confucius Institution or the Chinese Cultural Center in Egypt hold lots of contests every year here, such as story telling contest, etc.

"The biggest event is a Chinese proficiency competition called 'the Chinese Bridge,' where the winner student in Egypt can go to China for the finals and may be provided a scholarship to study in Chinese universities," Li told Xinhua, adding that "for some students, it is a good channel to visit China and get opportunities to study abroad."

Thanks to the funding from Confucius Institute headquarters - known also as Hanban - and Cairo University, the Chinese classes here provide students with more knowledge about China and more work choices in the future, as some students learn Chinese for job opportunities like being tourist guides or working for Chinese companies.

For most families, spending hundreds of Egyptian pounds to study Chinese in Confucius Institute for one term (about three months) is expensive, but still affordable.

"The tuition fee cannot cover the cost, of course. We don't earn much money compared to the workloads. However, the work gives me a sense of cultural achievement," said Liu Hao, who has almost finished the three-year teaching in Egypt.

"I am always surprised by the students who can learn so fast; they are talented in learning Chinese," Liu added in an excited tone.

"We get along very well with Egyptians. Ms. Li has come to Egypt with her little son, who loves the kindergarten here," Liu told Xinhua, adding that "while we are trying to introduce China to our students, we have assimilated ourselves into Egypt."

Along with the Confucius Institute of the Suez Canal University, the two Chinese institutes in Egypt have become a bridge for China to bring its language and culture in the most populous Arab country.

"I once introduced a Chinese song named 'On the Way' to the students in class and, surprisingly, they understood the lyrics so well and told me that they are on the way to a better life and a better country," She said. Endit