Feature: Ugandan youngsters embrace Chinese culture to seize opportunities

In the remote mountainous district of Kanungu, Osbert Atuheire braves the morning mist and biting coldness to go and till the land, a daily routine when away from school.

As the sun rises from the rolling hills in this part of western Uganda, Atuheire's future also seems to be increasingly getting certain.

In a couple of days he will be packing his bags to go to China to participate in a competition that will among others prove his proficiency in speaking and understanding of the Chinese culture.

For Atuheire's family, life does not come easily. They have to till the land and graze animals for long hours every day to be able to afford to send him to university.

Atuheire is the fifth born among a family of six children. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree at the country's prestigious Makerere University located in the capital Kampala. He majors in Philosophy and Chinese language.

Atuheire is among the about 700 students learning the Chinese language at the Chinese Confucius Institute located at the university campus.

What seemed to be a strange language among many Ugandans a couple of years ago is increasingly being appreciated.

"When I told my father I was applying to learn speaking the Chinese language, he had a very negative attitude," Atuheire told Xinhua in an interview under a tree shade at the Institute's compound.

He said when he explained to his father the opportunities of speaking Chinese he finally accepted.

Atuheire argues that for the short time he has been at the Institute, there have been many job offers from Chinese companies which frequent the Institute seeking people who can speak Chinese.

China's increasing global influence and the economic might partly explains the rush in Uganda to understand the Chinese language and culture.

"If we can understand each other's culture, then we can improve our relationship," Hong Yonghong, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute said.

Patched away on the outskirts of Kampala is Luyanzi College, a secondary school that pioneered the teaching of Chinese language in the east African country.

In a class of about 40 students, a Chinese instructor teaches them the different sounds of Chinese words.

In the capital Kampala, there are several agencies that are cashing in on the teaching of the language with promises to learn within two weeks.

Apart from the increasing number of lavish Chinese restaurants opening up in Kampala, low cost Chinese restaurants are also increasing especially in the outskirts of the capital.

Basing on this urge to understand the Chinese culture, the Ugandan government is considering to integrate Chinese language in the school curriculum.

There are ongoing talks with the Chinese government to ensure the actualization of the plan.

China is one of Uganda's main trading partners. Chinese embassy figures show that the bilateral trade has reached 377 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 23.2 percent over the same period last year.

China's soft loans to Uganda have reached 2.5 billion U.S. dollars. The loans are targeting the construction of key infrastructure projects that will unlock the country's economic potential.

Projects like the construction of roads, hydro-power dams, the Standard Gauge Railway and the expansion of the expansion of the country's international airport have already kicked off.

For Atuheire and many of the Ugandan youths, the opportunities are in the implementation of these Chinese funded projects.

Atuheire believes that after completing his university education in a period of about one year, he will work for a big Chinese company and probably in later years his dream of becoming Uganda's ambassador to China may come true. Endit