Feature: Chinese culture the "new cool" in Egypt

As Ahmed Magdy from Ain Shams University finished his 7-minute performance fusing traditional Chinese comedy with trendy Chinese pop music, the grand hall of Cairo University echoed with the audience's thunderous applause.

More than 1,000 people gathered here Wednesday morning, not only to witness this year's Egyptian final of "Chinese Bridge" - a language competition - but also to mingle and mix as a growing and robust community of Chinese language learners in Egypt.

"Chinese Bridge" is not only a platform where students showcase their language proficiency, but also a festival for them to get together, said Han Bing, minister-counselor with the Chinese embassy in Egypt.

Watching her students performing on stage, Rehab Mahmoud, director of the Confucius Institute at Cairo University, told Xinhua how she perceived the change of Chinese learning in Egypt over time.

"When I went to Ain Shams to learn Chinese in 1988, my parents and friends were all shocked with confusion," she said. "They asked me why I picked this language when there were dozens of other languages which were more popular."

The number of students at the Confucius Institute at Cairo University has increased from 30 in 2007 to more than 1,500 in 2015, Rehab said.

Eleven students from seven universities took part in Wednesday's competition, but there are 2,000 students learning Chinese from 10 universities across Egypt, Han Bing said.

As the number of Chinese learners has sharply climbed in the country, methods of learning have also changed.

"When I was a student, we had nothing but two or three teachers from China: no textbooks, no dictionaries, no Chinese friends and, of course, no Internet. The only way to make progress was talking to Chinese teachers," Mahmoud said.

"Now everything has changed. Students not only learn the Chinese language at the institute, but could also enjoy Chinese movies, TV shows and literature among other things," she said. "Now is the perfect time to learn Chinese."

According to a recent survey, four million Egyptians watched the recently-aired Chinese TV drama "Romance of Our Parents."

"I have watched many Chinese movies and TV dramas online, including 'Love Is Not Blind,' 'Jin Tailang's Happy Life' and 'The Legend of Zhen Huan,' just to name a few," said Salma Ragab, a Chinese major at Cairo University. "In fact, Chinese TV dramas are the new cool in Egypt."

When asked to leave his mobile number, Magdy, winner of the top prize on Wednesday, added the writer to his contacts in WeChat, the most popular messaging app in China.

As more and more Chinese TV dramas, movies, pop music and mobile apps become readily accessible to Egyptians, Chinese learners find the language gradually becoming part of their lives.

"I have visited China three times, my best friend and girlfriend are both Chinese, and I want to start my career in China after graduation," said Magdy, "So China is a dream but also a lifestyle."

For some students, learning Chinese has shaped their views towards future.

Nermin Ahmed, another Ain Shams student, told Xinhua that she wishes to continue her studies in China.

"In particular I want to study politics and become an Egyptian diplomat to China in the future," Ahmed said, "because I think this is the best way for me to make some contributions to the world and make it a better place." Endi