Learning Chinese in vogue among Kyrgyzstan's youth

A teacher tutors students during a break at the Confucius Institute at the Jalal-Abad State University in Manas city, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

For Baikazak Sultanbekov, who studies at the foreign languages college of Jalal-Abad State University, the dream now is to get a chance as soon as possible to study in China.

It was prompted by his cousin's account of living in China.

"My older cousin studied at a university in Shanghai. He told me that Chinese is a difficult but interesting language, and that China is a rapidly developing country with skyscrapers and wide roads everywhere. Life there is very convenient," he said.

"I felt envious, so I decided to start learning Chinese."

The enthusiasm persists. "I think the most interesting thing about Chinese is its characters ... every Chinese character is like a work of art. That is precisely where their charm lies," he said.