Chinese language resonates with Afghan youth

陈小将

"Since China has a rich culture with prosperous economy, its language Chinese is important and interesting," Afghan teenage Mohammad Ismael Adib told Xinhua.
"I have decided to learn Chinese and become a bridge of communication between Afghanistan and China," said Adib, a junior student in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Kabul University, while mentioning that learning the Chinese language could help him find job easily after graduation from the university.
"Those graduated from the department of the university in past years have already had job. They work either as teacher in the department or interpreter, and some have launched businesses," Adib said.
Afghanistan's only Confucius Institute, also known as the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, opened in 2008 at Kabul University. Since then, the department has facilitated hundreds of young people to learn Chinese, the language of the most populous country in the world.
"More than 90 students including boys and girls are currently learning Chinese in the department of the university," said Hamid Ghulami, director of the department.
Ghulami, also a teacher of Chinese language in the department since 2014, said that learners of Chinese have been on the rise.
"Although the department is new in Afghanistan, the number of students getting enrolled with Confucius Institute is increasing and we have also offered courses of Chinese language in Nangarhar University," Ghulami told Xinhua.
"I have been learning Chinese over the past four years, it is a very important language and I like it," Khawaja Abdul Basir Sediqi told Xinhua in a classroom.
As a senior student in the Confucius Institute, Sediqi said that China is a major economy with rich culture and old civilization, and learning Chinese is essential for cultural exchanges and connecting civilizations.
"After graduation I could work as translator or teacher in Afghanistan to help push forward ties between the two neighboring nations," Sediqi said.