Chinese language education drives cross-cultural exchange

As the global influence of the Chinese language continues to grow, learning it is helping international students deepen their understanding of Chinese culture while expanding their career prospects, experts said on Saturday at an event marking  International Chinese Language Day.

Chinese has become an important bridge connecting young people from China and abroad, serving as a key to understanding a real, multidimensional China and the wisdom of the East, said Zhong Yinghua, president of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching.

"The 'Chinese Bridge' series of Chinese-language learning competitions is not just a contest, but also a platform that, through immersive social engagement, helps international students gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and society," he said.

International students experience China's intangible cultural heritage during Saturday's celebration of International Chinese Language Day in Tianjin. [Photos by Ma Yucong / for chinadaily.com.cn]

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Chinese Bridge program. Since its launch in 2002, the platform, which targets young people worldwide, has hosted multiple editions of the competition across more than 100 countries and regions and attracting hundreds of thousands of participants.

"As Chinese learning continues to evolve, more international students are moving from language acquisition to deep cultural understanding, playing a greater role in cross-cultural communication," said Qu Kai, Party secretary of Tianjin Normal University.

Sijichen, a student from Russia who has studied Chinese for 18 months, hopes to pursue a career in China's gaming industry.

International students experience China's intangible cultural heritage during Saturday's celebration of International Chinese Language Day in Tianjin. [Photos by Ma Yucong / for chinadaily.com.cn]

"Black Myth: Wukong sparked my interest in Chinese culture. Learning Chinese has helped me better understand it and brought me closer to working in this field," he said.

To date, Chinese language education has been introduced in more than 180 countries and regions, with over 25 million learners worldwide. In more than 90 countries, Chinese has been incorporated into national education systems.

"Globally, Chinese learning has progressed from the first stage of language acquisition to a second stage of deeper cultural understanding," Zhong said.

（chinadaily.com.cn）