Chinese language craze takes root

Amirkhan Kanatov was part of a group of Kazakh children who eagerly greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at the Astana airport in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

The 10-year-old earlier showcased his talents by singing Chinese songs and reciting Chinese tongue twisters to China Daily, offering his insights and impressions of China.

He has spent three years studying Chinese at the Confucius Institute at Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan.

Demonstrating his proficiency in Mandarin, he confidently stated, "I am smart, kind and brave," effortlessly reciting challenging tongue twisters and displaying a deep fascination with Chinese culture.

Amirkhan is one of numerous Kazakh youths who are drawn to Mandarin and Chinese culture, with experts attributing this attraction to the positive bilateral relations between China and Kazakhstan.

He has been to China twice, participating in a Chinese language competition in Yunnan province and visiting Beijing with his family. "We visited the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall in Beijing, marveled at the giant pandas in the zoo and savored the delicious roast duck. I liked it very much," he said, adding that he is fond of Chinese pop music.

Inspired by him, his younger sister has also embarked on learning the Chinese language.

The Confucius Institute at the Eurasian National University was established in 2006 as a result of a partnership agreement between the Center for Language Education of China's Ministry of Education and Eurasian National University.

It was the first Confucius Institute in Kazakhstan and is the only one in the capital city of Astana.

Kalban Yntykhanuly, the Kazakh director of the Confucius Institute, noted that an increasing number of Kazakh youths are eager to learn Chinese due to the increasing number of jobs in Central Asia that demand proficiency in Mandarin.

"There are such needs everywhere. You can see more Chinese automobiles in the streets, more Chinese smartphones in the mall and more job advertisements seeking Mandarin speakers from the Kazakh enterprises," he said.

For this reason, the majority of students are willing to be further educated in China in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, he added.

Yntykhanuly recalled last May when Xi replied to a letter from Central Asian students in Beijing, encouraging them to make greater contributions to the promotion of ties between China and Central Asian countries.

Leaders have paid a great deal of attention to the youth exchanges, and the two governments are encouraging students to pursue higher education in each other's universities, fostering mutual trust and understanding among Chinese and Kazakh youngsters.

Yntykhanuly emphasized the significance of maintaining strong ties between both countries to peacefully achieve shared development.

During Xi's visit to Kazakhstan, Beijing Language and Culture University, a leading international language institution, launched a new campus in the World Expo area of Astana on Wednesday.

As a joint project with Astana International University, the project has become a symbol of Sino-Kazakh educational exchanges.

According to BLCU President Duan Peng, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he appreciated the implementation of the new Astana branch during his visit to the campus in Beijing in October. The connection between the Kazakh leader and the new campus has heightened the importance of the project.

More than 4,000 Kazakh students have enrolled at BLCU's Astana campus, including Kazakhstan's Ambassador to China Shakhrat Nuryshev and many other Kazakh officials, Duan said.

"Being the university with the largest number of Kazakh students in China, BLCU's new branch in Astana will further enhance the appeal of Chinese language learning in Central Asia," he said.

The new branch will commence student enrollment in August, a month prior to its official opening in September. It aims to enroll students not only from Kazakhstan, but also from other Central Asian nations who are interested in studying Mandarin.