International students take advantage of scholarship program that aims to nurture Chinese-language teachers, Cao Chen reports in Shanghai.

Katsiaryna Malyshava from Belarus might have never tried livestreaming, given that the 31-year-old works as a freelance translator, until she attended an online competition while participating in a Chinese-language teachers scholarship program for international students at East China Normal University.

The livestreaming competition allowed each student in the program to present and "sell" a product from their own countries, in Chinese, to the judges.

Malyshava, who presented a chopping board with wood carvings on one side as both a piece of art and a kitchen tool, won the first prize.

"I liked appearing in front of the audience as a livestreamer, showing my natural theatrical abilities and speaking Chinese. It was then that I realized that the language brings together people and cultures from across the world. Presentations of other students were splendid as well," says Malyshava, who completed the one-year program in December.

The competition reveals the program's core aim to be a "multicultural exchange platform for global people to learn Chinese culture", according to Huang Meixu, director of the International Education Center at the university.

A total of 922 expats from some 40 countries, including Japan, Russia and Thailand, attended the program initiated by the Ministry of Education's center for language education and cooperation in 2021.Over 500 students have been admitted for the next semester, starting in spring, at the university.

Other domestic universities offering such programs include Beijing Language and Culture University and Beijing Normal University.

According to East China Normal University, most students have at least one year's experience of learning Chinese in schools, universities or Confucius Institute branches in their home country.

Under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, students learn from home and take courses covering language skills, newspaper-reading and culture, in either live or prerecorded forms.

"Besides language skills, experts in Chinese folklore and social economics give lectures to expose the students to domestic communities and people," Huang says.

At first, the online education method was Malyshava's biggest concern, as she didn't trust that through e-learning, which may require strong motivation and lack interpersonal communication, one can learn anything. She started to learn Chinese in 2009 as an exchange student in Nankai University in Tianjin and Wuhan University in Hubei Province, when dictionaries were the dominant means for learning.

But her worries turned out to be unnecessary. "The whole process was well organized and in every lesson, teachers were fully prepared," she says.

She got along with classmates and teachers on the internet as well.

"At the end of each semester, our group was preparing a surprise for the teachers. For instance, we wrote down good wishes and thanks for them, and in the middle of the last class, all of us, via our webcams, showed the cards to them," Malyshava says.

"Every time, the teachers started crying with happiness and surprise. It was unspeakably touching. I met new people and know more about China and the wonderful countries my classmates are from," she says.

Oxana Saimo, a 36-year-old from France, says her interest in Chinese language and culture was boosted by the program.

"Teachers taught us knowledge from textbooks and introduced Chinese TV shows, newspaper articles and songs," Saimo says.

In order to accelerate cultural exchange, online activities including lectures, salons, and contests were held during the program.

At a salon held in October, international students shared their views on network buzzwords in China, like neijuan, meaning "involution", to express a feeling of burnout by the younger generation.

It's not merely about the words, Saimo says, but about examining "new social phenomena in China through the contest".

"During my postgraduate study in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Dalian, Liaoning province, 16 years ago, I noticed that Chinese society is quite competitive-children study hard in the hope of having a bright and prosperous future and parents expect their children to participate in numerous extracurricular activities," she adds.

"During the program at East China Normal University, however, learning about those buzzwords changed my previous understanding. Some parents in China now prefer not to compete with others, but rather let their children grow naturally and participate in activities they like."

The experience boosted Saimo's interest in Chinese culture and she decided to re-read some of the country's classic novels to gain a greater knowledge about Chinese traditions.

"Many students in the programs said Chinese cultural products, such as songs and domestic apps, have been popular in their hometown, aside from the language," Huang says.

"As China becomes one of the largest economies in the world, Chinese-language ability has been an advantage for career development. In feedbacks to the program from international students, many revealed that their jobs will be associated with Chinese language," she says.

That is the case for Malyshava. She works as a freelance translator in both Chinese to Russian and English to Russian translation. She had her first experience of simultaneous Russian-Chinese interpretation in January at a conference celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belarus, with broader knowledge gained through the program.

In addition, Prescott Kate Lynn Hewell, a science teacher at a secondary school in the United Kingdom and founder of a Chinese-language club there, plans to study international Chinese education further by studying for a master's degree at East China Normal University.

Hewell hopes that, after graduation, she can expand the influence of the language as a Chinese teacher for local children.

Saimo, who is working as a community manager at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, is also determined to contribute to the development of relationship between China and Europe.

"The demand for employees who can master the language has been on the rise significantly in overseas Chinese companies and foreign-funded enterprises with business interests in China, as international cooperation has been strengthened," Huang says.

"Therefore, the incorporation of Chinese-language courses into professional education has become a requirement for talent cultivation in many countries," she says.

According to Huang, "Chinese+"educational programs have reached many fields of professional learning, such as transportation, economy, agriculture, tourism and law.

"It is widely welcomed by international students and will drive economic development in the post-pandemic era," she adds.

(Source: China Daily)