"By learning Chinese, many opportunities come my way": Pakistani champion of Mandarin

by Wang Xiaotong

 

ISLAMABAD, July 26 (China Economic Net) - The 14th 'Chinese Bridge' Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students in Pakistan section concluded its final round lately. Maryam Jafar Khan from the Confucius Institute jointly established by Henan Normal University and Sargodha University won the first place and will compete with outstanding Chinese language talents around the world soon. 

 

 

 

In a globalized world, where mobility is facilitated, learning a foreign language has wonderful benefits, which is also becoming increasingly more essential for youth of a new era. Compared with other languages, “I’d definitely recommend learning Chinese to Pakistanis, especially to the Pakistani youth. It is good to know any foreign language but Chinese is special for so many reasons. China is such an old civilization and our biggest neighbor. As CPEC progresses, learning Chinese will provide tremendous opportunities for our youth, and inspire them to better Pakistan in different ways. I believe Chinese is the language of the future,” Maryam told CEN.

 

The ‘craze’ for learning Chinese has been sweeping Pakistan even the whole world in recent years. Maryam shared her secrets of mastering Chinese so well. “First of all, you should check if your school, college or university offers Chinese language teaching. If not, you can learn Chinese in many institutions which are present in various areas throughout Pakistan. Once you begin your Chinese language journey, become committed to it. The most important thing for succeeding in learning Chinese is consistency and hard work. You also need to be serious about learning this language. You should give Chinese the same importance as other subjects even when you feel other subjects are getting tough. Best of luck and don’t give up,” said Maryam.

 

Through learning Chinese, Maryam got many opportunities of development. “From an academic sense it has also allowed me to have an edge over my peers and be selected for participation in different Chinese related activities and competitions. Above all, I’m honored to take my place as a component of the bridge of cooperation between China and Pakistan,” she said. 

 

“Through witnessing the progress of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), I have understood that mutual cooperation between two countries really helps accelerating economic development. It’s improving our communication and infrastructure, and our local people are also getting trained. I believe all Pakistanis will be positively impacted by this,” Maryam said, full of expectation. 

 

 

Based on incomplete statistics, CPEC projects have created jobs for over 75,000 Pakistani locals by May, 2020. Now CPEC has entered the second phase which favors social development and people’s livelihood including education, poverty relief, agriculture and vocational training, etc. For young Pakistanis who want to give scope to their talents between Pakistan and China, having mastery of Chinese language may bring more opportunities and potential.