The Chinese embassy in Doha organised Monday evening a special event to celebrate Qatar-China culture and linguistic exchange among the young people from both countries.
The event enjoyed a wide participation from among the Qatari students studying the Chinese language and Chinese students studying the Arabic language and Arab studies at various Qatari educational entities and institutes.
Mariam al-Hammadi, director of International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Culture was among the chief guests of the event, which was hosted by the Chinese ambassador Cao Xiaolin.
A number of Qatari students gave brief speeches in Chinese expressing their interest in the Chinese language and culture and some students gave a recitation of a classical Chinese poem. Similarly, some Chinese students spoke in Arabic about the positive culture, social and educational experiences within Qatar, stressing that learning the language and culture of each other further enhances communication and cement the excellent friendship between the Qatari and the Chinese peoples.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Jian Zhao, the Chinese Programme coordinator at the Language Center of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, stressed that students in Qatar have shown great interest in learning the Chinese language and culture over the past years.
"The Chinese programme officially began in the fall of 2014, with the first cohort comprising 14 students divided into two classes. Most of the students were professionals working in Qatar, such as lawyers, engineers, teachers, and business managers.
"Further, since its inception, the Chinese adult courses have enrolled 813 students over the past decade. Our Chinese courses for children and youth, introduced in the fall of 2017, have enrolled 645 students over the past seven years. Including corporate and institutional training sessions, approximately 1,500 people have studied Chinese with us, averaging about 150 students annually."
The Chinese ambassador lauded the excellent and steadily growing relations between Qatar and China in all fields, expressing the growing interest of the Chinese government in reaching out to the Arab world. He noted that China wants a more stable and peaceful world based on mutual respect of sovereign countries and respecting diversity among the peoples.
"China and Qatar have achieved the miracle of rapid economic development and the miracle of long-term social stability over the past decades. In the process of creating these two miracles, the two countries have accumulated shared or similar experiences, which can be summarized as follows: First, they have established a political system tailored to their national circumstances, providing strong guarantees for achieving lasting national security. Second, they have developed long-term development strategies aligned with local realities and worked jointly as a nation to achieve these goals. Third, they have focused on fostering excellent traditional culture, creating a strong sense of national cohesion. These valuable experiences will continue to provide favorable conditions for conducting friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between us. I am confident that our strategic partnership will advance toward a "new golden decade."
Ambassador Cao Xiaolin and Dr Jian Zhao with a group of Qatari students at the event. PICTURES: Thajudheen