There are more and more people learning Chinese in Egypt

Cairo University has decided to make Chinese a second language for its students, becoming the first university in Egypt to use Chinese as a second language onli...

Aug 01,2023 | Moon

Cairo University has decided to make Chinese a second language for its students, becoming the first university in Egypt to use Chinese as a second language online chinese class. In recent years, "China fever" has continued to heat up in Egypt. More and more Egyptians believe that learning Chinese can enhance their understanding of China and provide more choices for future development.

Students majoring in Chinese at Cairo University usually like to listen to Chinese pop songs. She said that "Ordinary Road", "Listening to the Sea", and "Descendants of the Dragon" are all her favorite songs learn chinese online. The teacher will also help them learn Chinese by learning to sing Chinese songs in class. "From the songs, I can appreciate the beauty of the Chinese people and understand the Chinese people's attitude towards life. The lyrics of some songs also use ancient poems, which also let me understand traditional Chinese culture by the way. After understanding the meaning of the lyrics, I will also Experience the charm of Chinese culture."

Chinese teaching in Egypt is gradually developing from higher education to secondary and basic education. Previously, Chinese had become the second foreign language in Egyptian middle schools. The Chinese-Friendly Demonstration School in Egypt integrates kindergarten, primary school and middle school, and can accommodate 42 classes with about 1,500 students. Some private schools in Egypt have also begun to offer Chinese courses. At the Nasman Ismail School in Cairo, students who learn Chinese are not only in grades one to three, but also in kindergarten.

An Egyptian student who has just returned from studying in Beijing Language and Culture University. An Egyptian student said, "I hope to let more Egyptians know about China and China, and I also want to introduce Egypt to our friends in China. In the future, there will be more economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation between Egypt and China, so I will work hard to learn Chinese well and strive to become an envoy of friendship between Egypt and China."

There are not a few Egyptians like Egyptian students who are eager to learn more about China through such a desire. More and more Egyptians hope to know more about China and get closer to China. They regard taking part in the Chinese language teaching proficiency test and studying in China as the channels for enterprises to realize their wishes.

The demand of Chinese enterprises for local employees in Egypt provides more employment options for local Chinese learners. "In recent years, the demand for Chinese speakers in politics, economy, education, tourism, business and other fields has increased," said the Ismailia Governorate in Egypt. "Egyptians who can speak Chinese have no problem finding jobs. .”

In recent years, with the increasing number of Chinese outbound tourists, Chinese-speaking tour guides have become a popular occupation in Egypt. This has also triggered a new upsurge in learning Chinese in the local area.

Beijing International Online previously reported that on the first day of the Spring Festival in 2017, Mr. Tang from Qingdao brought his family to Egypt. He believes that the local Chinese-speaking tour guide provided him with better communication and interpretation services. "First of all, the Egyptian tour guide must be very familiar with the local situation, and he can speak Chinese, so there is no obstacle for us to communicate with him, which saves a lot of trouble. There is also a feeling that listening to the Egyptians tell about their own history and culture .”

In 2012, there were only about 120 Chinese-speaking tour guides in Egypt. With more and more tourists from China, the number of registered Chinese tour guides in Egypt has increased to more than 1,000 by 2016, and there are many examples of switching from other languages to Chinese tour guides. The 24-year-old Egyptian boy used to be a Japanese tour guide, but now he has been studying Chinese for four months at the Chinese Cultural Center. He said that the increase of Chinese tourists and the high income of Chinese tour guides are the main reasons for him to learn Chinese. "Eleven years have passed, Japanese tourists have become less and less, but Chinese tourists have increased a lot. Now Chinese tour guides can pick up many, many tour groups. Now, if an Egyptian can speak Chinese, it means he is rich! Whether it is tourism Still doing business, the whole world needs people who can speak Chinese."

For a long time, the interest in Chinese and Chinese corporate culture is often the main reason for a foreigner to learn modern Chinese. In Egypt, mastering the Chinese language for students is a very important job skill for tourism resource practitioners. The Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt believes that this kind of cultural information dissemination that fits the needs of the audience market can often achieve twice the result with half the effort. "In recent years, with the increase in the number of Chinese outbound tourists and the improvement of the number of Chinese tourists and consumption behavior in the new era, the income of Chinese tour guides in the (Egyptian) tour guide industry is not low. Egyptians In order to make a living for themselves and to be useful in social life, employees are more motivated and proactive.”

In addition to the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo, there are 15 universities, two Confucius Institutes and three Confucius programs offering Chinese majors with nearly 2,000 registered students, most of whom will work as tour guides or other tourism-related occupations after graduation. The head of the China Department of Fayoum University School of Tourism and Hotel Management said that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has also conducted a special qualification examination for tour guides, which not only requires the use of Chinese and Arabic, but also requires students to learn Chinese, and the requirements are very strict. "In addition to answering questions in Arabic for ancient history, modern history and heritage history, the Chinese Tour Guide Qualification Examination also places special emphasis on candidates' oral Chinese, especially their communication and communication skills with Chinese tourists. We believe that the quality of tour guides directly affects the quality of Egyptian tour guides. The image of the country. We have been instilling this idea in our teaching.” This will improve the quality of tour guides and attract more Chinese tourists to Egypt. "

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