The Chinese Ambassador: “Exchange programs have enabled 10,000 Bahrainis to learn Mandarin.”
Coverage: Marwa Ahmed
Last Thursday evening, the University of Bahrain celebrated the winners of the “Chinese Bridge” competition in its sixth edition, where more than thirty participants competed to showcase the ancient Bahraini-Chinese relations in various forms and means. In an atmosphere mixed with durability and creativity, a number of winners and participants in the competition reviewed their entries that were distinguished by the Bahraini touches on the ancient Chinese civilization.
The evening was organized at the E-Learning Center at the University of Bahrain, in the presence of Ni Ruoqi, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Hessa Al-Junaid, Vice President of the University of Bahrain for Academic Affairs, and a number of relevant officials and parents of the winning and participating students. !
In a speech he delivered during the evening, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Bahrain said that the Chinese Bridge Award has today become a platform for civilizational dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Bahrain, and a window for the youth of the two countries to exchange bilateral relations at the cultural and popular levels. He explained that despite the participations that were remote, they were characterized by the enthusiasm of the participants and their passion for learning. The ambassador added that the performance of the participants in the competition was impressive and clear evidence of mutual learning between civilizations, which are deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese and Bahraini peoples.
He said that the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is at its highest levels under the strategic guidance of the leadership of both countries. In his speech, he also pointed to the strong growth of mutual political trust between China and Bahrain, and the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is effective. As for scientific cooperation, the ambassador explained that it is diverse in several areas and is also fruitful.
Ambassador Ni Ruqi stated that educational exchanges and cultural exchange programs are considered a spiritual bond and a pioneering force for bilateral relations, and this type of exchange programs has injected sustainable vitality into the Chinese-Bahraini friendship, as it has enabled more than 10,000 students to learn Mandarin in Bahrain. The ambassador also touched on China’s unilateral exemption policy for Bahraini citizens, which contributed to the rise in many positive indicators, most notably tourism, which prompted many to learn about Chinese culture.
The Ambassador also thanked all the participants in the Chinese Bridge Competition and considered them to be models for promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Bahrain in a positive manner. He affirmed the Chinese Embassy’s support for Mandarin language education programs in Bahrain for those interested and knowledgeable, and building more exchange platforms and expanding cooperation channels to help more Bahraini youth learn the Mandarin language and embrace a broader world.
Dr. Hessa Al-Junaid, Vice President of the University of Bahrain for Academic Affairs, said that the university values international educational cooperation, as the Confucius Institute at the University of Bahrain has become an important platform for promoting understanding and friendship between Bahrain and China in recent years, as the institute has continued to grow in size and influence, and its teaching team has continued to become increasingly active and productive across schools, universities, government institutions, and the broader community.
Regarding the entries in the Chinese Bridge Competition, Al-Junaid explained that all the entries showed the participants’ interest in Chinese culture and their interest in interacting with other cultures, and this confirms the University of Bahrain’s policy in the learning experience. She assured the winners of the competition that this victory was an achievement that was the result of hard work, positive curiosity and commitment.
During the evening, the winners of the Chinese Bridge Award in its sixth edition were announced, where student Nayef Boudlamah won first place from Nour Al Diyar Private School for the category of primary school students. Among ten competitors from the same school, Budlama was able to overcome them and win the first place medal. Out of 13 competitors for first place among middle school students, student Sarah Mansour from Sitra Preparatory School for Girls won first place with the award. As for the university category, nine competitors were registered for first place, but the student Saja Khalil won first place from the University of Bahrain. !
From the Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies, Yasmine Yaqoubi, an employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, won the scholarship offered by the Confucius Institute Scholarship Program in China, which is a distinguished international scholarship offered to students who achieve high scores in the Chinese language proficiency test. Coach Tudor also won first place in the category of short films that express Chinese culture.
On the honoring platform, the winners presented themselves to be honoured, and expressed their gratitude and happiness for this achievement. The mother of the winner, Nayef Boudlamah, was present near the stage and in the front rows to take memorial photos of him when he was honoured, and with expressions of pride and gratitude, his mother, “Aash Nayef,” responded to his achievement.
The winner, Sarah Mansour, said that this achievement and victory is dedicated to her father, who believed in her and her talent in learning the Chinese language and urged her to participate in the competition. Sarah also thanked her classmates and teachers who provided all forms of support that contributed to her obtaining first place. !
In the presence of more than 200 people interested in Chinese culture, competition participants, winners and their families, a number of winning entries and participation in the competition were reviewed. One of the entries that received the most interaction from the public was the participation of student Aya Shamlouh, who designed a website concerned with learning about Bahraini and Chinese culture, as it includes four sections. The first is about learning the Arabic language for the Chinese and includes numbers, colors, and basic matters in speech, and vice versa for Arabs interested in the Chinese language.
The website also includes a special section that reviews the most important tourist places in Bahrain with a site map and the most luxurious hotels. In the Chinese section, the most important tourist sites in China have been added, including the Great Wall of China, the currency conversion feature and their prices, and the places and locations of the most famous hotels in China and halal restaurants there. The site’s sections include Chinese and Bahraini cuisine, which showcases the most important dishes in the three main meals of both countries, in addition to special test inserts where the visitor can test the language he has learned, whether Arabic or Chinese.
Among the presentations that were presented was a presentation of the “Qi” technique, which is an ancient Chinese practice that relies on slow movements, deep breathing, and mental concentration to move “life energy,” which is “Qi,” within the body’s pathways and stimulate blood circulation. It was presented by coach Theodore, who won first place in the short film category.
Sarah Mansour presented an artistic segment with Chinese tea, where she performed a type of hand movement using Chinese tea cups, which are considered one of the traditional Chinese cultures, and Nayef Boudlamah presented an artistic segment in which he danced in a Chinese dragon costume, which is considered one of the most important symbols of the Chinese Republic. !
It is worth noting that the award included a variety of entries to express the depth of Bahraini-Chinese relations or focus on the most important well-known Chinese customs. A number of participants also sang a number of well-known Chinese songs or filmed a video clip folding paper into beautiful shapes to represent the art of Chinese paper cutting, in addition to entries that included drawing paintings or playing the most beautiful Chinese pieces through the Guqin instrument, which is a long, flat wooden box that resembles a small table, and usually contains 21 strings that pass over movable wooden bridges.
