Photo provided by Reyhan Hamamcioglu shows her, an 18-year-old student of the Chinese Language and Literature Department at Istanbul University in Istanbul, Turkey. (Xinhua photo)
"As China is the largest and most established country in Asia, I want to learn more about its language, culture, history, and literature. Therefore, I chose to study the Chinese language and literature," says a young Turkish student, whose parents hail China "a country of the future."
ISTANBUL, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- "My greatest dream is to continue my life in China. I want to move there, get a job, and start a family may be, and live there," Reyhan Hamamcioglu, an 18-year-old Chinese language student from Turkey's western province of Izmir, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Hamamcioglu began to find growing interest in China during her high school years, when she was looking for more information about China, realizing that this vast Eastern Asian country has well preserved its origins and authenticity.
An artist performs at a movie town in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Feb. 3, 2022. (Photo by Ding Youming/Xinhua)
"Even though every country changes and does resemble each other, I think China will always preserve its essence. I want to witness this originality," she said.
It first came as a surprise for Hamamcioglu's parents when she told them about her plans of moving to China, but they said they were "happy and proud" about her intention to go to "a country of the future."
The young Turkish student is currently attending the prep class in the Chinese Language and Literature Department at Istanbul University in order to lay a stronger language foundation for her planned trip to China.
Tourists visit Xiangyang ancient town in Xiangyang City, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 3, 2022. (Photo by Yang Dong/Xinhua)
"As China is the largest and most established country in Asia, I want to learn more about its language, culture, history, and literature. Therefore, I chose to study the Chinese language and literature," Hamamcioglu explained.
Noting the good and improving relations between Turkey and China, she told Xinhua that the increasing number of Chinese companies operating in Turkey has boosted demands for translators and teachers.
Zhou Yanquan, leader of the Chamber of Commerce for Chinese Enterprises in Turkey, recently said there are more than 30 Chinese digital companies with investment or partners in Turkey's market.
People show couplets marking the Chinese New Year in a neighborhood in Hangzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 27, 2022. (Xinhua photo)
Take China's tech giant Huawei and telecommunication company ZTE Corporation. The former's research and development center in Istanbul, Turkey's financial hub, is its largest overseas, while the latter has become a shareholder of a Turkish systems integration provider. In addition, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo and Tecno Mobile, have established production facilities in Istanbul.
Eyup Saritas, head of the Chinese Language and Literature Department at Istanbul University, said that in the last 15 years, there has been a palpable interest in Chinese culture and Chinese learning among Turkish university students.
Photo taken on Feb. 1, 2018 shows bullet trains waiting to be maintained in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua file photo)
"Thanks to the scholarships provided by the Confucius institutes, the Chinese government, Chinese universities, and the municipalities of some big cities, this interest is dynamically sustained," the professor told Xinhua.
In Saritas's view, students who start learning Chinese usually want to visit China to learn more about the country and its culture.
Students practise Tai Chi in a high school in Jiaozuo city, Henan Province, China, on Nov. 23, 2021. (Xinhua photo)
"After going to China ... they express that there is not much difference between China they dream of and the China they find," he said. ■
