BISHKEK, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Initially a fan of Chinese TV series, 19-year-old Zuura Zakirova is now a student of the Chinese language.
Recently, the third-year Confucius Institute student at Kyrgyzstan's Osh State University performed a modern Chinese song and played the guzheng, a traditional Chinese zither, winning thunderous applause at an institute event -- one of her accomplishments after two years of Chinese learning.
She loves watching Chinese fantasy TV series. "I am particularly fascinated by the actors' period costumes," a tiny part of her obsession with Chinese culture, according to her.
Respecting the elders and valuing family ties, as highlighted by Chinese culture, particularly resonates with the Kyrgyz girl.
"Our culture has similar concepts. I love it when my family gathers around the festive table and everyone chats happily. I feel happy in that warm atmosphere," she said.
The experience of learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute has a profound impact on her, she said. "I've become more self-confident ... I was shy. Here, I've met many teachers and made a lot of friends."
"Now, I can communicate freely with Chinese people in their own language," she said.
Zakirova said she wants to be a teacher, just like her parents, and "I hope to teach the Chinese language to people in Kyrgyzstan and help with their personal growth through this language."
As Kyrgyzstan's ties with China have deepened, learning Chinese has become increasingly popular among young people in the Central Asian country.
The Confucius Institute where Zakirova studies has provided Chinese language courses for about 17,000 people since its establishment in 2013. Nearly 600 in total have won scholarships to study in China.
Some graduates have returned to join the institute. Among them is Gulperi Kadyrbekova.
One of the institute's first students, she became a teacher there in 2019.
In her early days of teaching Chinese, what frustrated her most was the failure to immediately answer the students' questions about such broader topics as Chinese society or economy, she said.
Hence, her extensive preparations for each class -- invaluable training and experience -- have brought her to career success today.
Kadyrbekova takes pride in her students' successes, such as passing language examinations and earning overseas study opportunities. "This year, the first group of students I taught graduated from Chinese universities. Some have already found good jobs. I am so happy for them," she said.
For Baikazak Sultanbekov, who studies at the foreign languages college of Jalal-Abad State University, the dream now is to get a chance as soon as possible to study in China.
It was prompted by his cousin's account of living in China.
"My older cousin studied at a university in Shanghai. He told me that Chinese is a difficult but interesting language, and that China is a rapidly developing country with skyscrapers and wide roads everywhere. Life there is very convenient," he said.
"I felt envious, so I decided to start learning Chinese."
The enthusiasm persists. "I think the most interesting thing about Chinese is its characters ... every Chinese character is like a work of art. That is precisely where their charm lies," he said.
Vowing to improve his linguistic proficiency as quickly as possible, Sultanbekov dedicates nearly six hours of a day to studying Chinese.
"In addition to my college studies and courses at the university's Confucius Institute, I review what I learned in class at home, read textbooks to prepare for Chinese language exams, and practice writing Chinese characters," the young man said, who also makes a point of speaking Chinese whenever possible.
Sultanbekov plans to follow in the footsteps of his cousin to pursue further study in Shanghai, and to work in the future as an interpreter.
"An increasing number of Chinese companies are operating in Kyrgyzstan ... This means I'll have a wide range of career options." ■
