Feature: Chinese
Li Mei (L), Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran, introduces Chinese tea culture to students during the Chinese Culture Week in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
TEHRAN, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Any visitor to the Chinese Culture Week being held at the University of Tehran would be amazed by the Chinese tea, food, and various artworks produced through Chinese knotting and traditional paper cutting -- all displayed by Iranian students learning Chinese.
"Chinese knots are believed to bring good luck and act as charms that can ward off evil spirits," Zeinab Ghafourian, a 19-year-old sophomore studying Chinese at the Confucius Institute of the University of Tehran, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The Chinese Culture Week, which started at the institute last Saturday and will last till Wednesday, aims to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians.
Held inside the lobby of the institute, which was established in 2009, the event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university.
On the reasons why she chose to study the Chinese language, Ghafourian said that she has been interested in East Asian cultures even since childhood. "In addition, the Chinese films have become more and more popular," she said.
More importantly, given Iran's good ties with China, mastering the Chinese language "offers better employment prospects" in the Iranian job market compared to other languages, she explained.
Mohammadreza Gholamrezaei, another sophomore at the institute, also said he chose to learn the Chinese language due to his strong interest in China's rich culture and history.
Noting that the Iranian and Chinese people enjoy many cultural commonalities, as they have been connected through cultural and economic exchanges via the ancient Silk Road in the long past.
"Given China's increasing global influence, as well as its friendly and expanded relations with Iran, learning about the country unmediated becoming very important," said Hamed Vafaei, the Iranian director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran.
He believed that the students who are studying Chinese language at the institute would enter different sectors of Iranian society in the near future, helping more people to get to know more about China.
China is the world's second-largest economy, the most populous country, and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so learning the Chinese language has become a necessity as many around the world have realized, he said.
"In addition, Iran needs to know its counterparts, one of the most important ones is China," Vafaei said, noting that Iran and China have built strong political, economic and cultural relations.
"Each of the students here is a window toward China, helping the Iranian people have a more realistic picture of the country, which will help improve bilateral relations," he added.
Students practice Chinese calligraphy during the Chinese Culture Week at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A student shows her work of Chinese calligraphy during the Chinese Culture Week at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A student participates in the Chinese Culture Week at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A student participates in the Chinese Culture Week at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A student practices Chinese calligraphy during the Chinese Culture Week at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A student practices Chinese calligraphy during the Chinese Culture Week at the University of Tehran in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Li Mei (L), Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran, introduces Chinese tea culture to students during the Chinese Culture Week in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Hamed Vafaei, Iranian director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran, introduces Chinese culture to students during the Chinese Culture Week in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
A teacher of the Confucius Institute of the University of Tehran demonstrates Taichi during the Chinese Culture Week in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 28, 2023. A Chinese Culture Week was held from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29, 2023 at the University of Tehran, aiming to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians. The event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Related articles
I visited the most crowded island on Earth
Likened to a giant armor-plated turtle because the tin roofs are so tightly packed together, Migingo2024-05-22Migratory birds seen at Lake Balikun in China's Xinjiang
Migratory birds are seen at Lake Balikun in Balikun Kazak Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinji2024-05-22Autumn scenery at Pofengling Scenic Area in Beijing
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 18, 2020 shows the autumn colors at Pofengling Scenic Area in Fangshan Di2024-05-22Hulunbuir takes various measures to boost local tourism market
Tourists ride horses at a scenic spot in Hulunbuir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,2024-05-22Sarah Jessica Parker divides opinion with enormous hat on set of And Just Like That
Sarah Jessica Parker and her character Carrie Bradshaw seem to love pushing fashion boundaries, and2024-05-22Enjoy tangyuan on Lantern Festival
A macaque enjoys food shaped like tangyuan, a kind of round and sweet dumpling made of glutinous ric2024-05-22
atest comment