Indicates the type of a location. Location Type Defined by CCTVPLUS Indicates the role that a specific instance of a description takes among all descriptions. Description Role Defined by CCTVPLUS The role in the overall content stream. Part Role Indicates a kind of content rendition. Content Rendition Defined by CCTVPLUS CCTV Newscontent Co.,Ltd. CCTV Newscontent Co.,Ltd. All Rights Reserved. No access Chinese mainland CCTV Newscontent www.cctvplus.com +86-10-83949886 +86-10-63978447 contact@cctvplus.com 2026-09-03T01:27:56Z 2026-09-03T01:27:56Z 2026-09-02 2014-11-06T09:22:45Z China Central Television China Culture Recent/File China-Language Learning/Int'l Students Learning Chinese brings more opportunities: Int'l students at Peking University Three students from Morocco, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said learning Chinese helps expand their horizons by creating more opportunities as China strengthens ties with their home countries. The three international students, currently studying at Peking University's School of Chinese as a Second Language, were interviewed by China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the university, one of China's top comprehensive research universities. Abdelquoddousse Kailil, who comes from Morocco, said his interest in Chinese language was inspired by his father, the first one in his family to learn the language. "My father was the first one [in my family] to learn Chinese. Hearing him speak Chinese, I found it really interesting -- it's quite different from other languages, possibly due to its tones and phonetic system. Chinese characters are another distinctive feature of the Chinese language. Back then I was in high school, and I began wondering whether I should pursue my bachelor's degree in China after graduation. That's why I signed up for Chinese language courses at a Confucius Institute in Morocco," said Kailil, a master's student in international Chinese education at the School of Chinese as a Second Language at Peking University. Ismail Elnaggari, an Egyptian student, recalled that Chinese was far less popular when he began learning it roughly a decade ago. He believed learning the language would give him an edge in finding a good job. "I started learning Chinese in 2015. [Back then], Western languages such as English were already widely spoken, but not many people mastered Asian languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean. So, when choosing my undergraduate major, I picked a language that would pose quite a big challenge for me. My thinking back then was -- the more difficult the language is, the fewer people will acquire it, which means mastering the language will have more opportunities," said Elnaggari, a PhD candidate at the School of Chinese as a Second Language at Peking University. He added that the close economic and trade ties between China and Egypt were also a major motivation behind his choice. "I had some understanding of Chinese economy and its trade ties with Egypt, and many people around me were engaged in trade. So, I thought if I learned Chinese, I could work in trade in the future. In my third year of university, I received a scholarship and came to China for the first time as an exchange student at Peking University. I found that China is a beautiful country," said Elnaggari. Sara Naser Aljneibi, a UAE student, said she has been learning Chinese since the seventh grade, with her first Chinese teacher hailing from Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province. Now a preparatory student at the School of Chinese as a Second Language, she believes speaking Chinese will give her an edge in studying AI technologies and aspires to contribute to technological exchanges between the UAE and China. "Since I am studying artificial intelligence and information engineering, I hope that in the future I can start my own company or join a studio to help boost technological exchanges between the UAE and China," she said. Zhao Yang, dean at the School of Chinese as a Second Language, said the school has welcomed an increasing number of international students, with enrollments from Egypt and the UAE growing the fastest in recent years. Zhao said that as China keeps strengthening ties with the rest of the world, more international students choose to learn Chinese as a second language because it can help expand their horizons. "There are two motivations for learning -- for practical purpose or for fun. [For international students], practical purpose is the strongest motivation. By building connections with China, my life changes, and for the better. That is the most important reason," said Zhao. Chinese/Nats/Part Mute Beijing, China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various gate of Peking University, lake, flowers 2. Various of Abdelquoddousse Kailil, Moroccan international student, having class 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Abdelquoddousse Kailil, master's student in international Chinese education, School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University (starting with shot 2/ending with shot 4): "My father was the first one [in my family] to learn Chinese. Hearing him speak Chinese, I found it really interesting -- it's quite different from other languages, possibly due to its tones and phonetic system. Chinese characters are another distinctive feature of the Chinese language. Back then I was in high school, and I began wondering whether I should pursue my bachelor's degree in China after graduation. That's why I signed up for Chinese language courses at a Confucius Institute in Morocco." FILE: Morocco - Date Unknown (Courtesy of Abdelquoddousse Kailil - No access Chinese mainland) 4. Various of photos of Kailil Beijing, China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 5. Various of international students talking 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Ismail Elnaggari, PhD candidate, School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University (starting with shot 5): "I started learning Chinese in 2015. [Back then], Western languages such as English were already widely spoken, but not many people mastered Asian languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean. So, when choosing my undergraduate major, I picked a language that would pose quite a big challenge for me. My thinking back then was -- the more difficult the language is, the fewer people will acquire it, which means mastering the language will have more opportunities." FILE: Cairo, Egypt - July 24, 2022 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 7. Egyptian national flag in front of building FILE: Cairo, Egypt - April 6, 2019 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 8. Egyptian national flag FILE: Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - Oct 7, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 9. Various of traffic FILE: Cairo, Egypt - July 2023 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 10. Cityscape Beijing, China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Ismail Elnaggari, PhD candidate, School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University (starting with shots 8-10): "I had some understanding of Chinese economy and its trade ties with Egypt, and many people around me were engaged in trade. So, I thought if I learned Chinese, I could work in trade in the future. In my third year of university, I received a scholarship and came to China for the first time as an exchange student at Peking University. I found that China is a beautiful country." 12. Various of international students having Chinese class 13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Sara Naser Aljneibi, preparatory student, School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University (starting with shot 12/ending with shot 14): "Since I am studying artificial intelligence and information engineering, I hope that in the future I can start my own company or join a studio to help boost technological exchanges between the UAE and China." 14. Various of international students having Chinese class 15. Various of Zhao Yang, dean of School of Chinese as a Second Language at Peking University, talking with Kailil 16. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhao Yang, dean, School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University (ending with shot 17): "There are two motivations for learning -- for practical purpose or for fun. [For international students], practical purpose is the strongest motivation. By building connections with China, my life changes, and for the better. That is the most important reason." FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 17. Various of cityscape, high-speed train running FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (Courtesy of Peking University - No access Chinese mainland) 18. Various of teachers lecturing, international students talking