In the past five years, the world has embraced the Chinese culture as a result of China's growing global influence.
More and more people are starting to learn the Chinese language and culture, building bridges connecting China with the world.
CHINESE LANGUAGE FACILITATES COOPERATION
In 2006, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School joined forces with East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai to co-found the Confucius Institute in the U.S. city of Chicago.
"Many American children now study Chinese. Some parents even employ babysitters who can speak Chinese to take care of their kids," said Xu Qun, a Chinese teacher at the school.
In recent years, "Mandarin fever" has increased across the world with more and more young people being attracted to the Chinese language and culture.
By the end of 2016, 1,073 courses have been offered by 512 Confucius Institutes across 140 countries and regions to foreigners who are fond of the Chinese culture.
The Chinese proficiency competition, Chinese Bridge, has aroused enthusiasm among foreign college and high school students eager to learn Mandarin and participate in the competition.
Alice, a 27-year-old Kenyan woman, sees Chinese as the stepping stone to her career. After studying the Chinese language in China for several years, she got a job as an interpreter at a railway construction project in Kenya, sponsored by a Chinese enterprise.
For Hami, a young Afghan man who started to learn Chinese at Kabul University a few years ago, "the Chinese language is a magic key." It opens the door for him to understand China. Now he is a Chinese teacher at Kabul University.
These young people not only want to gain a good command of the Chinese language, but also take advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative to promote cooperation between China and their respective countries.
CHINESE CULTURE BRINGS HEARTS CLOSER
In the largest chain store of the British book retailer Waterstones in London, Chinese writer Liu Cixin's short story "The Wandering Earth" has been put on the "Recommended" shelf.
Chinese literature, including classic literature, web fiction and children's literature, are becoming increasingly popular, said a cashier at the book store.
She said Liu's science fiction work "The Three-Body Problem" was popular among British readers, and some readers even came to the store to ask when the second book of the series would be available in English.
Five years ago, no one could have imagined how popular Chinese culture would become in Britain. Chinese writer Xu Zechen, who came to London to attend a book exhibition in 2012, walked around many book stores to look for some Chinese literature, but came up with nothing.
