Teachers bring Chinese language to remote Sri Lankan homes

COLOMBO — Voices reading Chinese are often heard on the serene hilly campus of Sabaragamuwa University nestled in the southern foothills of Sri Lanka's central mountains.

Stationed here are three teachers from China, teaching at a Confucius Classroom established in 2019 by China's Huanggang Normal University and Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.

Life here comes with many inconveniences. Mosquitoes swarm the teachers' dormitories which often have scary visitors like snakes and rats. Water, electricity, and internet cuts lasting seven or eight days during the rainy season are common. Fresh vegetables and daily essentials can only be bought at the farmers' market that is held once a week, and the nearest supermarket requires nearly an hour's drive on mountain roads.

Despite all these, Zhu Song, the director of this classroom, who has persevered here for over three years, remains optimistic. "I have survived the most difficult challenges. I feel quite content with life now," she says.

The other two women, Zhang Huan and Xia Zihan, share a positive and optimistic understanding of their profession as overseas Chinese teachers. "Rather than defining ourselves through sacrifice and dedication, we prefer to inspire children with positivity, friendliness, and vitality, igniting their enthusiasm for learning Chinese and their love for China."

They have tailored Chinese textbooks to suit the students' levels. To foster students' interest in Chinese culture, they have introduced various traditional Chinese art forms. Additionally, this classroom helped set up a Chinese teaching branch at Bandarawela Central College in the nearby Uva province, and they regularly train local Chinese teachers there.

The enthusiasm for learning Chinese is gradually spreading here. Xia mentions that there are two weekly Chinese courses for faculty members at the Confucius Classroom, currently attracting nearly 20 persons.

"This year, we had a Chinese food festival, featuring homemade dumplings and tanghulu (candied fruits). Over 400 villagers from the nearby areas took part in the festival. When teaching them how to say 'hello' 'thank you' and 'dumpling', I felt like I was a Chinese teacher too," says Dulani Weerakoon, a student majoring in Chinese here.

Rohan Abeywickrama, dean of the faculty of Social Sciences and Languages at the University of Sabaragamuwa, says that in recent years, the enthusiasm of university students to major in Chinese has registered a conspicuous upward trend.

"This year, there are 21 students who have chosen Chinese as their primary major and an additional 50 students selected Chinese as their second or third major, accounting for more than one-fifth of the students in the same grade. All thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of the three Chinese teachers," Abeywickrama adds.

"The Confucius Classroom offers students more opportunities to connect with China, experience Chinese culture, and even participate in study tours to China, while fostering friendship between Sri Lanka and China. With the Confucius Classroom established here, the Chinese language dreams of the students in the mountain areas are no longer distant," Abeywickrama says.

Xinhua