Xiplomacy: How cultural exchanges help UAE students realize dreams in China

Xinhua
11 Apr 2025, 15:15 GMT+10

UAE student Bashayer Omar learns Chinese proverbs at the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Ministry of Education in Beijing, capital of China, on April 7, 2025. (Xinhua/ Hu Zhenze)

"I hope this invaluable experience will inspire these students to be ambassadors of the UAE-China friendship and contribute to bilateral cooperation."

BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Ahmed Mohamed, a 16-year-old student from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), long had a dream of visiting the Great Wall in China. Recently, his dream came true.

"My dream of visiting the Great Wall in China has come true!" said Mohamed, nicknamed "Xiao Hu" in Chinese, which means "Little Tiger." He is among the students from two demonstration schools participating in the "Hundred Schools Project" for Chinese language education in the UAE. They are visiting China from April 5-11 at the invitation of Tianjin Foreign Studies University (TFSU).

A UAE student performs Chinese Kung Fu at the Juyongguan Great Wall, in Beijing, capital of China, on April 6, 2025. (Xinhua/ Hu Zhenze)

Last year, 40 students from the two schools wrote letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing their love for Chinese culture and their yearning to be ambassadors of the UAE-China friendship.

"I have read each letter from you," Xi said in his reply. "From the lines and drawings, I felt all your love for Chinese culture and your expectation for friendship between the two countries."

The Chinese president also encouraged more UAE teenagers to learn Chinese and know more about China, hoping that they and their Chinese counterparts can exchange with and learn from each other, plant the seeds of friendship in their hearts, and contribute to a better future for China-UAE relations.

"Hello, old friend! I'm back in China! I'm at the Great Wall -- the view is amazing!" Standing on the Great Wall, Bashayer Omar, another student, couldn't wait to video call her Chinese friend and share the stunning scenery.

UAE student Bashayer Omar purchases souvenirs at the gift shop of Beijing Olympic Museum, in Beijing, capital of China, on April 6, 2025. (Xinhua/ Hu Zhenze)

Aged only 14, Bashayer is already an "old friend" of China. During a previous study tour to China, she learned calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting and kung fu. Those joyful moments are carefully stored in her phone's photo album, and she couldn't bear to delete even a single picture. She has made two good Chinese friends, and now they chat regularly on WeChat, a messaging and social media app widely used in China.

In July 2019, witnessed by Xi and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then crown prince of Abu Dhabi of the UAE, the two countries signed a memorandum in Beijing, officially launching the "Hundred Schools Project."

In his reply to the students in 2024, Xi said: "Now seeing that learning Chinese has become a new trend in the UAE, and a group of little ambassadors for China-UAE exchanges, like you, have been cultivated, I'm very pleased."

After receiving Xi's reply letter last year, sixth-grader Fatima Al Marzooqi felt more motivated than ever to learn Chinese.

UAE students tried ice hockey simulation at Beijing Olympic Museum, in Beijing, capital of China, on April 6, 2025. (Xinhua/ Hu Zhenze)

During this trip to China, she and her classmates visited the Beijing Olympic Museum and the National Stadium, where they got to try out simulated experiences like curling and alpine skiing. The students were thrilled: "The equipment and technology are really advanced." "It was amazing!"

On Monday afternoon, the UAE students took a ride on a high-speed train and arrived in Tianjin, a mega city in north China about 120 km away from Beijing, in around half an hour. They were deeply impressed by the fast and comfortable journey.

China's high-speed rail is not only efficient but also environmentally friendly, said student Khalifa Khalid. "I hope this technology can be shared more widely around the world."

A UAE student takes photo of the scenery outside the window with a mobile phone on a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin Railway Station, on April 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Zhenze)

"The trip has built a bridge of friendship between the youths from the UAE and China," said Fatma Bastaki, project manager of the "Hundred Schools Project."

"I hope this invaluable experience will inspire these students to be ambassadors of the UAE-China friendship and contribute to bilateral cooperation," said Bastaki, a long-time Chinese education promoter in the UAE.

"For the future, I dream of becoming the UAE ambassador to China. To achieve that goal, I'll keep studying Chinese and building professional knowledge," said Khalid, the student.

UAE students perform a traditional dance at Tianjin Foreign Studies University (TFSU), in north China's Tianjin, on April 7, 2025. (Xinhua/ Hu Zhenze)

Li Yingying, president of the TFSU, said it is hoped that young people from the two countries can become close friends and partners in mutual learning through the "Hundred Schools Project."

During the visit, Bashayer learned a new Chinese proverb: "Nothing in the world is difficult if you set your mind to it." Looking ahead to the future, she said: "The spirit behind this proverb inspires me to keep chasing my dreams and to strive to become an envoy of Arab-China friendship."