Chinese to the world, to build a better future

　　April 20, Grain Rain, is the sixth solar term in the twenty-four solar terms and the last solar term in spring.

According to legend, on this day, Cang Jie, the "ancestor of Chinese writing", wrote a book and "rained grains in the sky, and ghosts cried in the night".

In order to commemorate Cangjie's contribution to the creation of Chinese characters, the United Nations Department of Public Information (now the Department of Global Communications) announced in 2010 that April 20 each year would be designated as "United Nations Chinese Language Day".

　　This year marks the 13th UN Chinese Language Day.

More than 300 embassies and consulates in more than 100 countries, Chinese educational institutions, Chinese colleges and universities, enterprises, etc., will hold exchange forums, cultural exhibitions, knowledge lectures, art appreciation, poetry reading, song singing and other colorful activities. , to promote the international application of Chinese, highlight and spread the charm of Chinese and Chinese culture.

　　With the continuous enhancement of my country's comprehensive national strength, the Chinese "circle of friends" continues to expand. Chinese has become a beautiful business card for the excellent traditional Chinese culture to go to the world, and a cultural window for the world to understand China.

　　1. Where does Chinese Day come from?

　　In recent years, the United Nations Chinese Language Day is not only an internal festival of the United Nations and its related agencies, but also various celebration activities organized by Chinese educational institutions, Chinese language learners and enthusiasts in many countries, forming the de facto "International Chinese Language Day". ".

　　In addition to the Chinese Day, the six official languages ​​of the United Nations have their own "United Nations Language Days": Arabic Day on December 18, English Day on April 23, French Day on March 20, and Russian Day on June 6. Language Day, April 23 Spanish Language Day.

The original intention of establishing the United Nations Language Day is not only to celebrate and commemorate the diversity of languages ​​and cultures, but also to promote the equal use of the six languages ​​in the United Nations.

　　Since the launch of the "United Nations Language Day" in 2010, the native-speaking countries have taken advantage of the momentum, continuously expanded the scope of activities, enriched the commemorative content, and gradually expanded the United Nations Language Day into a worldwide language day.

Starting from 2020, the Sino-Foreign Language Exchange and Cooperation Center, based on the practice of language days such as "International French Day" and "World Russian Day", takes the "United Nations Chinese Day" as an opportunity, and joins the "Chinese Alliance" to join hands with global Chinese lovers to carry out "Chinese Language Day". Celebration of International Chinese Language Day.

　　On January 25, 2021, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Spanish government officially announced that Chinese has officially become the official language of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

This enhances the integrity and authority of the UNWTO as a specialized agency of the United Nations, and also increases the status and use of Chinese in international organizations.

　　Also in 2021, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will revise the language clauses of the IATA constitution for the first time since its inception in 1945. On the basis of the original English, French, Spanish and Arabic, Chinese is the only official language added. .

　　Since the 28th United Nations General Assembly in December 1973 listed Chinese as the working language of the General Assembly and the Security Council, the legal status of Chinese as the official language and working language of the main organs and subordinate specialized agencies of the United Nations has been gradually confirmed.

Up to now, Chinese has become the official language and working language of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, the International Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the World Health Organization, the World Tourism Organization, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The role of Chinese in international exchanges has become increasingly prominent, and its international influence has continued to rise.

　　2. How hot is Chinese

　　"Because I learned the language of Chinese, I can also read books read by the ancients, and experience the spiritual world of the ancients through time and space. People like us who can speak Chinese can feel this romance and magic." 16-year-old Tiantian From Canada, after winning the championship of the 13th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students, she admitted that she has a "sense of mission" to share Chinese stories and Chinese culture with more people.

　　Over the past 20 years, the "Chinese Bridge" program has attracted more than 1.5 million young people from more than 160 countries.

Like Tiantian, they have built a "cultural bridge, a bridge of friendship, and a bridge of souls" between China and the world.

　　How popular is Chinese in the world?

The reporter learned from the Sino-Foreign Language Exchange and Cooperation Center that by the end of 2021, more than 1,500 Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have been established in 159 countries through Sino-foreign cooperation, and a total of more than 13 million students have been trained in more than 180 countries. Chinese language education programs have been established; 76 countries have included Chinese in their national education systems by issuing decrees and decrees, more than 4,000 universities have established Chinese faculties, majors, and courses, and more than 75,000 mainstream primary and secondary schools, Chinese schools, and training institutions have opened Chinese course.

According to incomplete statistics, there are currently more than 25 million people overseas who are learning Chinese, and the cumulative number of people learning Chinese is close to 200 million.

　　Many countries have incorporated Chinese into the national education system, and the number of learners has increased significantly, which has also caused a shortage of teacher resources.

The upsurge of learning Chinese has also made people put forward higher requirements for the quality of Chinese education.

　　Bai Luomi, Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Bucharest, Romania, said that the lack of local Chinese teaching materials suitable for Romanian students hindered local Chinese teaching. "The number of teachers in Romanian public schools is limited, and most schools are currently reluctant to recruit full-time local Chinese teachers. ".

　　For foreigners to learn Chinese, there is still the psychological barrier of "Chinese is difficult to learn".

Liang Yanmin, an associate professor at Beijing Language and Culture University, who was the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield in the UK, pointed out that from the perspective of spoken language, the difficulty lies in the tone; from the perspective of written language, the difficulty lies in the words, "This requires us to speak simple and interesting Chinese characters. Basic research on Chinese characters, using high-frequency words for teaching; and introducing the evolution of Chinese characters through vivid means such as animation and VR.”

　　In addition, affected by the global new crown pneumonia epidemic, international Chinese education is also facing difficulties such as shortage of funds, shrinking market, and digital divide.

Wang Hui, Dean of the School of International Culture and Education of Zhejiang Normal University, suggested that in the face of problems such as lack of teachers' information literacy, insufficient learner participation, limited teaching models, incomplete teaching platforms, and difficulties in teaching management in online Chinese teaching, the With the help of big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies, interactive links such as question answering, conversation practice, role-playing, and group discussion are added to promote more intelligent teaching content such as teaching design, homework correction, language practice, and Chinese writing.

　　3. Chinese landscape overseas

　　"In the Port of Duisburg, there are a lot of containers that arrive in Germany via the China-Europe freight train. These containers with Chinese characters have also become the moving landscape of my city." Studied East Asian Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany And the ocean of China's economy, using fluent and standard Chinese to introduce the Chinese characters that move in his city.

"A journey of a thousand miles leads to a vastness. A thousand miles is 'heavy', and the vastness is 'celebration', which means 'Chongqing'. This means 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'." Haiyang said.

　　Haiyang graduated from Bole High School of Arts and Sciences in Essen, NRW, Germany, and was a member of the school's Chinese choir.

The Chinese choir of Bole High School of Arts and Sciences can be called the epitome of Sino-German friendly relations.

Since its establishment in 2014, the troupe has been invited to perform on important diplomatic occasions of the two countries many times.

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, visited the school in 2014, and in 2016 met with the teachers and students of the school who came to China to study.

In February 2021, after watching the video of four students from the school's Chinese chorus singing the Chinese song "After the Epidemic", Peng Liyuan kindly wrote to the school's teachers and students, encouraging them to make new contributions to the friendship between the Chinese and German people.

"It's really a great joy and an honor," said Andrei Portnov, a student who participated in the singing. "Building bridges with music and spreading hope and courage to as many people as possible is the key to our success through this song. The wish that the song wants to express."

　　On the eve of this year's Beijing Winter Olympics, Haiyang and friends from the Chinese Choir of Bole Senior Arts and Science Middle School sang "Together to the Future" together and sang loudly: "We all need love, let's all hold hands." Haiyang said : "This Winter Olympics reflects a new stage in China's development. 'Together to the future' means that we should unite to solve important problems and create a better future."

　　Chinese is not only condensed in the singing of foreign students, but also spread all over the streets and alleys of foreign countries.

　　"There are Chinese characters everywhere in Italy now. Whether you want to visit scenic spots or go shopping, you can see familiar Chinese characters in pharmacies or bookstores." Li Zuo, a student at the Confucius Institute in Bologna, used a camera to record the journey from the airport to the city Chinese signs along the way to the center.

　　In Hamburg, Germany's second largest city, Chinese teacher Ruo Fei also found many Chinese characters on his way to work.

From the Chinese signs of the scenic spots, to the blessing characters posted along the street, to the shop signs and advertising slogans... In just 5 kilometers of cycling, Ruo Fei saw 51 Chinese characters.

"I have lived and studied in China for four years, and I often miss China. Fortunately, Hamburg has a close relationship with China. I can often see Chinese characters here, and Chinese culture is by my side every day."

　　The landscape of Chinese characters overseas is not only in schools, streets, and squares, but also in the research field of overseas sinologists.

　　"As far as Stockholm in the north and South Africa in the south, there are sinologists." Zhang Shuhua, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, introduced international sinology research.

　　Giulia Falcini is an Italian translator engaged in Chinese book translation.

Julie told reporters that more and more people are learning Chinese in Italy, and now many people start learning Chinese from high school.

"After the book I translated was published, many college students contacted me and said they had decided to write a graduation thesis on Nüshu."

　　The Sinology fever also surprised Ke Pei from Peru.

After completing the "New Sinology Program" doctoral program at Peking University, Ke Pei was once worried about how to find a job in Peru.

However, after giving a trial course on Chinese knowledge at the Catholic University of Peru, Ke Pei received far more feedback than expected. She realized that "the importance of Chinese topics in Peru is increasing, and the degree of discussion is also increasing."

　　Liu Shan, an associate professor at the School of Politics and Public Administration of Wuhan University, pointed out that in the new era, Sinology research "fits with the historical process of China's gradual move to the center of the world stage", and international Sinology research is becoming a prominent study in the world.

　　(Our reporter Chai Rujin, our correspondent Guo Xiaolei)