VOLUNTEER TO TEACH: Li Jia, a volunteer teacher from China, talks with students in a Confucius Institute in Uzbekistan (YANG JIA)

"These Kazakh students will become cultural ambassadors and make their contributions to good-neighborly relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries," said Zhang Jianfang, the Chinese president of the Almaty institute.

Colorful activities

In addition to language teaching, varied activities held by Confucius Institutes all over the world help people to know more about China. The Ninth Chinese Bridge, a Chinese proficiency competition for foreign college students, was held in countries including Switzerland, Egypt and Kazakhstan in May.

"China is Kazakhstan's biggest neighboring country. As the number of Kazakh students learning Chinese is increasing, Chinese language teaching has a bright future here," said Murat Orunkhanov, Vice Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, who was present at the competition's opening ceremony in Kazakhstan.

Eighteen contestants from Almaty and surrounding areas participated in the event which involved three sections: basic knowledge of China, language proficiency, and mastery of Chinese arts such as singing, dancing, painting, calligraphy, paper-cutting, acrobatics, and martial arts. Ultimately five of the contestants proceeded to the finals in Astana.