An exhibition organized in Chinese University to showcase history and culture of Pakistan

An exhibition organized in Chinese University to showcase history and culture of Pakistan

Peking University which is the oldest higher education institute in China, will be organizing an exhibition to promote Pakistani culture and history in October. The highlight of the exhibition is mainly to present a broad and positive image of people of Pakistan to Chinese students.

Ms Zhang Jiamei, Head of Urdu Department, Peking University, said in an interview:-“Through this exhibition focusing on ancient Gandhara culture, the students will get an opportunity to have a glimpse of Pakistani history and culture,”

In June, the very first inter-university debate was held by Peking University Urdu department. The participation of many students from Foreign Language department was quiet a lot. The debating contest was named as “Ma or Urdu”, meaning (I and URDU).

Urdu department in Peking University was established in 1954. The purpose of its establishment was mainly to provide linguistic assistance in Urdu to Chinese diplomats working in Pakistan. Back then, Urdu teachers were employed from Pakistan in the University for teaching Urdu.  Furthermore, the teachers and head of Urdu department of Peking University paid a visit to Pakistan’s historical sites for vivid picture of its archeology. 

Ms Zhang Jiamei, Head of Urdu Department further said about the exhibition,"We are translating history and culture of Pakistan in Chinese while classical Urdu novels will be translated to study life and history of Pakistan."   According to her Urdu department of Peking University is playing a vital role in promoting Pakistani culture and language to Chinese students. She further explained to APP,"We are not only teaching language but also history, culture and daily life by using different modern techniques including showing classical dramas to our students".

Many Chinese students are studying in Universities of Peshawar and Punjab and National University of Modern Language (NUML), Islamabad, for their research and thesis.

Pakistani Students Studying China

In terms of foreign students studying in China, Pakistani students are in top 4. Many projects under Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (CPEC) have started. CPEC has opened many doors for Pakistani students as well. China has not only made investments in developing educational institutes in Pakistan, but it has given many scholarships and educational opportunities to Pakistani students in Chinese Universities.  China is home to several world recognized universities. So those Pakistani students travelling to China are getting to study there in modest fee and friendly environment as China can be called Pakistan’s best ally. “I don’t feel China is a ‘foreign country,” says Rabbiya Saba who is a medical student currently studying in China’s Sichuan Province. Nearly 3,000 Pakistani students are currently studying in Chinese universities for various programmes under CPEC project funded ,scholarships.According HEC officials, every year five students are chosen on the basis of merit to study doctorate degree in Chinese universities. The attainment of medical degree in China is very low cost as compared to Pakistan and that’s why China is preferred among medical students from all over the world including Pakistan.