The 2022 Shanghai Summer School Middle Eastern Countries Program, which introduces Chinese language and culture to students from Middle Eastern countries, received praise from foreign participants.

The annual program is hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and undertaken by Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). It was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ran from July 11 to Aug 5.

Thirty students from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Turkey, Yemen and Jordan participated in the program this year.

With the theme of "Business China", this year's program included a variety of courses and activities spanning business Chinese courses, special lectures, traditional Chinese culture courses, Chinese and foreign student exchange activities, as well as online tours of the SISU campus, local companies, and the Yangtze River Delta region.

Ahmed Mohammed Ali Obaid. [Photo/WeChat ID: Study_in_SISU]

Ahmed Mohammed Ali Obaid, a student from Sudan, said: "The teaching materials are excellent, and what I like the most is the business book, especially in this period of my life when I need to come into contact more with terms, expressions and sentences related to the field of business. As for the teaching method, it is beneficial and interactive, and allows students to answer questions comfortably."

"I really enjoy the cultural classes and grammar classes. They are very beneficial and useful for me. I'm also very thankful to the teachers who answered each of our questions and are patient with us. The Chinese people are full of hospitality, genuinely cooperative, and have a welcoming nature. All concerns I had in my mind about the language barrier and other difficulties were proved wrong when I started learning Chinese during the program. I hope we will have the opportunity to visit China soon and discover more about this beautiful country," a Moroccan student said.

Samaa Hassan Firgany. [Photo/WeChat ID: Study_in_SISU]

Samaa Hassan Firgany, a student from Egypt, said: "One of the greatest things that I love about this program is that it helped me to break my fear of communicating in Chinese and not to be afraid of making mistakes. After attending a few classes, and after I got to know my teachers and classmates well, I felt freer to speak up and make some mistakes, as my teachers were so patient and helpful. I enjoyed the whole experience. At the end of the program, I started to feel like the time passed very quickly, and I have to admit that I will miss every moment of it. I hope to have another amazing opportunity to study at SISU."

Before the start of the program, a Chinese test was arranged for the students, and students who scored in the range of basic-level Chinese were offered business Chinese courses to cultivate their ability to use Chinese in practical business situations.

In order to allow the students to better understand SISU, Shanghai, and China, an exchange activity was organized in Arabic. Zhou Yu, a Sudanese doctoral student at the School of International Relations of SISU, met and communicated with the students online. Zhou introduced his experiences at SISU, explained the importance of language learning and cultural communication, and encouraged the students to serve as a bridge of friendship and communication between China and foreign countries.

Exchanges with Chinese students were also featured during the program. On July 17, six Chinese students from the School of International Cultural Exchange of SISU conducted an online exchange activity on Chinese shopping culture. They introduced Chinese shopping festivals and online shopping platforms to the foreign students.