Egyptian Girl Sandra Zakaria on CCTV Spring Festival Gala: BRI Will Surely Promote Egypt's Development

"The sun reveals its most beautiful radiance, let's milk the cows and fill the buckets together..."

During the CCTV Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Rabbit, in the program "Flourishing Flowers Along the Belt and Road" jointly performed by artists from ten BRI partner countries, four beautiful Egyptian girls presented the wonderful song "The Sun Reveals Its Most Beautiful Radiance". Their moving voices brought joy to the audience, while the picturesque rural scenery and the girls' traditional Egyptian costumes truly captivated the viewers.

One of the performers is Sandra Zakaria, a graduate student majoring in International Chinese Language Education at Beijing Language and Culture University. She has a lovely Chinese name—Song Yuyan.

Sandra Zakaria (second from left) and other Egyptian girls who sang "The Sun Reveals Its Most Beautiful Radiance"

This year marks the tenth anniversary of  the inception of the Belt and Road Initiative. The program "Flourishing Flowers Along the Belt and Road" of this year's Spring Festival Gala featured artists from nine BRI partner countries, including Indonesia, Greece, Egypt, New Zealand, and Argentina, performing remotely with Chinese artists. Artists from each country sang their representative songs, such as Indonesia's "Bengawan Solo", Serbia's "Far Away Place", Tanzania's "Malaika" and Egypt's "The Sun Reveals Its Most Beautiful Radiance".

"This is a well-known folk song in Egypt that depicts rural life and love stories." Sandra Zakaria said. When she learned that she would have the opportunity to sing this song at the Spring Festival Gala, she was thrilled because this popular Egyptian song describes rural life in Egypt. Historically, both China and Egypt are large agricultural countries, and through the performance of this song at that event, the distance between the two countries was brought closer again.

Her hometown is Ismailia Province, Egypt, on the west bank of the Suez Canal. She is optimistic about China's rapid development and believes that learning Chinese can bring her future opportunities. She chose to study Chinese at Suez Canal University in Egypt during her undergraduate years and pursued further study at Beijing Language and Culture University after graduation. According to the plan, she will come to China for the first time in July this year to continue her studies at Beijing Language and Culture University.

By singing an Egyptian folk song on the dazzling stage of the Chinese Spring Festival Gala, her experience in learning Chinese is inseparable from singing Chinese songs. She mentioned that she was originally very shy and dared not sing in front of many people. It was the encouragement of an international Chinese language teacher that led her to participate in singing competitions, gradually gaining confidence. Finally, she won the championship in the "Chinese Songs in Egypt" competition, enhancing her motivation to further study Chinese.

"When I started learning Chinese, I heard that the Spring Festival Gala is one of the most popular TV programs in China. But I never thought I could perform on it." She stated. "The scene eventually presented at the event was recorded on a farm in Cairo. She explained that this location was chosen in pursuit of a place "matching the scenes described in the lyrics".

Although she has not been to China yet, after five years of study, Sandra Zakaria has become proficient in Chinese. Last year, she won the second prize in the "Chinese Bridge" competition in Egypt and is currently preparing for the HSK 6 test.

With the continuous advancement of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Egypt, more and more Chinese companies are investing in Egypt, which not only promotes Egypt's social and economic development but also brings opportunities for the people, especially young people. She said that the BRI will definitely be of great help to Egypt's development, and having the opportunity to find a good job in a Chinese company is a major reason why many Egyptian young people are studying Chinese. The Central Business District project in the new administrative capital of Egypt, undertaken by Chinese companies and drawing considerable attention, has already attracted many Egyptians to work there.

For Sandra Zakaria herself, if she stays in China to work, she hopes to find a translation position. If she returns to her home country, she hopes to become a local Chinese language teacher according to her expertise, helping more Egyptians learn Chinese.

"A grand river with waves surging wide, and the wind blows the fragrance of rice flowers on both sides... This is a Chinese song that I like very much. I want to go to China and see the beautiful places described in the lyrics with my own eyes. I will continue to improve my Chinese proficiency, immerse myself in Chinese culture, taste the food, and visit the famous scenic spots and cultural relics that I know from textbooks..." She stated.

(Reporter: Bai Bo)