Teaching Chinese Language in a South Pacific Island Country

As an important international language, Chinese is attracting more and more overseas learners. This is also true in remote Vanuatu. In 2018, Ding Zeliang, an international Chinese language teacher, came to this island country in the South Pacific. He was attracted not only by the beautiful scenery and simple folkways here, but also by the enthusiasm of local people for Chinese language. 

Creating High-quality Chinese Language Lessons

Ding Zeliang still clearly remembers the first Chinese language class he taught in the island country. It was an international children's class, with students from France, Australia, Italy, Vietnam and other countries. As soon as he entered the classroom, he was deeply impressed by the enthusiasm and liveliness of the students. 

Through one lesson, he learned that the children were learning Chinese for a variety of reasons: some were motivated by their love of Chinese culture, some by their interest in the language, and some by their parents' advice to seek more possibilities for their future.

"Students are indeed very interested in Chinese, but their language proficiency is uneven." In order to make every student learn something from his class, Ding Zeliang decided not to stick to the lesson plan, but to teach according to the actual situation of his students.

For beginners of Chinese language learning, Ding Zeliang believes that the most important thing is oral expression. "One of the most important functions of a language is to communicate, so it is important to get your pronunciation correct, particularly in the initial stage of learning Chinese." 

Because his students had different native languages, their pronunciation problems varied from person to person. In teaching, Ding Zeliang examined the differences between various languages and Chinese in terms of pronunciation, while observing the performance of his students, with a view to finding out the "causes" of their mistakes in a timely manner and correcting them accurately. "Most of my students are shy and quite restrained in the shadowing practice. So, sometimes, I will use a slightly exaggerated way to demonstrate pronunciation for my students, so as to encourage them to speak out freely." 

After a period of practice, his students' pronunciation problems have been greatly improved, and their Chinese proficiency has been significantly enhanced, making them more confident in speaking the language. "My students are becoming more and more active in class. In the past, they didn't dare to speak out, but now they like to discuss with me in Chinese. Their progress is the biggest reward for me," Ding Zeliang said. 

Helping Students Realize Their Dreams 

In Vanuatu, many students have the dream of studying in China. One of the students who left the deepest impression on Ding Zeliang was Ema, a senior at the Malapo High School in Port Vila who was interested in Chinese language and culture.

"Ema has been learning Chinese for eight years. She is very active in every class and does her homework very well. When the 'Chinese Bridge' Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary School Students was held in 2021, she also signed up and participated in the competition." To help Ema prepare for the competition, Ding Zeliang consulted a lot of materials to coach her. Every evening and even on weekends, he would set two hours aside to impart Ema with the knowledge of Chinese language, history and culture. 

As the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. Ema finished fifth across the Oceania region, which was Vanuatu's best result in the Chinese Bridge competition. After the competition, Ema's desire to study in China became even stronger. She actively prepared and passed the HSK Level 3 and Level 4 tests in succession. What's more, she applied for and was granted a scholarship to study in China. "She is going to study in China in August this year, and I am really happy for her," Ding Zeliang said. 

There are many more students who, like Ema, cherish the dream of learning Chinese. In their pursuit of the dream, Ding Zeliang always tries every means to provide help and encourage them to make it come true bravely. 

Shortly before an HSK e-test held in March 2023, Vanuatu was suddenly hit by a severe hurricane, which severely affected power supply and internet access. To help his students get the HSK scores necessary for them to apply for studying abroad in a timely manner, Ding Zeliang and his colleagues contacted all parties to ensure that students with difficulties could take the test. Moreover, they provided students with such test equipment as computers, earphones, tripods, etc. During the test, the teachers overcame various inconveniences and used mobile phone hotspots to connect computers, so as to simultaneously run software such as proctoring terminals, Zoom, and EV screen recorders. All this helped ensure the smooth running of the test.

Boosting the Development of Chinese Language Teaching

"The Chinese language education in Vanuatu could date back to more than 20 years ago, and the people here are deeply interested in and curious about China and Chinese language. When I first came here, I met locals who greeted me in Chinese, and a 'hello' quickly drew us closer," Ding Zeliang recalls. 

In recent years, as the economic and trade cooperation between China and Vanuatu deepened, local people have become more and more interested in learning Chinese, and a growing number of schools have begun to offer Chinese courses. Every day, Ding Zeliang and his colleagues shuttle between various teaching sites, bringing fun Chinese courses and exciting Chinese activities to their students. 

To meet everyone's needs for reading Chinese books, after careful preparations, Ding Zeliang and his colleagues set up a graded reading corner, garnered more than 200 books and picture albums, and sorted them out according to the reading proficiency of students into several series, including "Good Friends", "Rainbow Bridges", "Rainbow Dragon", and "Stories of Chinese wisdom". 

The reading corner was well received as soon as it was launched. After class, students were often seen reading quietly there. Users said that the reading corner provided them with valuable reading resources in Chinese, which in turn stoked their interest in learning Chinese. 

In addition to students, learners from all walks of life, including education, catering, banking, tourism, and other private sectors, were also attracted to the Chinese language courses. The Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs also organized a short-term Chinese language training course for its staff to improve their Chinese proficiency. 

"We will tailor the Chinese language courses for each class according to their different characteristics and needs. For example, for the Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we designed oral and cultural courses in diplomatic scenarios to help learners master the Chinese sentences commonly used in their work and gain a preliminary understanding of Chinese culture," Ding Zeliang said.

Over his five years here, Ding Zeliang did pour sweat, but reaped happiness as well. "I'm very pleased to see my students making consistent progress in learning Chinese and locals becoming more and more interested in the language, which has led to a deeper understanding of China. All this makes me feel the importance of my role as an international Chinese language teacher." 

In Ding Zeliang's opinion, the vigorous development of Chinese language education provides a wider space for Chinese language teachers to seek personal development, and also offers overseas youths more opportunities to learn Chinese, thus promoting communication between Chinese and foreign people. "I hope that Chinese language education can promote the exchanges and understanding between different cultures and bring more mutual trust, friendship, and cooperation to the world."