"I Want to Teach More Afghans to Learn Chinese"

In the first Global Youth Bilingual Broadcast Announcing and Anchoring Contest held in 2023, young people from China, Afghanistan, Singapore, ROK and other places gathered to showcase their bilingual talents.

The contest attracted 686 contestants from around the world, including Jan Ali Yousufi, a Chinese language teacher at Kabul University. They came from 133 universities, primary and secondary schools, and educational institutions at home and abroad, including 36 countries and regions. Their entries were in 28 languages like English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean.

Vibrant silk, fluttering water sleeves of Peking Opera, tea with a long-lasting aroma, Chinese characters with profound meanings, and unique interesting folk customs... In the contest, 686 contestants shared China's stories and global narratives in 28 languages through their entries. After multiple rounds of preliminary and final evaluations, a total of 95 contestants stood out, among whom three claimed gold prizes, including Ali.

Ali, a local Chinese language teacher, came from Kabul University. He graduated from Yunnan University in December 2021 with a master's degree in International Chinese Language Education. Before returning to his homeland to become a Chinese language teacher, he never imagined a job touching him so deeply, nor did he ever think that he could continue to develop emotion in the future. "I still remember the nervous, excited, and confident feeling when I first stood on the podium," he said. 

In August 2022, Ali began working at the Confucius Institute at Kabul University, the only Confucius Institute in Afghanistan. As a local teacher, Ali said: "When I stand on the podium, and students look at me, listening as I share stories of the Chinese language and China, everything feels truly incredible. It is the Chinese language that has shaped who I am today. I want to provide learning opportunities for students who love the Chinese language, and continually refine myself, enhancing my language skills, proficiency, and teaching methods."

Ali hopes to tell Afghanistan's stories in Chinese. "I hope that in the future, the first question my Chinese friends ask me will not be about war, but about Afghan society and education."