A Mauritian Local Chinese Language Teacher's Love for China

Sharon Too Yok is an alumna of the 2019 session from the School of International Chinese Studies, East China Normal University, where she earned a master's degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. She now teaches as a local Chinese language teacher at the University of Mauritius. Although a third-generation Hakka Chinese descendant, she could not speak a word of Chinese just nine years ago. She has step by step realized her dream of becoming a local Chinese language teacher from Changzhou to Shanghai, then Mauritius.

A Fateful Connection with China

Sharon Too Yok's bond with the Chinese language began in 2011. A twist of fate led her to study Chemical Engineering and Technology in Chinese at Changzhou University in Jiangsu, China. With the aid of her classmates and guidance from her teachers, she graduated four years later. In just five years, she mastered the Chinese language, and participated in competitions with other international students', achieving remarkable results.

Sharon Too Yok in Changzhou University

After graduating with her bachelor's degree in 2016, she was uncertain about her future. "My grandfather was Chinese. He traveled across the oceans to Mauritius to teach Chinese language, and my parents dedicated their youth to the teaching profession. Why can't I become a Chinese language teacher in Mauritius?" She deeply fell in love with Chinese culture due to her experience in China. Confident in her language talent, patient and outgoing personality, strong cross-cultural communication skills, and relentless pursuit of excellence, she believed she was well-suited for the profession.

Sharon Too Yok speaks as a student representative at graduation ceremony

Cross Oceans: Reunite in Shanghai

To enhance her Chinese proficiency and teaching abilities, Sharon Too Yok applied for the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship in 2017, and pursued a master's degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages in China. She arrived at East China Normal University, where she lived and studied with other international students, which provided her with opportunities to strengthen her Chinese basics, improve her teaching skills, and enhance her ability to apply modern Chinese language.

She extended special gratitude to all the teachers at the School of International Chinese Studies: "Their profound expertise, dedication, and rigorous scholarship will influence me for a lifetime. When drinking from the stream, I think of its source; when achieving my academic goals, I recall my teachers."

Sharon Too Yok attends in the documentary Tales of Two Cities by Changzhou TV Station, Jiangsu

Long Path of Chinese Language

She returned to Mauritius with her master's degree in 2019 to realize her dream of becoming a local Chinese language teacher. Her students are all absolute beginners, including university faculty, college students, and working professionals interested in Chinese language and culture. Students from different backgrounds all liked Chinese class, particularly the interactive games in class.

Students in class

Proper games in class significantly boosts students' interest in learning Chinese language, activates the class, and strengthens their language skills. Seeing her students progress step by step in the Chinese language and develop a growing appreciation for Chinese culture, she is filled with deep emotion. "Now I believe that becoming a Chinese language teacher has always been my original aspiration!"

Students practice with chopsticks

The Path Ahead

In the future, Sharon Too Yok hopes to speak Mandarin fluently like a professional host and native, interpret cultural differences between China and Mauritius sensitively and accurately like a translator, articulate her thoughts as eloquently as a public speaker, identify and correct students' grammatical errors with the diagnostic skill of a doctor, and narrate China's stories as engagingly as a seasoned guide. She believes that a qualified local Chinese language teacher should meet the above standards. She hopes that young people in Mauritius will realize today's China, and the determined spirit of its people, and that more people will come to love the profound and extensive Chinese culture. This is Sharon Too Yok's story: "Although my journey as a Chinese language teacher has just begun, I believe the future will be even more remarkable."