August is the year's hottest season in Egypt, with the temperature ranging from 35 °E to 43 °E. This heat wave matches the Egyptians' passion for the Chinese language.

Huge Language Demand

August 12 was the first day for students to register on the 13th Chinese course at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo. Registration began at around 9:30 in the morning. The plan was to enroll 180 students, divided into seven classes. At 8 a.m., over 100 people had already gathered in front of the cultural center. Most of them had missed the previous registration because of late arrival, so this time there was much pushing and shoving, prompting the cultural center staff to seek help from the local police to restore order.

After the staff informed the cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy to Egypt, Mr. Li, about the big demand for language tuition, he said it was important that the enthusiasm shown was encouraged and promised to resolve the problem of a shortage of teachers and classrooms. This message was conveyed to those who couldn't be accommodated and this helped to calm the situation. Eventually 270 students were enrolled and divided into 9 classes.

Why They Came to Learn

A woman in her 50s was found among the youngsters coming to get registered.

When asked why she wanted to learn Chinese, the woman answered that she was registering for her daughter who was studying archeology at Cairo University.

A white-haired 57-year-old  man working with a chemical trading company, said he had finished the first level course of Chinese language learning and wanted to take the second level course. He then planned to take the third level. He said he had four motives for learning: First, his daughter, a college student, is learning Chinese, and he hopes to communicate with her this way. Second, he hopes to increase his understanding of the Chinese cultures. Third, he hopes to create more cooperation opportunities with Chinese chemical trading companies. Fourth, fluent Chinese will help him communicate with the Chinese in outlying areas when he goes to China.

See Chinese as an Opportunity

According to some young people who came for registration, they attributed the demand to the influx of Chinese tourists to Egypt, which has led to Chinese tourist guides being a popular occupation. Besides, Chinese products not only sell well in Egypt, but also have comparative advantages in Egypt compared to products from other countries. China's economy enjoys a bright future, and to learn Chinese will be very helpful, say students. Among them were many students majoring in archaeology at Cairo University. It's their hope that learning Chinese and communication with Chinese scholars will help promote cooperation in the exploration of cultural heritage between these two ancient civilizations.