Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's study experience at China's Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) has been inspiring younger generation Kazakh students in China to contribute more to exchanges between their motherland and China.
The BLCU will open a new branch in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Tokayev is one of the honored alumni of the university, which now has the largest number of international students in China.
It's been over four decades since Tokayev studied at what was then called the Beijing Language Institute. It is now Beijing Language and Culture University, or the BLCU, and many things have changed since then.
"This is the main building of our university, constructed in the 1950s. When President Tokayev attended our school in the 1980s, he studied in this building. In 2001, it was completely renovated," said Lu Renjun, a docent of the BLCU History Museum.
No matter how much things have changed, Tokayev has long been considered a good example of cultural exchanges between Kazakhstan and China, and he is also an honored alumni, with many exhibition items related to him shown at the BLCU History Museum.
"This scene is a reconstruction of our university's classroom environment from the 1980s. The desks and chairs you see here are preserved from the early 1980s. At that time, President Tokayev also studied Chinese in a similar setting," Lu said.
The BLCU is often called "Little United Nations" in China because of its very large number of international students from various countries. It is also the only university in China that puts one of its focuses in teaching Chinese language and culture to international students.
And of course, it still attracts younger generation Kazakh students to study here. Bissenov Temirlan is now among dozens of Kazakh students who are studying at the university.
"Pretty much, every aspect of my daily tasks is much more simplified than I imagined, than it would have been abroad. For example, just buying things online. In terms of studying, I feel very blessed to be able to study two languages at once, because my major is Spanish, but I'm learning it through Chinese," said Temirlan.
Temirlan is hoping to become a diplomat one day, which he believes could help foster closer ties between the two countries.
China-Kazakhstan relations are once again put under the spotlight after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Astana to pay a state visit to the Central Asian state and to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Kazakh President's study experience in Chinese university inspires younger generation Kazakh students
