Zein Alabdin Ali (in white suit) curates an oil painting exhibition for his father in Yantai, Shandong province. [Photo/Jiangsu International Online]

The 14th United Nations Chinese Language Day was celebrated on April 20. As part of the celebrations, several international students from East China's Jiangsu province shared their experiences of learning Chinese and how it has helped them better understand Chinese culture.

Zein Alabdin Ali, a Syrian who came to China 13 years ago, has become a fluent Chinese speaker after studying at Nanjing Normal University, the China Academy of Art, and Nanjing University of the Arts, where he received his doctorate.

He recently curated an oil painting exhibition for his father, Walid Ali, in Yantai, Shandong province. "Speaking Chinese has allowed me to easily connect two cultures and help people from China and Syria understand each other through art," he said. Ali, who is also a vlogger, has also published many online videos about Chinese culture.

A Russian student who goes by the Chinese name Xin Jie and is currently studying at Nanjing Normal University said that the Chinese language is inclusive, and learning it helps him understand Chinese tea culture which he is captivated by.

Xin currently has an account on Douyin, a short video platform, which he uses to share his stories in China with others.

Mei Ruoyun, a German student at the same university, said she is interested in Chinese culture, especially the teachings of Confucius, dumplings, and pandas. She has made progress in speaking Chinese and said she will continue improving her Chinese skills to learn more about China.

Presently, more than 180 countries and regions around the world offer Chinese language courses, and 81 of them have included Chinese in their national education systems. Over 30 million people are currently learning Chinese worldwide.