by Xinhua writer Liu Shuchen
Baku, April 21 (Xinhua) -- "Look! This is what my name looks like in Chinese!"
Standing at the entrance of Baku State University's auditorium, an Azerbaijani student showed his friend a red card with apparent excitement. It bore the name "Qasim," rendered in elegant black ink by a teacher from the university's Confucius Institute. It is a small souvenir he had queued for nearly half an hour.
April 20 marked the 7th International Chinese Language Day. Outside the auditorium, cultural booths featuring calligraphy, paper-cutting, tea art, and character puzzles attracted crowds of visitors. Inside, performances prepared by teachers and students from the Confucius Institute drew waves of applause.
"My Chinese name is Bai Yuchen, given by my teacher. Today I performed The 24 Solar Terms Song," said 11-year-old Huseyn Alakbarov. He and his classmates rehearsed regularly for nearly 20 days. "Chinese can be challenging, but the more I learn, the more interesting it becomes," he added.
Accompanied by the Chinese-style piece Ru Hua ("Like a Painting"), students dressed in Hanfu presented the evolution of the Chinese character for "horse," from ancient pictographs to its modern form. Behind the stage, 18-year-old Omar Mammadov narrated the transformation in Azerbaijani.
A second-year Chinese major and winner of the 2025 "Chinese Bridge" competition in Azerbaijan, Mammadov also hosted the event. "Learning Chinese has made me more confident and outgoing," he said. As a child, he was fascinated by classical Chinese stories like Journey to the West. Now, he can perform "face-changing," or "Bian Lian" in Chinese, an ancient Chinese dramatic art of Sichuan Opera. "I once admired the Monkey King's transformations -- now I can do something similar myself."
Seventeen-year-old Midina Abutalybova performed the song Sorry, My Chinese Is Not Good, accompanying herself on guitar. "The rhythm is upbeat, and the lyrics are easy to memorize -- it perfectly captures how I feel while learning Chinese," she said. A first-year student majoring in Chinese, she noted the program's growing popularity.
She believes Azerbaijani and Chinese cultures share similarities, such as hospitality, respect for elders, and strong family values. While Abutalybova finds memorizing characters and tones challenging, she remains confident. "When you have passion and a clear goal, learning becomes much more engaging and rewarding." ■
