News & Event

The Ministry of Education, represented by the Department of Educational Studies and International Cooperation, is participating in the "Chinese Language Bridge" camp with Eighteen of grade 10 students from the Muscat and Al Dakhiliyah Governorates. The camp is held in Tianjin, in the People's Republic of China, from the 8th to the 21st of August.

The camp includes a series of intensive Chinese language courses, covering basic skills in conversation, listening, reading, and writing, as well as the HSK placement test. It also includes rich cultural and practical activities, and practical experiences in Chinese heritage arts, such as traditional papermaking, woodblock printing, calligraphy, ink painting, seal engraving, Chinese cooking, dumpling making (jiaozi), and rare book restoration. The camp also includes educational field visits, most notably a visit to the Hongho Paiho Natural History Museum within the university, which contains exhibits depicting the evolution of life on Earth and modern excavation techniques. A visit to the modern economic city of Binhai, which includes one of the largest scientific libraries in China, a tour of the Haihe River, a tourist attraction linking Beijing to Tianjin, and a trip to the capital, Beijing, to learn about its most prominent historical and cultural landmarks. An event will also be held to showcase Omani culture, representing folk arts, customs, and traditions, and visual presentations introducing tourism and heritage, contributing to deepening the bonds of true cultural exchange.

The camp aims to activate cooperation between the Ministry of Education in the Sultanate of Oman and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It aims to introduce Omani students to Chinese culture, teach the basics of the Chinese language, hone skills, and positively develop students' personalities in various scientific, educational, and cultural fields. It also aims to enhance students' self-confidence and pride in their national identity and introduce students to Chinese culture through the Chinese language. This will contribute to encouraging their peers to choose the Chinese language as a subject.

The camp is one of the fruits of the initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the China-GCC Summit, held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in 2022. The initiative aimed to provide three thousand scholarships for students from GCC countries to participate in summer and winter camps in China over a period of three to five years, under the umbrella of a program called the "Chinese Language Bridge." The organization of this camp is a practical embodiment of this vision, as Tianjin University of Oriental Studies is hosting the participating Omani delegation within an integrated educational and cultural environment. Tianjin is one of the most prominent Chinese cities in the academic and scientific fields and is ranked among the top twenty-five cities globally in terms of scientific research output.

The camp experience is unique and integrated, combining education and cultural experience. It contributes to deepening mutual understanding between peoples and opens new horizons for participants to understand China, not only from a language perspective, but also through exploring the depth of its history, the richness of its culture, and the humanity of its people.