In a residential Dubai neighbourhood, the maroon and cream-coloured low-rise buildings of a Chinese school blend into the quiet surroundings.
Red lanterns decorate the lobby and inside classrooms, a chorus of voices recite Chinese and Mandarin words displayed on a whiteboard.
In only two years, admissions at the first full-time Chinese curriculum school outside of China have nearly trebled.
Chinese parents are transferring their sons and daughters from international schools to enrol them in a school that has a strong bond with their homeland.
Teachers, parents and pupils told The National the school “helps understand our special story”.
Reuniting families
The school has also brought families together. The Chinese language teaching makes parents working in the UAE comfortable with bringing their children to live in the UAE.
The Chinese School Dubai has grown to nearly 500 pupils from 184 when launched in September 2020.
Chinese school in Dubai offers most of its lessons in Mandarin
“We have solved a problem for many parents working in Dubai,” said Liping Yin, the school principal.
“Before our school was established, parents working in Dubai were separated from their children in China.
“Now families are reunited.”
The private school has the support of China’s Ministry of Education and is funded by the Hangzhou Education Bureau and Chinese businessmen in Dubai.
“Many students are from Dubai but the situation is changing,” Mr Liping said.
“Now more and more students are coming from mainland China.”
For Lingeng Qing, it is a chance to live with his father, who has worked with a Dubai travel company for more than a decade.
“My family was separated but now I’m happy to be with my father,” said the 11 year old, who moved to Dubai last year.
“If not for this school, I could never have come to Dubai.”
Feeling of belonging
Liu Yi Zhen, a grade six pupil, moved to Dubai with her mother and younger sister to be with her engineer father during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and stayed on.
“I have studied in schools in China and compared to that, the stress here is a lot less,” the 12 year old said.
“My parents chose this school because it’s a good combination of international and Chinese schools."
Chinese teachers are frank about the areas on which she needs to work, an attitude that differs from many international schools in the emirate.
“Teachers in international schools say, ‘you are great’, ‘everything is great'," she said.
“Chinese schools encourage you but tell you where you need to improve and that helps much more.”
The emphasis on academics is clear with times tables painted across a staircase.
Other stairwells display rousing proverbs encouraging excellence.
The blue walls of a sports hall have images of traditional sports alongside photos of Chinese athletic, tennis and basketball stars.
Most subjects are taught in Chinese, but some, such as maths and science, have bilingual instruction.
Moral science and cultural study textbooks, a requirement in all UAE schools, are translated into Chinese.
Bilingual power
For Zhang Xiao, the teachers at his previous school found it hard to pronounce his name correctly.
"Back in my old school, the principal would call me J or sometimes Jackson. He would just call me different names,” said Zhang, who studied in an international school before switching in 2021.
“Even after you correct him, he would never get our names right, then you just feel a little hurt."
All his new classmates speak Chinese but often need to work on their language proficiency.
“The main difference is that teachers do not give up on any student,” the 13 year old said.
“Many of us did not have a good Chinese language background but the teachers took us under their wing and helped us learn Chinese.
“I learn Stem subjects in Chinese and English. Language reflects how each culture thinks and being bilingual really helps.”
Understanding heritage
The non-profit school has classes from kindergarten to grade seven with plans to add grade eight from the next academic year.
Mandarin classes on Saturdays are organised for pupils from other schools.
Support from parents is strong.
Wang Huichao, 33, enrolled her daughters, aged nine and seven, in the school from the launch day.
She said the children are more self-assured after moving out of an international school in Dubai.
“My daughter knows where she comes from, she understands her skin, her hair, her family," the mother said.
“She knows her own story.”
The family has lived in Dubai for more than a decade and her husband has an educational toy business in Dragon Mart.
“My daughter has her own mind but she could not explain herself really well in English,” she said.
“She was not confident in front of teachers and other students in the international school.
“In the Chinese school, the teacher understands her.
“She meets other Chinese people, learns Chinese history, language and culture.
“This is a big deal not just for her school life but for her whole life.”
Teachers learn too
It is a new experience for teachers who have moved to Dubai from China.
“Every day I spend with my students is interesting because they are from different backgrounds,” said Zhou Jianfen, vice principal, who taught at the sister school in Hangzhou, eastern China.
Mr Liping, the school's principal, speaks of the school as an extended family.
“It has been a long dream for Chinese parents and their dream has been realised,” he said.
“Most parents received a Chinese education when they were young.
“They want their children to have the chance to learn the same.”
