Students at the Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Beijing Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies. Courtesy Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies
Students at the Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Beijing Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies. Courtesy Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies

Inside the Beijing centre teaching one of the hardest languages in the world: Arabic



In a classroom in Beijing students are learning one of the hardest languages in the world and it’s not Chinese: it’s Arabic.

Almost 1,000 of them have graduated from the Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University since it was established in 1994.

That level of exchange is about to be boosted even further when the UAE plays host to Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.

Students at the Beijing institution enrol in the Arabic course for varied reasons, whether it’s a fascination with Arab legends or the search for a good career.

But for many, what began as a quest to learn the language has become a mission to dispel stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims among Chinese people.

“After learning Arabic I began to read some books and I started thinking, ‘What is the cause and reason for the misunderstanding of some Chinese people towards Islamic culture and thought?’” said Li Shijun, 28, a PhD student and Arabic instructor at the university.

“I thought if I learn Arabic then I will do my best to correct the misconceptions, first for my friends around me.

“Then as a teacher and learner and a researcher I can do more to achieve that goal.”

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Read more:

Chinese film superstar Bai Baihe arrives in Abu Dhabi as UAE's cultural exchange begins

UAE to welcome China president Xi Jinping in landmark state visit

Foundations of a great friendship: Sheikh Zayed’s 1990 visit to China

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Mr Li’s interest in Arabic began at a young age.

“The atmosphere in my city when I was growing up was full of harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims,” he said.

“I had many friends who were born Muslims and they spoke a little Arabic. And from that time I was curious about
the language.”

Mr Li was also attracted to learn a language that was commonly believed to be as difficult as Chinese.

“I thought if I can speak Chinese as a mother language and I could speak Arabic and English, that will bring me the best opportunities for my job and career,” he said.

The centre was built with a grant from Founding Father Sheikh Zayed during a visit to the country in 1990.

It became a centre for teaching Arabic, academic research and book translation, from which some of China’s most prominent diplomats and ambassadors graduated.

Books published by its academics are taught in 50 universities across China. Fifteen of the 17 faculty members are Chinese, the other two, Syrian.

Chinese Muslims make up about 21 million of the country’s 1.4 billion population.

“Some students are motivated to study Arabic out of a passion for the Arabic and Islamic culture, especially Muslim students,” said centre director Dr Choy Ching Quwa.

Others were intrigued by One Thousand and One Nights and “wanted to enter that world”.

Many have approached the language in practical terms, focusing on job opportunities.

“So far, 98 per cent of the graduates were able to find jobs related to their Arabic skills,” Dr Choy said. “Many of the graduates became diplomats or landed jobs at the economy, trade and culture ministries, or Arabic-speaking media channels.

“There are also graduates who specialised in academic and research centres.”

Each year, the centre has 50 bachelor’s, 20 master’s and five doctorate students.

Dr Choy said: “I did not choose Arabic, it chose me.”

He said: “When I started university in 1981 we did not have a choice over what to study.

“I was selected as one of the students who would study Arabic. Nonetheless, I never regretted for one day having studied Arabic.

“I can say that after I studied Arabic, my passion for it grows day by day and it is a difficult language but beautiful and deep, and the deeper I dig in it I find more beauty and magic.”

Dr Choy said: “When we say Islam, there is always a misconception within the Chinese people and Chinese Muslims. They think of it as a religion only, or as Sharia.

“Islam is much bigger than that. In addition to the religion aspect, it is a comprehensive civilisation.” Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, attended the relaunch of the Sheikh Zayed Centre in 2012.

Scotland's team:

15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell

Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris

Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.