PASSION FOR MYANMAR LANGUAGE AT THE DIPLOMAT FACTORY

By Si Thu Tun

“We are now working to produce more students with a good command of the Myanmar language,” smiled Zhao Jin, an associate professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).

Just inside the arch of BFSU,neat buildings and a pool with flowers catch the eyes of every passerby.

The most interesting building is the university library. The library façade is decorated with the word“Library” in various languages.BFSU is one of the top universities in China and offers 83 international language programs. Some of the Chinese students at the university are Myanmar language majors.Enthusiasm and passion perpetually consume their faces.

Zhao Jin, who was born in China but lived in Myanmar for some time, has been teaching Myanmar language for 20 years. She is currently teaching not only students from BFSU but also others who want to learn the language.

Zhao Jin,associate professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

She visits Myanmar at least once a year. Her Burmese fluency is very high.She first arrived in Myanmar as a third-year student in 1997 and studied for a year. Then, she was hired as a second secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Yangon, a post she held from 2014 to 2017. During those years, she lived in Yangon with her family, and her son attended an international school there. Now her son sometimes says he misses Myanmar.

A group photo of Myanmar language students at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).

Zhao Jin delivers a lecture on Myanmar language to students at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU).

Language universities in China are famous for their curricula and teaching methodologies. BFSU,where Zhao is currently teaching, sprouted from a Russian language institute and grew into a prestigious university that has produced over 90,000 experts in languages and international affairs. Moreover,its doctoral programs in foreign languages and cultures,Chinese language and culture,journalism, political science,law, science and industrial management are universally acclaimed.

According to Zhao’s teaching philosophy, students should learn not only language but also the underlying culture and history. She received a Ph.D. in 2017 after authoring a thesis on Bagan Culture, from a famous ancient kingdom in Myanmar.

“Myanmar customs and traditions, mindset,perceptions and thoughts are primarily based on Theravada Buddhism,” explained the educator. “This makes Myanmar people polite and kind-hearted. You will better understand the country of Myanmar after you start learning about its traditions.”

Zhao has worked at BFSU since she graduated from the university in 1997. She stressed that she is striving to produce greater numbers of Myanmar language experts to promote closer relations between China and Myanmar.

Having grown up in Baoshan, Yunnan Province,she has always been somewhat familiar with Myanmar. She heard much about the place during childhood.

“I learned all about Myanmar at a young age,” she recalled.“I used to envy its people when I was little because most snacks, food and clothes we bought came from Myanmar.Back then, China was poor,and many people hardly had enough to eat. Because we had only a few local snacks, most of the snacks we ate were imported from Myanmar. When I was a kid, I had neighbors with relatives living in Myanmar. I used to envy them because they had food and clothes sent by their relatives.”

Zhao has been to Myanmar several times, where she visited the country’s most famous attractions and tourist destinations. She has expressed that her favorite thing about Myanmar is the beautiful environment. Currently, she is researching Myanmar’s ancient history, especially the Pyu Kingdom.

“I read a Tang Dynasty poem called ‘Biao Guo Yue,’ literally‘Pyu Orchestra,’ when I was young,” she recounted. “I knew little about the Pyu Kingdom,and only realized that it was an ancient kingdom in Myanmar after I learned the Myanmar language.”

She also admitted that sometimes it was difficult to get immersed in the Myanmar language due to the shortage of books, magazines, and audio files before 2010. Back then,few books were published in Myanmar language and her department did not have the budget allocation to buy such expensive commodities. But now it is much easier to find books in Burmese published in Myanmar and her department has a sufficient budget for books.

According to the official website of the university,over 400 ambassadors, some 1,000 counselors, as well as numerous diplomats,interpreters, translators,journalists, businessmen,lawyers and bankers have emerged from the university.BFSU has become known as an “Incubator of Diplomats”because it has produced so many experts in international affairs.