Chinese language learning gains popularity among Lebanese students

BEIRUT, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon saw an increasing popularity of Chinese language learning among students this academic year starting in October, said the director of the country's Confucius Institute.

Nisrine Abdel Nour Lattouf told Xinhua that the Confucius Institute at Saint Joseph University of Beirut has been offering Chinese language courses to 325 students at five other schools across the country, more than doubling the 120 students enrolled in the previous academic year ending June 2023.

Lattouf expected the number to increase remarkably in the future since there has been a growing demand from Lebanese schools, which she said is due to the job opportunities, cross-cultural communication platforms, and chances to enter the Chinese market potentially provided by learning Chinese.

The Confucius Institute at Saint Joseph University was established in 2006 in partnership with China's Shenyang Normal University.