Xinhua News Agency, Tashkent, October 4th News | "Chinese Micro Classroom" in Uzbekistan's Flea Market
Xinhua News Agency reporter Bao Nuomin
On October 3, 57-year-old merchant Rashid stood in front of his stall at the Yangiabad Flea Market in the eastern suburbs of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zafar Khalilov)
In Tashkent in October, the Yanghiabad flea market in the eastern suburbs of the city was bustling with people. Rashid, a 57-year-old businessman, was quoting several Chinese tourists in fluent Chinese, gesturing at the size of the items from time to time. The little girl next to her, Zarina, came forward, raised her face and said in Chinese: "Hello, long time no see!" which aroused a surprise from the tourists.
It is hard to imagine that in front of this second-hand goods stall displaying old Soviet cameras, yellowed postcards and vinyl records, there is actually a "Chinese micro classroom" hidden.
"When I saw Chinese tourists before, I couldn't speak a word of Chinese, so I could only get anxious." Rashid recalled. He began to try to teach himself "the stupid way". Whenever a Chinese tourist stopped to pick up old items, he would point to the stall and ask the customer in English: "How do you say this in Chinese?" Over the past few years, through interactions with customers, Rashid had just laid down a foundation of spoken Chinese at the stall.
On October 3, at the Yangiabad Flea Market in the eastern suburbs of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, Chinese tourists purchased old items at Rashid’s stall. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zafar Khalilov)
In recent years, with the implementation of China-Uzbekistan visa-free policy and the improvement of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, the number of Chinese tourists entering this representative Central Asian flea market to hunt for goods has doubled.
Once, several Chinese guests came, but Rashid didn't understand a word. After asking in English, he learned that the guests spoke Cantonese. Only then did he realize that there are many Chinese dialects and that Chinese is more complex and interesting than imagined.
Rashid’s enthusiasm for learning Chinese quickly infected those around him. 10-year-old Zarina is his neighbor. The little girl often goes to Rashid's stall to play in her spare time. Watching Rashid chatting animatedly with customers in Chinese, she also developed a strong interest.
"Rashid taught me a sentence, and I followed it," Zarina told reporters. Nowadays, whenever she sees Chinese tourists approaching from a distance, the little girl will confidently go up to them and say hello in Chinese. "Chinese tourists are very friendly, and I like chatting with them more and more. I also want to learn more about Chinese culture."
On October 3, at the Yangiabad Flea Market in the eastern suburbs of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, Rashid (right) handed goods to customers in front of the stall. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zafar Khalilov)
Mr. Chen, who has worked in the office of a Chinese company in Tashkent for many years, is a frequent visitor here. He said that every time he came to Rashid's stall, listening to his self-taught Chinese and the childish greetings of his children, he not only felt a deep sense of intimacy in a foreign country, but also realized that cultural exchanges between China and Uzbekistan are taking root among the people.
In order to better understand China, Rashid also registered Xiaohongshu and WeChat accounts on his mobile phone, and browsed the shares of Chinese netizens when he had time. In his view, Chinese is not only a language, but also a key to the future. "Most of my life has passed, but I often tell the children in the market that your life has just begun. Now there are more and more Chinese companies and projects in Central Asia. If you learn Chinese, the future will be much easier."
Rashid said that both he and Zarina’s family wanted their children to attend formal Chinese classes, but the Chinese school in Tashkent was too far away. "If there is a Chinese learning class nearby, I would also like to go there. I want to learn Chinese systematically."
