This month, Sarah Mazhar, Pakistani PhD student from Beijing University of Technology, who has formally learnt Standard Chinese since September 2019, bagged first prize in an essay competition for international students in Beijing. 

Sarah was serving as Lecturer in Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science in National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. 

Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and related organizations jointly organized the 2020 "Beijing and I" Theme Essay Competition for foreign students in Beijing to enhance the interest and ability of foreign students in learning Chinese. 

Aimed at strengthening people-to-people friendship, the competition is being organized after every two years, and 2020 is the fifth competition. 

"I recommend all Pakistani people to learn Chinese," Sarah said. "In fact, Chinese has started to be taught in many schools in Pakistan." 

We love China as our brother, so we want to communicate with Chinese people and get to know the country more. 

"As most Chinese people prefer to speak Standard Chinese, rather than English, so it motivates us to learn Standard Chinese for better communication." She also shared her experiences in learning Standard Chinese with reporters.