Chinese course offers fillip to Myanmar Buddhists

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In what might be termed a people's Belt and Road Initiative, groups in Myanmar and China are collaborating in a learning program that is building bridges of friendship.

Buddha Ditar is one of the more than 200 temple schools in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon, where students, mostly Buddhist nuns and orphans, receive 11 years of education, including a course about China.

The students say they hope learning Chinese will equip them with at least one important skill.

Students at Buddha Ditar attend Chinese language class. /CGTN Photo

The course was launched a year ago as a charity program by Noble, a private language training center.

Su Xuerong, who teaches at Buddha Ditar twice a week, said she was moved by the students’ diligence and devotion.

At Buddha Ditar, everyone strictly follows a Buddhist routine in keeping with the dominant religion in the country. They get up at four o'clock in the morning and go to sleep at nine at night.

The abbot says it’s been her hope that everyone develops their own talent.

Over 220 Buddhist temples in Yangon offer a range of courses for students. /CGTN Photo

Earlier this year, Noble, along with a Chinese NGO, Yunnan International Non-governmental Organization Society, donated 100 television sets to 100 temples in Yangon, much to the delight of the children.

Jiang Qiying, the director of the training center, hailed the roles played by cultural exchanges between the two nations. She expressed the hope that this program will make huge difference to the destinies of less fortunate children.

The Belt and Road Initiative championed by China is largely about infrastructural and trade development but is also about building bridges of friendship across borders with projects such as this.

Local people are also playing their part by providing donations of food from time to time to temples to assist them in carrying out their daily operations.