A civil servant from Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce answers questions in Chinese in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Jan. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Chinese teaching programs for Myanmar officials have trained over 1,300 civil servants from 2016 to 2019, including those from the ministries of commerce, internal affairs, sports, tourism, and construction.

NAY PYI TAW, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- "Dear all, do you know how to say Chinese Valentine's Day in Chinese?" a teacher asked. "Anyone?"

"Qi ... Xi ... Qixi Festival," replied the students.

In a classroom here in Myanmar's capital, Lu Rui, a postgraduate from China's Yunnan Normal University, was teaching Chinese in Myanmar Eastern Language and Business Center to over 30 civil servants from Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce.

The students are in their 20s or 30s with one to three years' Chinese learning experience. Quite a few had been to neighboring Yunnan Province in China for short-term language training.

Lu wrote down a topic for discussion on the board: what kind of boyfriend or girlfriend do you want?

"I hope my future boyfriend is tall, has big eyes, and loves playing football," a young woman said slowly but with accurate Mandarin pronunciation.

"I'm married. My wife has long hair, round eyes, and a sense of humor, but she's a bad cook," said U Yan Shin. His classmates burst into laughter.

Lu Rui, a postgraduate from China's Yunnan Normal University, teaches Chinese to civil servants from Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Jan. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Thanks to rapid development of China-Myanmar relations in recent years and close cooperation in such fields as trade, tourism and culture, the passion for Chinese courses has markedly grown among government officials.

U Tun Myint Tun, assistant education director of the trade department at the commerce ministry, said the ministry has made arrangements for its staff to learn Chinese since 2017. Each year about 60 people participate in the program.

"Given the growing trade volume between Myanmar and China, Chinese has become more and more important for us to do our jobs," he added.

"We have more and more meetings and business events with China, but the department has no Chinese translator or expert from China to help. That's why I learn Chinese," said 25-year-old U Yan Shin, who works at the ministry's trade department.

Having learned Chinese for three years, U Yan Shin loves watching Chinese TV shows. He said he wants to apply for a Chinese government scholarship to study in a university in China's Yunan, Sichuan or Shanghai.

A civil servant from Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce answers questions in Chinese in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Jan. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Shi Ying, a Chinese teacher, said the Chinese teaching programs for Myanmar officials have trained over 1,300 civil servants from 2016 to 2019, including those from the ministries of commerce, internal affairs, sports, tourism, and construction.

Over 230 of them have passed various levels of Chinese Proficiency Test, an international standardized test of the Chinese language for non-native speakers.

"They study really hard. They started with a purpose of doing a better job, and now they have begun to like the Chinese language." Shi added. ■