In 2015, during a state visit to the United Kingdom, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that language "is the key to learning about a country and its culture".

Embracing different cultures no doubt results in more people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, which, as Xi said in 2019, "is a sure way to eliminate estrangement and misunderstanding and promote mutual understanding among nations".

Xi made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. He also stressed that people are the "best bridge" for exchanges.

So for many foreigners, learning Chinese is not just about getting to know another culture, but also getting Chinese more involved with their own culture and civilizations.

Noppawan Sereesuntiwong, 40, now a small-business owner in Thailand, traveled to China in 2018 to learn Chinese after gaining a master's degree in the UK.

Inspiration from contest

A year later she took part in the Silk Road Youth International Sand Painting Competition, co-organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Silk Road Cities Alliance, and won the Most Potential Award.

During the competition she had the chance to take a look at sand paintings of artists from China, Russia and Pakistan.

"They helped me further understand the culture and art of their countries," she says.

After winning the award, she also had the opportunity to show her artwork to many others, but for her the most important thing was that she could promote Thai culture to Chinese people by attending cultural exchange events at the Thai embassy in Beijing.

"Learning Chinese has brought me opportunities to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds. It's a mutual process. When we (foreigners) get to know more about Chinese culture, Chinese people are also learning something about our culture."