JOHANNESBURG -- Sanele Ntuli, a young man from South Africa, began learning the Chinese language much the way his cohort does: his tutor gave him a Chinese name in the first class. "From trees to a forest" is what Ntuli's Chinese name Lin Sen signifies.

In South Africa, the number of Chinese learners and enthusiasts of Chinese culture has witnessed a remarkable surge in the past decade, said Ntuli. "My Chinese name is a fitting metaphor for my people's increased interest in the Chinese language."

Take the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa, where Ntuli learned Chinese. Since 2013 when Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of an agreement on its establishment, nearly 10,000 students have so far studied there.

Lately, Ntuli, now a Chinese language instructor, together with other 49 teachers and students of the DUT Confucius Institute, wrote a joint letter to Xi, sharing their experience, harvest and feelings in learning Chinese, thanking Xi and the Chinese government for providing more opportunities for African youths to pursue their dreams, and, with eager anticipation, looking forward to Xi's visit to South Africa again.

To Ntuli's surprise, Xi replied, encouraging them to learn the Chinese language well and contribute to carrying forward the China-South Africa friendship and promoting friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Both important developing countries, China and South Africa have forged a special "comradely fraternal" friendship, said Xi in the letter, adding that learning and understanding each other's language and culture contributes to facilitating mutual understanding and cultivating ever-lasting friendship between the people of the two countries.

For many of his students, Ntuli's experience of learning Chinese is inspiring. "A lot of DUT students and faculty attend our Chinese lessons," he told Xinhua. "When I told them my story of first learning Chinese, then studying in China, and now teaching Chinese, they said my experience is inspiring."

Ntuli's journey of Chinese learning began five years ago. Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world, as Ntuli had been told for years. So he never expected to study Chinese until a friend in 2018 invited him to the DUT Confucius Institute.

Fascinated by Chinese characters, Ntuli has been devoting himself to learning Chinese since then. For him, learning Chinese is more than just a hobby. It has opened doors for him in terms of both better schooling and employment.

In his letter, Xi noted that by learning Chinese, many South African youths have got a glimpse of China's history and culture, increased their career options, and realized their dreams.

Indeed, with the deepening ties between the two countries, learning Chinese and embracing the opportunities offered by bilateral economic and trade cooperation have become a preferred choice for many South African youngsters.

Data released by China showed that in the first half of the year, bilateral trade reached 28.25 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.7 percent year-on-year.

China has maintained its position as South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years.

According to Wu Lin, co-dean of the DUT Confucius Institute, his institute offers local youth skill development, exchange visits, internships, and other possibilities in addition to teaching the Chinese language.

By integrating Chinese language learning with career development, innovation, and entrepreneurship, the Confucius Institute has become the epitome of the increasingly close and fruitful people-to-people exchanges between China and South Africa.

"I see myself and my fellow learners of the Chinese language as a bridge between South Africa and China," said Ntuli. "I want to help more young South Africans ... so that the bridge can be extended."