Islamabad, : A Chinese-scholarship holder Pakistani youngster from a small town embraced great changes in life, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Thursday.
The 30-year-old Malik Usama Hamid comes from Sharakpur Sharif, a small city close to Lahore proud of his life as he learnt Chinese language and culture.
” I got that scholarship opportunity with complete foreign studies expenses that was an amazing and life-changing moment which he will never forget,” Malik said.
China has become a popular education destination for Pakistani students, according to China’s Ministry of Education, the number of Pakistani students has risen in China with a series of preferential policies offered by the Chinese government after the launch of CPEC, a pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative. Many students have been facilitated to obtain scholarships under such a program.
“As we know, the Chinese language is one of the most difficult languages to master in the world. Reading, writing and typing in Chinese are all what I learned in China.
There are many similarities between Pakistani and Chinese culture. I think a language acts as a bridge between two countries. To better understand each other’s feelings, one of the nicest ways to make the connection stronger is to communicate in their language.”
Touching on ways to learn Chinese, Malik said that he adopted a mode of learning, that is, to watch Chinese cartoons. “In Chinese cartoons they use very daily routine words that were with English and Chinese simplified Pinyin subtitles. So that makes it very easy to understand the Chinese language.”
“During my education in China, I learned their language, culture and values which enabled me to understand them closely. It was a very proud moment for me after completing my degree. I was motivated by my teachers and classmates in Beijing Language and Culture University, and passed the level of language proficiency test HSK-6,” Malik said proudly.
After two years of study in China, he returned to Lahore and worked as a full-time translator for Challenge Fashion. With his hard work, he gradually grew with the company from an interpreter to planning department manager, and now he works as an assistant to the director.
Challenge Fashion, a Shanghai-based company, has invested more than US$150 million in an industrial park on Lahore’s border with Kasur. The industrial park is set to house state-of-the-art fabric units, dyeing facilities, and garment manufacturing units for exporting sportswear from Pakistan to the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other regions of the world.
Having worked in different departments within the company, Malik has gained knowledge of the whole production process and management. One of his priorities is to reduce the communication gap between Chinese and Pakistani staff.
“I don’t face much difficulty because I am well equipped with Chinese and Pakistani culture as compared with others. Our company is always ready for innovation and new things because it has a vision of becoming the best textile company. I am lucky to become a part of this vision and contribute further,” said Malik.
During the pandemic, Malik said proudly that his company was always there to help the society as well as employees. “We gave many masks, personal protective equipment and other prevention materials to the government and society for the precautions of COVID-19.
We also gave the full amount to every staff member and never fired anyone even during the toughest times. This is the vision of our company – caring for people and society.”
Challenge Fashion also plays a vital role in Pakistan’s economy as well as providing lots of employment opportunities. Now, having worked for the company for about four years, Malik has become a key staff member.
He’s grateful to CPEC for the chance to realize his dream, and CPEC also awarded him for his contribution.
