Published on: 2026-05-11
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Tianjin, May 11 /Xin Hua/ — “If you try to trace back where my story with China began, then, probably, you need to return to a school classroom for a geography lesson in Dushanbe. There, on the map, China was initially just a neighboring country — huge, rapidly developing, and the Chinese language seemed almost impossibly difficult — hieroglyphs, tones, a different linguistic logic,” recalls 26-year-old Umar Suleimanov from Tajikistan.
A young man is currently studying at Nankai University in the city of Tianjin /Northern China/, where the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization /SCO/ took place in 2025. In the same year, having already lived in China for several years and speaking Chinese fluently, he was involved as a volunteer at the corresponding SCO event. According to him, this experience holds a special place in his history with China.
U. Suleimanov clearly remembers how the image of China in his mind gradually changed after workers from Chinese companies began living near his home in Dushanbe during his childhood. China became closer to him than it seemed on the map. “In the early morning I was going to school, and they were already doing their morning jog. They seemed very organized, disciplined, but at the same time open and friendly.”
The decision of the young man to study in China was not accidental. His uncle said that the Chinese language is the future, and that China and Tajikistan are destined to go side by side, and therefore, those who can understand both sides will always find work. “The more I learned about China, the clearer it became that if I want not just to ‘master a profession,’ but to have the opportunity to really help my region, I need to go exactly this way,” he shared.
In 2018, U. Suleimanov, who was already studying Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the Tajik National University, received a government scholarship from China and went to study the language in the city of Jinan / Shandong Province, Eastern China/.
Having arrived in the city, U. Suleimanov was deeply impressed by online payment, high-speed trains, huge overpasses, and the fast pace of life. According to him, China was perceived not as an abstract “developed” country, but as a space where development is literally felt in everyday life.
Already in the first year, the young man received a certificate of proficiency in the Chinese language at the HSK4 level. Diligent study allowed him to enter Nankai University, one of the leading universities in China, for a bachelor’s degree in the specialty “Jurisprudence.”
During his undergraduate years, U. Suleimanov tried not to limit himself to just the classroom. As part of a trip to Gansu Province / Northwestern China, he studied the local situation with teachers, Chinese and foreign friends, socialized with children, and conducted classes.
“For the first time in my life, I stood in front of children and talked about ‘how the law protects children,’ sharing not only knowledge but also culture. For me, a law student from Tajikistan, it was a symbolic moment, I felt that I could be useful even in a foreign country, relying on the common language of law and human values,” noted U. Suleymanov.
A young man also visited the city of Lunkou in Shandong province, where he studied local development with the guys in such areas as industry, the agricultural sector, and learned history. In his opinion, this was a different level of perception of China, which allowed him to learn more not only about the big city, but also about how life in the region is changing, what efforts are being made to avoid leaving “weak spots” unattended.
In this regard, U. Suleimanov decided to enter the master’s program at Nankai University, but already specializing in “international relations.” “Jurisprudence gave me logical thinking and understanding of legal frameworks, but I was increasingly drawn to understanding how states interact, how the regional security architecture is built, and how Central Asia develops in the context of cooperation with China.”
Master’s degree became a new stage for U. Suleymanov both from the point of view of science and from the point of view of practice. In 2025, he worked within the framework of the Conference on Industrial Cooperation in the field of sustainable development “China-SCO” and the SCO Forum on Digital Economy, where he acted as a kind of bridge between Tajik participants and Chinese colleagues. “When events related to the SCO were held in Tianjin, I did not want to remain a passive observer,” he added.
In particular, for the SCO Forum on the Digital Economy, U. Suleimanov underwent training at a company that produces robots and sensors in the city of Shenzhen /Guangdong Province, Southern China/, which is a technological center of China. “For me, this experience provided an opportunity to see the technological side of development, how innovation chains are built, how enterprises establish cooperation with foreign partners, how technologies become a bridge between countries.”
“If China was previously for me a ‘country of the greater number,’ characterized by a huge economy, rapid growth, and infrastructural megaprojects, now behind these figures I see people, their efforts and their hopes. I see how China is changing, how it is seeking a balance between tradition and modernization, how it is rethinking its role in the world and in the region, including Central Asia,” he said.
U. Suleymanov is currently completing his master’s degree and preparing for the next step – doctoral studies at Nankai University, where he will continue research on the topic of China, Central Asia, and especially the relations between China and Tajikistan.
“In 5-10 years, I see myself as a researcher and practitioner simultaneously – a person who writes not only academic articles but also participates in real cooperative projects,” he shared.
“I want my journey from the geography lesson in Dushanbe to the conference halls of the SCO in Tianjin to become not an exception, but one of many routes that young Tajiks and other Central Asian students will take, and for me to manage to somewhat strengthen the bridge between Tajikistan and China, between the Pamir mountains and Chinese megacities, between my childhood perception of China on the map and today’s living reality,” the young man wishes. -0-
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