U.S. student finds it fun to read old Chinese

Number of foreigners studying is increasing; countries in South Asia account for 28 percent.

学汉语的外国人数量不断增长，南亚国家占总数的28%。

It is not uncommon for Chinese to forget Chinese characters when they write, as they are used to typing characters on a computer screen.

由于使用电脑上输入汉字越来越普遍，使得中国人经常忘记如何书写汉字。

But a United States citizen in Chengdu, Sichuan province, is skilled at speaking and writing Chinese. She reads books written in ancient Chinese characters every day and will receive her doctorate in classical Chinese literature this year.

然而， 一位在四川成都的美国人，擅长说汉语、写汉字。她每天看古汉字书，并于今年获得中国古典文学博士学位。

Sophia Kidd, 41, of Los Angeles, California, has studied classical Chinese literature at Sichuan University for five and a half years. She got her master's degree in 2012 and is studying Jin Dynasty (AD265420) literature for her doctorate.

Sophia Kidd，41岁，来自加利福尼亚洛杉矶，已经在四川大学学了5年半的中国古典文学。她于2012年获得硕士学位，目前正攻读晋代文学博士学位。

Asked if she finds reading ancient Chinese books boring, Kidd said it is fun. "I loved China as a child."

记者问她是否觉得阅读中国古书很无趣，Kidd反而说很有趣：“我爱中国，就像我爱我的孩子。“

Kidd's father is a gardener and likes Chinese gardens, she said. Influenced by her father, she has shown a keen interest in China.

Kidd的父亲是一位园丁，喜欢中国园艺。受父亲影响，她对中国有浓厚的兴趣。

Her teachers do not lower the requirements for her because she is not Chinese.

她的老师并没有因为她是外国人而降低对她的要求。

"The teachers evaluate us with the same standards. To meet their requirements, I have to study very hard and have had no vacations," she said in fluent Chinese.

她用流利的中文说道：“老师们对学生一视同仁，我努力学习，假期也不忘学习。“

Two years ago, she became ill as a result of overwork. So her graduation from the doctor's degree program will be postponed for six months.

两年前，她因学习负担太重而生病。她因此得推延6个月才能博士毕业。

Kidd is one of more than 2,000 overseas students at Sichuan University. A key Chinese university, Sichuan has witnessed a rise in the number of overseas students.

目前四川大学在读海外学生超过2000人，Kidd是其中一名。作为中国的重点大学，川大见证来华留学生的增加。

"Their number rose from 1,445 in 2010 to 2,307 in 2014. The students are from more countries. In 2010, they were from 70 countries. In 2014, they were from 94 countries," said Luo Xun, an official with the university's international exchange division.

川大国际交换生项目负责人罗浔称：“来华留学生的数量从2010年的1445人升至2014年的2307人，这些学生的国家来源也越来越丰富。2010年，来自70个国家的学生来川大留学，到2014年，有94个国家的学生来川大。“

Overseas students from the seven countries in South Asia have been a leading component of all the overseas students at Sichuan.

来自南亚七个国家的留学生一直是四川海外留学生的重要组成。

In 2014, the university had 654 students from Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India, which accounted for 28 percent of all the overseas students at the university.

2014年，川大的留学生中，有654名学生来自巴基斯坦、不丹、马尔代夫、孟加拉国、尼泊尔、斯里兰卡和印度，占川大来华留学生总数的28%。

There were only 450 students from those seven countries in 2010.

2010年，来自这七个国家的留学生只有450人。

Zeng Xiangyu, a deputy research fellow with the Institute of South Asian Studies at the university, attributed the popularity of the university among South Asian students to Sichuan's relatively short distance from their countries.

中国南亚学会研究人员曾先生表示，川大之所以受到南亚学生的欢迎，是因为四川离他们的国家相对较近。

"Because Sichuan is near, the university is their first choice. Some fields in the university are strong and can meet their needs," he said.

曾先生说：“因为四川比较近，川大就成了他们的首选。而且川大在某些专业领域很强，能够满足他们的学习需求。“

The university has advantages in fields such as medicine, water conservancy, hydro power, economy and business management, to name only a few.

川大在诸如医药、水资源保护、水利发电、经济和商业管理等领域在中国高校中处于领先水平。

"Take medicine for example. Sichuan University is very strong in the teaching of medicine. South Asian countries lack doctors and doctors there have high income and social status," he said.

曾先生说：“拿医药举个例子，川大擅长医药教学，南亚国家的医生紧缺，医生的收入很高，且该职业的社会地位高。” 

Zeng once met somebody in a South Asian country whose family totals 43 people. He majored in human resources while all the rest had studied medicine.

曾先生曾认识一位南亚的朋友，这位朋友的整个家庭有43人，除了他本人专攻人力资源外，其余都学医。

He told Zeng that he had difficulty in mingling with the family members because of his major.

他告诉曾先生，由于他的专业不一样，他觉得很难和家人融合起来。

"The cost of studying medicine at Sichuan University is relatively lower than in Europe and America. As a matter of fact, the cost of studying medicine in South Asian countries is high. For these reasons, South Asian students find Sichuan University can meet their needs," Zeng said.

“在川大学医的费用比欧美相对低些，事实上，在南亚国家学医非常昂贵。出于这些因素的考虑，南亚学生觉得川大符合他们的要求”，曾先生如是说。

His university has long stressed studies of South Asian countries. In 1964, the Institute of South Asian Studies was founded.

川大对南亚国家的研究由来已久。早在1964年就成立了南亚研究所。

 "It is one of the most important bases for studying South Asia. Some of the scholars at the institute are internationally renowned in the studies of South Asia," said Sun Shihai, president of the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies.

中国南亚学会会长孙士海说：“南亚研究所是中国最重要的南亚研究基地之一。该研究所的一些学者在南亚研究领域世界闻名”。