[Kyrgyzstan] Kanatbek Kyzy Aliza, Yancheng Polytechnic College
I come from Kyrgyzstan, a country on the ancient Silk Road. On the north side of the capital Bishkek there is a street named Zhibek-Joreh, which just means “Silk Road” in Chinese. Kyrgyzstan has been following the example of China and taking the path of reform and opening up with its own characteristics. In recent years, more and more Chinese companies are investing in Kyrgyzstan, and there are more and more “Chinese marks” on the streets.
Mastering Chinese means obtaining a good job in Chinese-invested companies. My father, a fruit businessman who exports fruits to Kazakhstan and Russia, used to say to me half-jokingly, “Do you want to learn Chinese? In the future, you can export our high-quality fruits to China.” In 2017 I finally got the opportunity to study international business at Yancheng Polytechnic College.
I have been fond of sports since childhood, especially running and volleyball. I joined the school volleyball team in S. Karalaiev Middle School. Through hard training, I won a main position of the team. Our team had won three city championships and I had been named the best player twice. I like to watch some international volleyball matches on TV or the internet. The Chinese women’s volleyball team greatly impressed me. The girls are always able to work together and fight hard. I always dream of taking a picture with my favorite volleyball player Zhu Ting.
Not long after I arrived at Yancheng Polytechnic College in Jiangsu Province, a sports meeting was held in the college. I registered for the 1,000- meter race and relay race and had very good achievements. Luckily, our School of International Education soon formed its own volleyball team, and I took the initiative to organize the daily training for everyone. We also had students from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia on our team.
Although we came from different countries with different languages and cultures, we quickly united on the volleyball court, and volleyball became a bond of understanding that allowed us to fight for the same goals. In the college’s volleyball league in 2018, we co-operated and encouraged each other, and presented a wonderful game with our great dunking and blocking skills. We finally won the second place in the whole college.
Our hard work won us a lot of praise from the Chinese students, who gave us thumbs-up. We really appreciated the sport of volleyball at that moment, which made us really understand the meaning of “sports without borders” in a foreign country.
My athletic ability has been recognized by my teachers, and therefore, I have been given many opportunities to participate in sports competitions outside of school. In 2018, in Dayang Bay Ecological Tourist Area of Yancheng, we formed a team to participate in the “My Family in Yancheng – International Friendship Park Orienteering Competition” and competed with more than 60 players from 10 countries along the Belt and Road including Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Kazakhstan, etc.
We completed the kangaroo jump, straw relay, double rope skipping and other tasks, and searched for flags printed with such Chinese characters as “我”, “家”, “在”, “盐”, “城”(My home is at Yancheng) around the park. Finally, our group completed the task in the shortest time and won the first place in the competition. We were awarded a medal and a certificate, which were very meaningful. This activity deepened our perception of “ecological Yancheng, beautiful Yancheng”, promoted the communication between our international students and other international friends studying and working in Yancheng.
The proudest thing happened in 2019. Seven other international students and I formed the Yancheng representative team and participated in a competition named “Joyful Jiangsu, Befriending Five Continents – Foreigners in Jiangsu Orienteering Cross-country Competition” in the beautiful Dongshan of Suzhou city. The competition was a treasure hunt in the tea garden, which was very interesting and exciting.
During the competition, my schoolmate Leng Yang from Kazakhstan fell down in the final sprinting and had skin abrasions, which received very timely treatment from the medical staff on site. Although we did not achieve the desired result this time, we still showed the sportsmanship of never giving up. We also made more friends from different countries in Jiangsu and appreciated the charm of Suzhou, a city where modernity and classicality meet. The experiences from this competition will stay in my memory forever.
Although I haven’t had a chance to take a photo with my idol Zhu Ting during my three years in China, I was deeply moved by the never-give-up spirit of the Chinese women’s volleyball team when I saw them win the Women’s Volleyball World Cup with 11 consecutive victories. I cheered from my heart for the Chinese women’s volleyball team and for my idol winning the MVP. What sports give me is not only the passion of overcoming obstacles and striving for the top, but also another window of understanding China, which have made my life in China richer and better.
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
