China runs in this education-loving family from Pakistan

“From the 1970s, six members of our family have come to China to study, and all of us have studied at the Beijing Institute of Technology,” said Ammar Muhammad, director of operations at the China-Pakistan International Industrial Academic Integration Alliance of the Tang International Education Group.

The young Pakistani national spoke in Mandarin while sharing his family’s bond with China during a recent interview with China Daily. “Our family gatherings are like BIT alumni reunions … we are literally ‘native’ to BIT,” he said.

The family’s interactions and bond with China would not have been possible without the China Pictorial magazine. “At that time, the Pakistani people, too, had a preference for Western countries, and many Pakistani people went to the United States and Europe to study. Yet my grandfather was intrigued by China Pictorial, which was distributed by the Chinese embassy in Pakistan every month … and he took them home.”

“My father saw a lot of photographs of Chinese architecture in China Pictorial and was impressed by the Chinese people who were working very hard to build their motherland.” Muhammad said that China Pictorial also had contents on traditional Chinese culture, such as Chinese opera and martial arts.

“There were also a couple of movies that impressed my father, like The White Haired Girl and The Cock Crows at Midnight.” Produced in 1951 and 1964 respectively, both movies portray how Chinese peasants, old and young, rose to fight against the brutal exploitation by feudal landlords.

Muhammad said that Pakistani society, too, was dominated by a select few who owned land and land resources, and exploited the ordinary people at that time. “My father thought that the Pakistani people also needed to build their own country, so he wanted to visit China and explore the country ... he was full of curiosity and developed an inexplicable affinity toward China.”

Explaining how his father got a chance to study in China, Muhammad said that he read a piece of news that a cultural exchange program between China and Pakistan will enable some Pakistani students to travel to China for higher studies.

“With the support of my grandfather, he availed the opportunity to do so.”

After coming to China, Muhammad’s father saw for himself the unity of the Chinese people and their dedication to build their country.

“Cadres, intellectuals and students used to visit local communities to learn how to better serve society”, he said. Their source of knowledge was not confined to the classroom, the chalk and the blackboard, and books. His father “learned in China that theories should be linked to the reality of the world”, Muhammad said.

“This convinced my father even further that ‘the future of the world belongs to China’. He used to tell us stories about his stay in China, and our house was full of objects from China. Growing up with these things, it was natural that we too wanted to study in China.”

Beginning in 2005, Muhammad and his two sisters came to China to complete their higher studies. He said the Belt and Road Initiative has opened a door to a new world for an increasing number of young Pakistani people.

“The fundamental goal of the initiative is to explore new ways of common development with neighbors and partner countries, and to open a road to happiness for the benefit of all countries,” he said.

Muhammad is now in charge of cultural exchange programs between the two countries in his institution, which has incorporated the advanced teaching standards of Chinese vocational education in the Pakistani education system, benefiting at least 10,000 Pakistani youths every year.

“In 2019, we invited 19 students from Pakistan to come to China to study automobile testing and maintenance. The piloting and experience of this group of students helped us develop a very good perspective and adopt the right approach,” he said.

Talking about the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Muhammad said that he has visited the place for work. And he loves Xinjiang not just because it is China’s provincelevel region closest to his motherland, but also because of its beautiful landscapes, rich agricultural produce and modern infrastructure.

Xinjiang’s modernization, he said, is based on tapping the region’s distinct features and its innovation-oriented ethnic culture. “Xinjiang makes high-quality products with distinct features, offers unique tourism programs, integrates different cultures, and maintains ethnic harmony to make life better for all,” he said.

He said he hoped that his motherland would learn from the experiences of Xinjiang and the rest of the Chinese nation how to become a prosperous and strong country.

“The open, safe and civilized social environment of Xinjiang provides the world with a good Chinese solution to the problem of multiethnic and multi-religious integration and common modernization. The region is worth visiting for people from all countries.”

Looking back at the past 18 years, Muhammad said China is his “second home” and only because of China has the unique story of his family been made possible. “My family’s story is a reminder of how the fate of an ordinary family from a Belt and Road partner country has changed in tandem with China’s development. China has always been such a lovely, trustworthy and honorable presence in my heart and in the hearts and minds of the rest of the Pakistani people.”

Muhammad appealed to more international students to come to China for higher studies and training. “China is a very inclusive and enterprising country. Whether you are an engineer, an actor or an artist, you will be able to find your career path in your area of expertise,” he added.

Ammar Muhammad