Peking University, Apr. 17, 2011:  The PKU Sultan Qaboos Arabic Studies Program awards ceremony was held at the Tan Siu Lin Center for International Studies of PKU on April 12.

Presented at the ceremony were Abdullah Saadi, the Omani ambassador to China, Zhai Jun, assistant minister of China's foreign ministry, and Xu Zhihong, former President of PKU. Professor Fu Zhiming, Dean of the Department of Arabic Language and Culture, presided over the ceremony.

The PKU Sultan Qaboos Arab Studies Program was launched on July 3, 2007, which was meant to promote the studies and research of Arabic language and literature in Chinese universities and to encourage the communication and cooperation between China and the Arabic countries.

PKU Vice President Li Yansong welcomed the guests at the beginning of the ceremony. He introduced the history and the research situation of PKU Department of Arabic Language and Culture. He spoke highly of the substantial achievements of the Sultan Qaboos  Arabic Studies Program. The establishment of this program, from his point of view, greatly promoted studies of the Arabic language, literature and culture. Mutual visiting opportunities for students and scholars from China and Oman provided by the program also improved the friendly interaction between Chinese and Arabic culture.

In his speech, Zhai Jun complimented program winners for their persistent efforts for the development of China-Oman friendship. He said that these people experienced and witnessed this cultural communication, and that they had made inestimable contribution to develop the relations between China and Oman. He hoped that more researchers of Arabic language and literature would contribute to deepening development of educational cooperation and cultural communication between China and Oman. 

Afterwards Abdullah Saadi delivered his speech. He thanked all who had contributed to the communication between Chinese and Oman. He thought that these people’s groundbreaking influence was too immeasurable to be awarded merely by such a single ceremony.

Abdullah Saadi, Zhai Jun, Xu Zhihong and Li Yansong awarded prizes for 30 prize winners such as Yang Fuchang, former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Zhong Jikun, a retired professor of Department of Arabic Language and Culture of PKU. The awards included Academic Contribution, Diplomatic Contribution and Special Contribution. Qaboos Distinguished Student Awards were awarded by the Omani Ambassador to some top students of the Arabic Department. Wu Qingliang, the winner of Special Contribution Award, gave Wu Qingliang and Song Shaobin Scholarship to 5 winners.

The speech of Zhai Na, an alumnus from the Arabic Department of PKU, ended the ceremony. She encouraged Arabic majors to study hard for the development of Arabic research and cultural communication.

Edited by: Zhang Chunlan 
Written by: Liu Lu
Source: Office of International Relations