A student from Ningbo Dahongying University teaches pinyin, the romanized representation of how each character is pronounced, to two expats in Ningbo. [Photo/Jiangbei Fabu WeChat]

Over 20 students, majoring in teaching the Chinese language to speakers of foreign languages from Ningbo Dahongying University, are taking part in a summer program at the Old Bund community in the city to teach Chinese to local expats. 

Learning Chinese has become more popular among foreigners in recent years and many expats in Ningbo also hope to integrate into Chinese society and culture by learning the language, according to the organizers.

The summer activity has nine Chinese courses throughout August. Jointly launched by the community and the university, it provides a platform where expats are able to have face-to-face talks with their "teachers". All courses are free to participants.

Theresa from the United States is one of the beneficiaries of these Chinese courses. She said thanks to the vivid explanations of the students, they've learned many Chinese expressions for daily use.

An official from the local human resources and social security bureau explained that the activity is aimed at building the Old Bund into a hotbed for Chinese learning through the integration of resources from universities, government departments and companies.

A student from Ningbo Dahongying University shows Chinese characters to two expats during a Chinese course at the Old Bund community. [Photo/Jiangbei Fabu WeChat]