Chinese is my real dream! I have chosen Beijing Language and Culture University to continue studying Chinese for several reasons. First of all, it is one of the best universities in China for foreign students to study Chinese. I have read reviews from other students and websites about this University, and heard from people including colleagues and teachers both Chinese and foreigners how famous and successful its programs are. Secondly, I have been studying Chinese on and off since 2006 and in 2014, I traveled to China for one year where I studied Chinese at a language program in Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. But this was not enough. So, since I want to further improve my Chinese language listening and reading skills to use them in my future career, and since I live now with my husband in Dubai, UAE where there are many opportunities to work with Chinese people and companies, I want to study in an international university where I can meet other people from around the world who would like to study Chinese. For sure speaking Chinese is also a financially rewarding skill, especially for those like me who also speak other languages (I also speak Arabic and English). Furthermore, I am sure now with the ambitious One Belt One Road global initiative that China is embarking on, there will be a lot of need for people who speak Chinese and know about Chinese culture all over the world and especially in Dubai, where I live now, and in the Middle East in general. For all these reasons, the best place in China to get such skills is Beijing Language and Culture University. In the following lines, I will explain my own journey with Chinese language. “Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China”. When I was a child, I always heard my school teachers and relatives repeat this Arabic saying which is more than a1000 years old. It is about the importance of seeking learning even if you have to travel very far, and in those old days travelling was not easy because China was so far. In my teenage years, my imagination used to travel to China, inspired by what I used to see on TV. I grew up seeing Chinese goods fill the Syrian markets as part and parcel of our everyday life. Therefore, I always used to dream of travelling to China to live there and learn Chinese. After graduating from the Intermediate Institute of Statistics in 2005, I joined the Damascus Chamber of Industry, where I took several positions, including the Head of the Labor Relations Unit. This enabled me to meet many Chinese businesspeople who came to Syria. I also met Syrian businesspeople who visited China and created an economic bridge between the two great old civilizations. I also realized that China is one of the largest and fastest growing countries in the world; that it is a diverse nation and one of the oldest civilizations on earth; and that China is one of the top economic engines globally that serves virtually as the factory of the world with the famous phrase “Made in China” we encounter everywhere. Having fallen in love with China, I decided to learn Chinese, which is spoken by over 1.4 billion people. I started taking Chinese classes in 2006 at the Foreign Languages Institute at Damascus University. This was not enough. So, after I graduated from Damascus University in 2013 with a degree in English translation, I revived my old dreams of studying Chinese in China itself. Despite the heavy and devastating war that was taking place in Syria, I used my personal savings to travel to China in 2014 for one year where I studied at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. Living in China was such a relieving experience for me. I was able to learn more about Chinese language, culture, and traditions. I scored 185 in HSK Level 4 examination. After completing one year of study and having used up my savings, I went back to Syria in 2015. In 2016, and after getting married and joining my husband who lives and works in a business TV channel (CNBC Arabia TV) in Dubai, UAE, I continued taking Chinese courses at Confucius Institute at University of Dubai. I also met many Chinese people who live and work in Dubai, or visit the city for tourism or fun. My passion for Chinese will never end here. In fact, that is why I would like to continue learning Chinese in China at the Beijing Language and Culture University. I hope to become one day so fluent in Chinese that I can act as a bridge between the great Arab and Chinese cultures. I would love to be able to translate Chinese books and cultural materials into Arabic and vice versa, because I want to introduce China to Arabs and Arabs to the China. I will be very grateful to you if you can give me this great opportunity to purse my passion and dreams. Thank you so much in advance for considering my application.