DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- For young Eglon Matto, Chinese language holds the key to his professional career in future.
"Practically Chinese language holds the key to doing business," says Matto, 22, a third-year student majoring in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in Tanzania.
Matto is learning Chinese as an elective course at the Confucius Institute at the UDSM which was established in 2013 under an agreement between UDSM and Zhejiang Normal University in China.
"I am interested in learning Chinese because China is a leading nation in terms of technology and economy. And learning Chinese gives me a good opportunity for doing business with Chinese," says Matto.
Apart from learning the Chinese language at the Confucius Institute, Matto says he also learns the language by listening to audios that he downloads from the Internet.
"I have a lot of friends who are learning Chinese language. I also watch several Chinese learning TV series and I watch Chinese movies," Matto told Xinhua in an interview.
"I also use mobile phone applications to speak with Chinese people across the world."
The young student says his favorite Chinese actor is Jackie Chan, who combines martial arts and comedy.
The Confucius Institute at the UDSM is established to meet Tanzania's growing need of understanding Chinese language, culture and increase mutual understanding among the peoples of China and Tanzania.
The Confucius Institute also acts as a platform for socio-political and economic exchanges and collaborations between China and Tanzania.
In addition, the Confucius Institute is also linking UDSM students and Chinese companies in Tanzania, recommending job opportunities to the graduates.
Joseph Gurti, 25, a third-year student majoring in education at the UDSM, is also learning Chinese language at the Confucius Institute as an elective course.
"My Chinese name is Guqiao," Gurti tells Xinhua as he writes down his Chinese name.
"I have about 15 friends who are learning Chinese language here at the Confucius Institute. I have decided to learn Chinese language because many Chinese companies in Tanzania offer good employment opportunities."
"The best way to grab these opportunities is to learn the Chinese language," he said.
He says he also learns Chinese language by listening to Chinese music and watching Chinese movies and TV series.
The growing ties between China and Tanzania in recent years has attracted many Tanzanian students to learn Chinese language.
According to Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), trade between Tanzania and China continues to grow healthily and China is Tanzania's second-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment.
About 724 Chinese companies are registered with the TIC, while more and more Tanzanians are entering into partnerships in trade and investment with their Chinese counterparts.
Over the years, Chinese companies have built a number of mega projects in Tanzania, including roads and bridges, creating about 150,000 job opportunities. Some 350,000 Tanzanians are engaging in jobs relevant to trade with China, according to the Chinese embassy in Tanzania.
Shariph Matumbi, a Tanzanian teaching Chinese language at the Confucius Institute at the UDSM, says he is teaching around 80 Tanzanian students in his class and the number of students is increasing.
Zhao Qiong, Confucius Institute Assistant Director and Lecturer, says many young Tanzanian students are cultivating interest in learning Chinese.
"Apart from class lessons, the students are learning Chinese language by watching Chinese movies, episodes and TV series," says Zhao.
