"Working in China" encourages more Brazilian youth to learn Chinese

Enrique has been learning Chinese systematically in the institute for three and a half years, during which he took Chinese lessons while working hard as a sales representative to fund his way through university.

To Enrique, the most annoying thing is that it's hard to find a partner to practice oral Chinese. In addition to learning pronunciation on online video websites, most of the time, he practiced by talking to himself.

Learning Chinese, studying university courses and working at the same time made his life super busy, but the dream of working in China helped him hold out. His persistent efforts finally paid back.

Last month, Enrique the finished first place in the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in Brazil and won a chance to compete in the final round in Beijing.

If he does well in the final, he will have a chance to study in Nankai University, a famous university in China, located in north China's Tianjin city.

"I will try my best," he said, "In the future, I want to work for famous IT giants in China like Baidu or Alibaba."

Enrique's love for the Chinese culture and the goal to work in China and Chinese companies are not rare in Brazil.

Rafael, 27, has already fulfilled his Chinese dream, by winning a chance to study in Nankai University through the "Chinese Bridge" program and then working in Baidu as an intern.

After he finished studies in Nankai University, Rafael was recruited by Baidu's branch in Brazil partially because of his excellent Chinese. He has grown up into a manager with a decent salary.

"Chinese Bridge has changed my life and learning Chinese has brought me more opportunities," Rafael said.