ANY visitor to the Chinese Culture Week held at the University of Tehran would be amazed by the Chinese tea, food, and various artworks produced through Chinese knotting and traditional paper cutting — all displayed by Iranian students learning Chinese.

“Chinese knots are believed to bring good luck and act as charms that can ward off evil spirits,” Zeinab Ghafourian, a 19-year-old sophomore studying Chinese at the Confucius Institute of the University of Tehran, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The Chinese Culture Week that concluded yesterday aims to introduce Chinese culture to more Iranians.

Held inside the lobby of the institute, which was established in 2009, the event displayed a range of artworks that contain different elements of Chinese culture, produced by Iranian professors and students at the university.

Mohammadreza Gholamrezaei, another sophomore at the institute, said he chose to learn the Chinese language due to his strong interest in China’s rich culture and history.

“Given China’s increasing global influence, as well as its friendly and expanded relations with Iran, learning about the country unmediated becoming very important,” said Hamed Vafaei, the Iranian director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Tehran.

He believed that the students who are studying Chinese language would enter different sectors of Iranian society in the near future, helping more people to get to know more about China.

“Each of the students here is a window toward China, helping the Iranian people have a more realistic picture of the country,” he added. (Xinhua)