Editor's note: China Daily presents the series Friends Afar to tell the stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries. Through the vivid narration of the people in the stories, readers can get a better understanding of a country that is boosting openness.

When she first encountered it, it seemed more like a Western-style dragon than a Chinese one, a beast to run away from rather than a friend to be embraced and respected.

That dragon was the Chinese language, and the person staring into its threatening eyes was a young Uzbek woman, Mirzaakhamedova Dilsora.

It was 2005 and Dilsora was studying at the Uzbekistan State World Languages University in Tashkent. Her major was journalism and Chinese, a language stream her teacher had strongly recommended to her.

"Before heading off to college, I caught an interview on TV featuring an Uzbek student who had studied in China," she said.

"At the time I couldn't fathom out how one could tackle such a difficult language. Little did I know that this language would be my future major in college.

"Then, when I started studying it at college I found it extremely difficult, to the point that I considered throwing it in and studying another language."

However, as with many a dragon story, there is a twist in the tail, and Dilsora's despair gave way to nobler principles. "I pressed on with Chinese because I didn't want to abandon my classmates who then had become good friends of mine."

As time passed by, Dilsora's sense of loyalty and dedication has paid off for her in astonishing ways.

First, her feelings toward Chinese changed in the second year of college after she won a scholarship to study at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin province, for a year.

"When I first went to China I was totally captivated. The locals were amazingly open and engaging, readily initiating conversations with a warmth that was truly remarkable. From then on I made many local friends there, fell in love with Chinese and Chinese culture and decided to focus my studies on them."

Since then Dilsora has obtained master's and doctoral degrees at Chinese universities and is now a teacher at Minzu University of China in Beijing, teaching Uzbek to Chinese students.

As if teaching and being an unofficial ambassador for her country were not enough, Dilsora has answered another high calling: translating Chinese works into Uzbek, including books the Chinese president has written.

Helping to translate and proofread books such as Narrating China's Governance: Stories in Xi Jinping's Speeches has given her the opportunity to delve into China's governance philosophies, she said.

The Uzbek edition of Xi's book on poverty relief, Up and Out of Poverty, published last year, was translated by Dilsora. This book reflects Xi's affection for the people and the lofty pursuits of the Communist Party of China, she said.

Ideas on education

She is particularly struck by Xi's emphasis on education and his ideas have deeply touched her as a teacher, she said.

"President Xi emphasizes that we must view the problem of education from the high vantage point of economic and social development strategy. I also strongly agree with his concept of maintaining a keen focus on education as an essential vehicle for moving people out of poverty and toward prosperity."

Last year, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the Central Asia-China Summit that by drawing on China's poverty alleviation practice, his country has been able to remove more than 1 million people from the category deemed as in need in 2022.

Uzbekistan also has much to learn from how China has improved its primary education system, Dilsora said.

"I have read many articles about China's education system. We also translated a book titled China Road — Primary Education Change in China in the Context of Globalization. In translating this book I developed a keen interest in finding out more about China's educational development.

"Now Chinese experiences and practice are widely applied in education system reforms in Uzbekistan. Scholars are using this book as a guide to study the reasons why students in Shanghai schools rank high in international student assessment tests."

In translating and studying the works of Chinese leaders, observing China's growth and contemplating Chinese policies, she said the leaders' foresight has impressed her.

"In President Xi's speeches, he always manages to express his viewpoint using Chinese literary concepts and philosophical ideas, demonstrating his profound knowledge, mastery of culture and history."

To better understand China, she has also translated books on China's traditional culture, such as Confucianism by Chinese scholar Xu Fancheng.

She believes that whether it is China's governance ideas or its foreign policies, they are good at drawing on the essence of excellent traditional Chinese culture and thoughts.

"The philosophical ideas and cultures of Confucianism are a window to understanding modern China. The principle of 'valuing peace above all else' that China emphasizes is exactly the moral principle that Confucianism advocated. The wisdom of traditional Chinese culture also explains why China promotes building a community with a shared future for mankind."

Dilsora said she hopes China and Uzbekistan will continue to work closely together in many fields, and she has noticed an increasing interest in learning Chinese in Uzbekistan. "The friendship between China and Uzbekistan has a long history, and since ancient times, they have jointly created a prosperous picture of the Silk Road featuring economic and trade exchanges and cultural integration.

"I hope the two countries can compose a new chapter of cultural exchange, people-to-people connectivity and mutual learning of civilizations in building the Belt and Road (Initiative) together."

One of those helping her bring the two countries together is her husband, who was Dilsora's classmate in college and is now engaged in China-Uzbekistan trade. Their daughter, who was born in Uzbekistan and lives in Beijing, has become so attached to the city that she regards Beijing as home.

"At work, I've never felt an ounce of regret," Dilsora said. "I love introducing my own culture and language to my Chinese students. I go to work with a sense of joy every day, and that ... is what happiness is all about."