In brief
The Jakarta expo attracted 3,000 students and parents, showcasing 21 Chinese universities and spotlighting students such as 16‑year‑old Calysta Wijaya who plans to study pharmacy in China. Teacher Zheng Wenting noted growing enrollment in Mandarin courses, while graduate Dexter Godwin shares that a Chinese engineering degree led to a career in Indonesia’s oil industry.
In Jakarta, an international career and study expo featuring 21 Chinese universities drew around 3,000 Indonesian students and parents, highlighting how learning Chinese can open paths to higher education and employment for youth across Indonesia.
The event, held on Sunday 2 November, concentrated on the upcoming 2026 HSK study in China and a career expo that displayed student programmes from Peking University, Tsinghua University and other institutions.
Among the crowds was 16‑year‑old Calysta Jacqueline Wijaya, a first‑year high‑school student who has been studying Chinese for 11 years. She told Xinhua,
I want to study pharmacy in China,and explained that she hopes to bring professional knowledge back to Indonesia to help more people. Calysta is working to raise her score on the Chinese Proficiency Test, or HSK, as she prepares to apply to Chinese universities.
Calysta’s classmate, 15‑year‑old Richard Dharma Hungnata, has been learning the language since primary school and already speaks Chinese fluently. His visits to cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have left him impressed by China’s development. Richard, who enjoys mathematics and physics, is targeting an engineering study in China and plans to take the HSK after his second year of high‑school, hoping a higher score will strengthen his university applications.
Their Mandarin teacher, Zheng Wenting, who also manages a Mandarin education centre in Indonesia, has seen a surge in student interest. “More Indonesian parents have taken an interest in having their children learn Chinese in recent years, while an increasing number of students aspire to study in China,” Zheng told Xinhua. She said enrolment at her institution has risen from about 50 students per intake a decade ago to nearly 500 today.
The expo also featured a booth from the Beijing‑based China University of Petroleum, where Indonesian alumnus Dexter Godwin spoke about his journey. Godwin earned a degree in petroleum engineering in China and now works in Indonesia’s oil industry, illustrating how a Chinese university education can translate into a professional career at home.
Professor‑level panels and informational displays at the expo highlighted curriculum options, scholarship opportunities and visa procedures. Parents and students received guidance on preparing for the HSK exam and on gaining admission to Chinese universities, underscoring the practical support offered by the event.
For many Indonesian youngsters, Chinese language skills are becoming an integral part of their academic pathway. The expanse of university programmes and career possibilities in China, coupled with the growing number of students enrolling in Mandarin courses, suggests that mastering Chinese can be a pivotal step toward both academic and professional aspirations.
