Young Colombian: Chinese characters are unique, intriguing

Born in Columbia, Jorge Andrés Contreras works as an editor in a foreign language press in Beijing.

He is proficient in Spanish, French, and English, and has been learning Chinese ardently since he arrived in Beijing for the first time in 2016.

Since he first started learning Chinese, he has found the four tones of the spoken language a great challenge and the inaccurate pronunciation could even lead to misunderstandings.　

To improve his Chinese, Contreras would avidly consume Chinese movies and even use restaurant menus as learning materials.

Later, he discovered the unique aesthetic appeal of Chinese characters, as the structure of some characters perfectly echo with their connotation.

He also admires how Chinese characters embody moral virtues of honesty, integrity, and adherence to rules.