At the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad, Syeda Rimsha Ali Shah and her friend Muhammad Irfan have been rehearsing a Chinese pop song to present it in front of Chinese and Pakistani audiences.

"Chinese is my major, but I found the song very difficult. The notes were hard to catch," Shah said after her performance.

The event, which was held Monday, welcomed the spring season through performances of complex Chinese songs and classic dance by students from the university. Pakistani students also performed traditional tea ceremonies for Chinese guests.

For Khadija Hassan, studying Chinese is about learning Chinese culture, not just reading books to understand the language. She started learning about Chinese culture from videos, documentaries and movies in her second semester. She wore hanfu, the traditional dress of China's Han ethnic group, to the event. It took her a lot of preparation to get the clothing just right.

Some in the audience noticed similarities between the cultures of Pakistan and China, including a fondness for tea, a love for vibrant costumes, and welcoming the spring season with joy and celebrations.

"Students take a lot of interest in every Chinese event at the auditorium. The Chinese department is one of the healthiest in the university in terms of the number of students," Syed Nadir Ali, director general of the school, told the Xinhua News Agency at the event.

Pakistan and China are close friends, said Ali, explaining that it was good for ordinary Pakistanis to get a chance to know more about China through the country's cultural diversity.