More people in Sierra Leone are anxious to learn more about China and the African country is seeing rising popularity in Chinese culture and Chinese language, said Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing.

In recent years, amidst the burgeoning cultural exchanges between China and Sierra Leone, the African country is witnessing growing interest in Chinese culture. From language learning to martial arts, the allure of Chinese traditional culture is captivating Sierra Leonean youth.

Founded in 2012, the Confucius Institute at the University of Sierra Leone (USL) has become a hub of cultural immersion and mutual learning, whereby a lot of people take up martial arts, Tai Chi and Chinese language classes.

During his state visit to China from Feb 27 to March 2, President Bio talked about the increasing interest in Chinese culture of the people in his country.

"Chinese culture, Chinese people and everything that is Chinese is becoming common place in Sierra Leone and around the world. And therefore, people are anxious to know more about China, the culture, the language. And that is why the Confucius Institute is a popular place, because people want to be able to engage, understand the culture out here," said the president.

The Confucius Institute has so far established 22 branches across the country to meet the growing demand for Chinese language education within local communities, according to the Chinese director of the USL Confucius Institute.