Trained in China, engineer helps homeland

Proud of contribution to his country, Cambodian Hang Amatak grateful for experience studying, working abroad

Hang Amatak is proud to be able to contribute to his motherland by putting to use his knowledge of architecture gained at college in China and through his work experience at Chinese companies.

The 30-year-old began working on the new Phnom Penh International Airport in Cambodia as a structural engineer in February 2020.

Born in Banteay Meanchey in northwestern Cambodia, Hang was an excellent student.

In 2009, he won eighth place in national exams and earned a Chinese government scholarship.

He came to China in 2010, and over the next eight years, he finished Chinese language studies at Tongji University in Shanghai, obtained a bachelor's degree in civil engineering at Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and then a master's degree in structural engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang province.

"My motherland is also a developing country with poor infrastructure, so I chose majors related to construction," he said. "I hoped to learn more about China's advanced technology and model of development, to apply it to the development of my country in the future."

While he was at Southwest Jiaotong University and the Harbin Institute of Technology, Hang chose to study with Chinese students instead of joining the international class for overseas students.

"Teachers lectured in Chinese, and it was my belief that only through their native language could they fully transmit their ideas and knowledge," he said.

"Even though I had to learn specialized vocabulary, I gained greater professional knowledge."