In the growing number of international exchanges, language plays an irreplaceable role in international communication. In the past, people tried to learn English. Nowadays, learning Chinese has become an option in many countries. British linguists advised students that "if you want to be a leader, learn Chinese!"

More than 30 million people are learning Chinese in foreign countries

In Korea, there are 160,000 students studying Chinese, an increase of 66 percent within the past five years. In Japan, more than 500 high schools offer Chinese language courses and there are more than 20,000 high school students learning Mandarin. Outside Asia, the number of people studying Chinese is smaller but it is growing rapidly. From 2000 to 2004, the number of people participating in the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi-Chinese language level test) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland increased by 57%. According to a survey conducted by the Asia Society of the United States, students in US kindergartens, high schools and universities are showing a "rapidly growing" interest in learning Chinese. Brighton College went so far as to make Chinese a required course for students aged 13 to 18. According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, there are more than 30 million people learning Chinese overseas and over 2500 universities in 100 countries offering Chinese courses.

With Chinese language fever spreading across the world, the Chinese government decided to formally sponsor a not-for-profit Chinese language teaching college, Confucius College, to be one of the most formal and major channels of Chinese teaching. Since November 21st, 2005, when the world's first Confucius College opened in Seoul, Korea, the China State Leading Group for Teaching Chinese has cooperated with schools and universities in 36 countries and regions and has organized 80 Confucius Colleges or schools, attracting more than 10,000 people to the study of Chinese. According to the Leading Group's plan, there will be more than 100 Confucius Colleges by the end of this year.

Why is Chinese language study becoming so popular?

Vice President of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Mr. Zhan Lizhe believes that the reason Canadians learn Chinese is they are interested in China. For example, he said, a listed company in Vancouver asked employees involved in a cooperative project with China Netcom to learn Chinese. However, most of these Canadian "students", either studying in language schools or learning from a Mandarin professor, still cannot speak fluent Chinese. Confucius College helped these students. All of their courses focused on dialogues designed with their project in mind. Soon after, the students mastered basic Chinese conversation skills. The Canadian company expects that once they can communicate smoothly with China Netcom in Chinese, the two companies will cooperate even better.

Class leader at the Confucius College in the University of Nairobi Ruakaka said, "In our country, people believe that Chinese products are of good quality. I have a Changhong Television at my home! China is really great. That's why I've decided to come to the Confucius College to study Chinese."

Nancy Jervis, Vice President and Director of Programs at the China Institute in New York City said that most people learning Mandarin in the US are doing so for economic and business purposes. The numbers are growing fast. The more economically advanced cities are, the more enthusiastic people are about learning Chinese. On Wall Street, people give preference to Chinese speaking nannies.

A Spanish website recently gave 10 reasons explaining why "people have to learn Chinese": that Chinese culture is full of magic and legends; Mandarin is spoken by the largest population in the world; China has staggering economic strength and potential; enterprises are increasingly entering China. However, it must be admitted that the economic incentives to learn the language are far greater than the cultural ones. A large billboard in Paris captures the idea: "Study Chinese, it will bring you opportunities and wealth in the coming decades!"

Chinese language helps people to get along well with other

In recent years, the spread of Chinese language fever has demonstrated that the Chinese language is not only a tool for communication tool, but also a tool to help people live in harmony.

Promoting Chinese language teaching through the Confucius Colleges is in the spirit of Confucianism. More than 2,000 years ago, Confucius vowed, "The highest level of courtesy is living in peace and harmony", and, "Noble people live in harmony while retaining their unique characters." He emphasized "harmony", "concord" and "peace". He advocated "a combination of harmony and cooperation". This is the philosophy of the Confucius College. The Confucius College statute says that "the mission of the Confucius Institute is to enhance peoples' understanding of the Chinese language and culture across the world, develop friendships between China and other countries, promote multicultural development, and contribute to a harmonious world."

To resolve misunderstandings and exist harmoniously, people usually begin by bridging the language barrier. The story of the Tower of Babel is an example of a situation where a language barrier existed, and people were not able to share their feelings. As a result, they didn't trust one another, share ideas or opinions, and had quarrels and fights. Now, countries need to communicate with each other. The first thing they need to do is remove the language barrier. The purpose of promoting the Chinese language is not to get the world to use only one language. What the Confucius College is doing is respecting differences and providing the world with a harmonious tool.

The New York Times recently published a commentary article: "Confucius College has successfully promoted the national reputation for China and quelled the fears of the rest of the world towards a new superpower."

Gu Feng, President of the Confucius College at the University of British Columbia in Canada said that experience had taught him that "the promotion of Chinese language is conducive to the elimination of the 'China threat theory'." Ms. Nancy Jervis also noted that most Westerners only read articles about China's Tibet and human rights issues from newspapers and other media. Under such circumstances, "everyone should learn Chinese for at least one year." She said, "I started to learn Chinese in the 1970s. It did change my way of thinking."

By People's Daily Online