If a foreigner can speak Mandarin, he or she will often be asked the question: Why do you choose to learn Chinese in the first place? Is it because you want to challenge one of the most difficult languages in the world? …or to visit China?…or for someone you love in China? In addition to the cool reasons mentioned, let’s have a look at what other reasons for some countries around the world to study Chinese that may surprise you.
Russia: the More Difficult, the More Challenging
According to Russian media reports, from 2019, Mandarin has been included in the subjects of foreign language of its national examination. It is known that the Russian national examination is the graduation examination for middle school students, which is equivalent to Chinese Gāokǎo (高考, national college entrance examination). This news was popular on Weibo and sounds exciting for many Chinese netizens, who could not wait to offer advice on the test questions, as well as giving the tips on how to learn foreign languages.
Chinese study is in the ascendant in Russia. Although Russian graduates who study Chinese admit that the most difficult part is learning Chinese characters, Chinese teachers in Russian Universities say that students are not less interested in learning and understanding the secret of this language.
US: 11 Excellent Reasons to Touch You Just like what Mandela said, talking to a man in a language he understands touches his mind, while talking to him in his native language touches his heart. Some student in US has summarized 11 excellent reasons to learn Chinese, does any of them move your heart?
- Learning Chinese is like a journey where teachers tell you many interesting stories that bring memories from China;
- Meet new partners from all over the world;
- Accept new challenges as learning Chinese is like climbing a pyramid;
- Achieve personal development;
- Look at the world in a different way;
- Change back to children: You may have to accept yourself unable to express sometimes;
- Learn to write like painting;
- Discover new thoughts;
- Enter local community and communicate with the people in-depth;
- Go to China without relying on others;
- See China from the perspective of Chinese.
Japan: Fēngshuǐ, Culture behind Language
In Japan, most Mandarin learners study Chinese because of the culture. but some of their reasons are diverse even strange. Some say that they like Fēngshuǐ (风水, geomantic omen) and think it has a lot to do with Chinese culture; Some think Chinese pronunciation is fun; Some are interested in Chinese agriculture, as flour made of wheat is mostly from China, so they need to learn the language to understand this part of the knowledge; Some say that if they need to understand the origin of Japanese culture, they have to learn Chinese; There are also some Japanese who need to learn Chinese because their enterprises have business relations with China.
Germany: to Have Professional Dealings with China In order to deal with China more professionally, Germany has put learning and developing “Chinese skills” on the agenda. According to German media, with the increasing importance of China in the world, Germany needs to know more about the academic talents of contemporary China and more practitioners who can speak Chinese in all walks of life. At present, the German’s “Chinese skills” still need to be accumulated and improved for long-term investment, coordination and planning in terms of culture, education, academic exchanges and foreign policy.
Besides, in India, mastery of Chinese language and “Chinese experience” are widely regarded as important assets of the profession. Some Spanish universities offer courses on China studies to prepare enterprises for doing business in Chinese market…etc.
Learning Mandarin, traveling in China, using WeChat, bike sharing and eating delicious food become ways for foreigners to experience and understand China. To some extent, it reflects China’s growing national strength and makes Chinese feel proud. In the meantime, there are also domestic netizens who feel big pressure, as too many competitors to force native speakers to learn mother tongue better. No matter you are a Chinese or foreigner, how do you think of it?
