Study Chinese

If the 19th century belonged to Britain, and the 20th century to the United States. Then the 21st century will surely belong to China. My advice: Make sure your kids learn Chinese.

–Jim Rogers, Worth Magazine

If you have been learning Chinese or are thinking of learning Chinese, congratulations! Your choice is a good one because Chinese is a language of the twenty-first century as Jim Rogers observed above. Believe it or not, there are more people in the world speaking Chinese than English or any other language (see the Washington Post chart below). Chinese is one of the six official languages for the United Nations. Above all, the ability to speak and write Chinese goes a long way to the understanding of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, the exchanging of ideas with its people, and the conducting of business in or with China. This is particularly true of teachers who will be teaching in China, as they will need to communicate with Chinese people on the daily basis. Although it is not necessary to speak Chinese in order to teach in China,  the ability to communicate in Chinese will stand you in good stead in many ways.

From Washington Post, May 28, 2002.

Study in China | Resources for students of Chinese