Why Should You Learn Chinese?
As almost everyone knows, China is one of the largest economies in the world and as the eight fastest growing economy, it becomes a more important economic player each year. This has led to an explosion in the use of the Chinese language for business, with a corresponding increase in the demand for Chinese language instruction. The number of Chinese language classes and instructional materials has tripled on the last five years alone!
There are a growing number of primary and secondary schools which have begun to offer Chinese as a foreign language. It’s projected that in the next few decades that the demand for Chinese instruction in schools will even outpace the demand for Spanish language classes. Chinese, after all, is spoken by 1.3 billion people, representing approximately 25% of Asia’s population.
Why learn Chinese? Because today’s world almost insists on it. With our increasing love for the Chinese culture, like the martial arts, or media (Who can forget Jacki Chan), or even Chinese food… we are quickly merging cultures together today then we ever did in past.
Chinese literature and philosophy has been especially influential over Western thinkers and many who discover these works find themselves interested in mastering the language in order to read these texts in the original Chinese. The focus on serenity and balance in traditional Chinese thought is something which has a great appeal to people living in the Western world.
The stressful, busy lives many of us lead make us interested in finding a respite in the knowledge and the currents of thought coming from the East, particularly from Chinese culture. Learning the Chinese language and gaining an understanding of Chinese culture and philosophy can help to restore balance to one’s life.
When you learn Chinese, you’ll benefit from a more profound understanding of Chinese culture including art and literature. This is a journey of personal enrichment which gives the student access to this cultural heritage and broadens their view of the world. As world cultures go, there is no disputing the influential place Chinese culture holds.
Why learn Chinese? Because you truly want to. You have the focus and goal to integrate the cultural know how for goals of your own. Perhaps for an upcoming trip to China, or a hobby, or maybe just for simple understanding of a new friend, whatever the reason behind the spark, know it will be more than beneficial for you to acquire this knowledge and skill.
Learning Chinese is something which provides a great feeling of accomplishment. It’s not necessarily an easy language for Westerners to learn. Chinese uses an entirely different approach to writing and speaking which newcomers to the language need to learn – but overcoming the challenges along the way is exhilarating!
You may learn Chinese in the interests of cultural enrichment. You might need to learn Chinese to keep ahead of the trends in business communication. Perhaps you’d like to learn Chinese to truly understand Chinese literature and philosophy. There is any number of reasons to learn Chinese, all of them offering many rewards.
Learn Chinese to step into the future now. Learn Chinese for your upcoming vacation to china. But mostly, learn Chinese for yourself. Because it is something you always wanted to do. The impact of eastern culture is growing everyday, and will continue as our ways and cultures merge.