Chinese is spoken by approximately 1.176 billion people around the world in the People's Republic of China (mainland China), the Republic of China (Taiwan), and in many overseas Chinese emigrant communities throughout the world. Obvious reasons to learn Chinese are to be able to effectively communicate with friends and/or relatives, to more easily travel within Chinese and Chinese-speaking areas, to prepare yourself for study abroad in China, for your job and career aspirations, and because China is the fastest growing economy in the world. Well, there are a number of other reasons to learn Chinese, and this article will encourage you to study the language by going over a few reasons why Chinese is a worthwhile language to study and to learn.
Study Chinese because approximately 1.176 billion people around the world are native-Chinese speakers. This represents around one-sixth of the Earth's population. If you know how to read, write, and speak Chinese, you are giving yourself access to a language spoken by more people in the world than any other language.
Learn Chinese because learning Chinese is an extraordinary experience through which you can immerse yourself in a different culture (as is the case when learning any language). Unlike many languages, Chinese has a unique ideographic writing system. This helps with visual comprehensibility. The grammatical structure of Chinese is not only logical, but also practical and is related to the way of Chinese thinking. Knowledge of the written Chinese language opens up the culture of one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations.
Study Chinese because traditional Chinese culture and Chinese innovations across the centuries, from Confucianism and Chan Buddhism to martial arts and Chinese cuisine, have an enormous influence on countries and cultures around the world.
Learn Chinese because the People's Republic of China currently boasts the fastest growing economy in the world and is widely regarded as potentially the largest global market in the twenty-first century. People who know how to read, write, and speak both English and Chinese (Mandarin in particular) will find jobs in various fields such as business, government, international relations, information technology, tourism, education, translation and interpretation, and much, much more.
Study Chinese because the world is changing, all relating to the ever increasing global interconnections and economic, political, and cultural globalization. Chinese is an important and widely spoken language in business and international relations.
Learn Chinese because you want to remain competitive on the job market and in the work force. In this era of globalization, people who speak and understand more than one language are much more competitive and sought after throughout the work force than those who only speak one language, and their jobs are therefore more secure during times of cutbacks and layoffs.
Study Chinese because it will greatly help when you are traveling to and within China. If you are able to easily and efficiently get around on your own because you know the language, then you will have a much more enjoyable and less confusing travel experience.
Learn Chinese because you are likely to encounter a native Chinese speaker in many different places, even in your own community. Because of Chinese emigration from China over the centuries, and because of large populations of overseas Chinese living in many cities and towns around the world, you will undoubtedly encounter a Chinese-speaking person or persons on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be fun to be able to converse with them in their native language in addition to them being able to speak with you in English!
