Anya, a 14-year-old student from Russia practices calligraphy while attending a Chinese culture summer camp in Heilongjiang province, China. (Photo/People's Daily)
Kensington Wade in London, Britain's first English-Mandarin primary school, recruited its first batch of 15 students from Europe, the United States and South America recently. People's Daily comments:
The school, the first of its kind in Europe, is an epitome of the rising popularity of the Chinese language around the world. Mastering the Chinese language means advantages and opportunities in the job market and the business world, because the Chinese companies and projects related to China are on the rise around the world.
A recent survey by the British Council, the United Kingdom's international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, shows Chinese has become the language that British parents want their children to learn most, and is considered "the most useful language for the future".
Statistics from the American Councils for International Education show the number of students learning Chinese at primary and middle schools in the U.S. doubled between 2009 and 2015.
And statistics show the number of primary and middle school students learning Chinese in France has quadrupled over the past 10 years.
It is estimated that the number of people learning Chinese around the world has increased to 100 million from 30 million in 2004.
Behind the growing popularity of Chinese language learning is the international community's positive attitude toward China's future development, as well as the people's longing to learn about the Chinese civilization and culture.
With the rise of China's international influence, the Chinese language will enter more classrooms in foreign countries, helping young people around the world better understand the country.
