The Languages of China are the languages that are spoken by China’s 56 recognized ethnic groups. The predominant language in China, which is divided into dialects, is known as Hanyu (simplified Chinese: 汉语; traditional Chinese: 漢語; pinyin: Hànyǔ).
Chinese is spoken by about 1.3 billion people mainly in the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia. There are also communities of Chinese speakers in many other parts of the world.
International Exam Preparatory Course
Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) is an international exam for the Chinese language. It is the standardized proficiency test for foreign students of the language. This exam is conducted by Hanban, a non-governmental organization, to test the proficiency of non-native speakers.
HSK was developed by the Beijing Language and Cultural University. Certificates are issued by the State Committee for the proficiency test. This certificate is recognized and accepted by many countries worldwide. Taking into consideration the recent trends in the Chinese language, the examination pattern has been revised in 2012.
Why learning Chinese is beneficial?
MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE
Mandarin Chinese ranks number one among the spoken languages in the world. Nearly a billion of the world population speaks Chinese. This includes both native and non-native speakers as well. With 847 million native speakers, Mandarin Chinese becomes the most widely spoken first language.
FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY
The development and economic growth rate of China is the highest amongst both developing and developed countries. That is why there has been a growth spurt in the number of people learning Chinese. Besides, China is becoming an important nation in world affairs.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Many countries have huge investments in China, because of the cheap labor and other such comprehensive factors available here. Many countries carry out business deals with China. Also, a lot of multinational companies have their offices in China. The advantage of learning this language is huge.
EMPLOYMENT PROSPECT
An opportunity for fluent speakers of Chinese language is vast. Those who are proficient in this language have job opportunities in a variety of fields such as business, translation, government, tourism and education.
UNDERSTANDING THE OLDEST CIVILIZATION
Chinese civilization is one of the oldest and richest in the world. It dates back to about 5000 years. Learning this language offers insight into the rich heritage of this culture and to understand the values that form a part of this culture.
TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
As China is fast becoming a global economy, the demand for teaching English language in China is increasing. After becoming affluent in Chinese, if one is proficient in English language, he can teach English to the Chinese population.
