Mandarin Chinese
China is the world’s foremost emerging power. One fifth of the world’s population speaks Mandarin Chinese and it is fast becoming a major global language for business and commerce. Indeed, not only is Mandarin spoken in China, it is also used within the influential Chinese communities of Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Mongolia. It is one of the world’s oldest languages, having a history of over 5000 years.
This course provides pupils with a thorough overview of both the language and culture of this emerging giant. It devotes special attention to topics like ‘Food, Diet and Health’, ‘Education and Employment’ and ‘Leisure, Youth Interests and Chinese Festivals’. Throughout, the focus is on developing comprehensive skills in the disciplines of Reading, Writing and Speaking. A major feature of the course is also a research-based essay, completed in the Upper Sixth year.
Future directions
The study of Mandarin Chinese is well suited to a wide range of career options. International businesses seek increasingly to hire those with language skills, while the fact that so much time is spent on the course developing a wider cultural knowledge of China means that this subject also lends itself well to entry onto a multitude of arts-based, as well as language-based degree courses. In fact, Mandarin Chinese is an increasingly important language in world affairs and, as such, it also presents opportunities in government, journalism and a host of other areas.