Cultural Exchange: Learning Mandarin

In 2023, Mandarin is the second most spoken language in the world, and the incentive to learn the language has increased significantly as globalization continues to grow. Some schools in Western countries are now taking action to implement learning Mandarin in their curriculum, creating programs that help students learn about Chinese culture and the language.

One such program is The Mandarin Excellence Programme. It is initiated and funded by the British government, complete with support from the Ministry of Education of China. The goal of the program is to help British students learn Mandarin efficiently, and in 2023, over 100 students from all across the UK travelled to China for a firsthand learning experience.

On their trip, these students visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and several cultural sites. Liu YaYing, a Mandarin Teacher at St. Mary Magdalene Academy, stated that “Via this trip to China, many activities inspired [students] a lot and had a significant impact on their outlook on life. Many British students said that they hope to come to China to continue studying Chinese in the future.” 

Programs like The Mandarin Excellence Programme encourage students across different cultures to not only learn how to speak an interesting language, but to also learn about interesting Chinese culture.