Discuss: The Chinese Challenge

The Chinese are known for their puzzles, and their languages are equally puzzling to most Europeans. China is becoming a much more prominent world power now, and trade with China is extremely important to most Western nations. For those reasons, Chinese is becoming an increasingly popular language to learn but apart from an increase in trade and global events, what’s the point of learning Chinese? Chinese culture has given us some wonderful inventions in the past, with the most important four being paper, the compass, gunpowder and printing. There is a rich history of literature and culture in China and knowledge of the language opens up a wealth of opportunities for cultural exchange as well as economic benefits.

Paula is a qualified EFL teacher who has taught in the UK and abroad. She has also taught adult literacy and numeracy in prisons and is now combining a small amount of private teaching with writing.