Mandarin gaining in popularity

British Prime Minister David Cameron (C) meets with Bohunt School students who have been learning mandarin, ahead of his trip to China at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain on Nov 26, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron will pay an official visit to China from Dec 2 to 4, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. [Photo/Xinhua]

One example is Wellington College, which invested 500,000 pounds ($818,600) last year to build a pagoda for the purposes of teaching Chinese language and culture. Anthony Seldon, headmaster of the college, became a pupil too.

In November 2010, British Education Secretary Michael Gove announced a pioneering partnership, expected to run over five years, with China to train 1,000 more Mandarin teachers for secondary schools in England.

This surge in interest in Mandarin is largely due to China's rise as a global power and the vast range of career opportunities the country seems to offer to Britain's young students.

Recognition of the importance of the Sino-British business relationship at a government level has also led to favorable policies that encourage students to study Mandarin.

One example is a new plan that the British Council launched over the summer. It aims to encourage 15,000 British students to study or intern in China by 2016, and the project will undoubtedly trigger curiosity among students about China and its language.

The growing popularity of Mandarin is, of course, not limited to the classroom. In today's Britain, phrases like "xie xie" (thank you) and "bu ke qi" (you're welcome) are often said to me by waiters in restaurants, taxi drivers and the postman upon discovering I am Chinese.

Although I think there is a long way to go before I can have a proper conversation with them in my mother tongue, the fact that they are trying to speak to me in Chinese words and phrases make me feel welcome in the UK.

And I also think their fascination with the Chinese culture has made them more aware and tolerant of the cultural differences between us, and with tolerance I can feel more understanding and compassion in their attitude toward me.

Perhaps Cameron's encouraging British students to learn Mandarin will make a big difference to Sino-British political and business relations in the future, as it is only through understanding and compassion that good relationships can be built and maintained.

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