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There are nearly one billion native Mandarin Chinese speakers in the world; most of which are located in China, but also in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. China is currently the world’s largest population, second largest economy, and third largest country by landmass. Due to China’s population and unprecedented economic growth, it has become a central player in international affairs over the past decade.
In addition to being essential in international relations, China offers a business frontier full of opportunities. According to Bloomberg, besides English, Mandarin Chinese is the number one most useful language for business. For anyone wishing to work in business, skills in Mandarin are highly beneficial. Most multinational corporations have major offices in China and many smaller businesses capitalize on the comparative advantage of using Chinese manufacturing.
Though China has become an integral player in the business world, many other aspects, such as Chinese culture and politics, are also rising in importance. Additionally, China has over 4,000 years of history, art and culture, making it one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
The Chinese program at Elon features language and cultural study and a study abroad program in Beijing. For more information about the program, including how to take the placement exam, contact professor Grace Lin at (336) 278-5642 or glin@elon.edu.