Why Chinese?

• With 1.28 billion people, China is the most populous nation in the world.
• Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 885 million speakers, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world.
• In addition to the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is also widely spoken in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, The Philippines, and Mongolia.
• Over 5000 years old, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations.
• China has the second largest economy in the world.
• China is one of America's largest trading partners.
• Many U.S. companies do business in China, including Motorola, Coca Cola, and Ford.
• The 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing.