Mandarin 汉语Shuying Fu

16 June 2016

Why choose Mandarin/Chinese? 为什么选汉语 ? Mandarin is one of the world’s oldest and richest continuous

cultures, over 5000 years old. It is rich in literature. China has nearly 1.4 billion people, making Chinese the most

spoken first language in the world. Mandarin is one of the most important languages in the next

20 years, according to Western media. Mandarin is fascinating because of its beautiful handwriting,

melodic spoken language and poetic phrasing.

Why choose Mandarin/Chinese? 为什么选汉语 ? Learning Mandarin is important for your child’s career!

Knowing Mandarin may give your child an edge when competing for employment or business opportunities.

International businesses prefer to hire people who speak more than one language.

China is the largest trading partner of South Africa. China is a wonderful country in which to teach English.

jc/10/10

Comments from local media: … wealthy people are trying to make Mandarin a

second or third language for their children. “You see people almost hedging their bets for the

future and making sure their children are fluent (in Mandarin) from an early age.”

P10 Mail & Guardian 5 to 11 December 2014

The Mandarin Subject

Mandarin is a newly introduced subject for the IEB,

officially starting this year. DSG, however, has offered

Mandarin since 2010. This means our pupils who

started in Grade 8 enjoy a two-year ahead start of

students from other schools.

Who can take Mandarin to Matric?

Pupils who have been studying Mandarin since Grade

8. Fluency and previous exposure to the language

would obviously benefit any candidate.