A competitor performs Chinese calligraphy during the preliminary contest of the 10th Chinese Bridge language proficiency competition for the midwest of the United States at the Confucius Institute of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, the United States, April 23, 2011. Over 30 competitors from 11 Confucius Institutes took part in the competition Saturday. (Xinhua/Jiang Xintong)
by Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Zhang Zhihuan
NEW YORK, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Arabella and Joseph Kushner, grandchildren of U.S. President Donald Trump, endeared themselves to Chinese-speaking communities in early April when they performed a traditional folk song "Jasmine" in Mandarin for Chinese President Xi Jinping during the two leaders' first meeting in Florida.
The two young members of the U.S. first family are joining a growing list of American celebrities including Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Malia Obama, former President Barack Obama's daughter who take Chinese as their second language.
The followers of the world's oldest written language are not confined to key public figures. U.S. statistics show Chinese is the third most popular language in the country, only behind English, official language, and Spanish.
Why are Americans so enthusiastic about Chinese?
Each one might have a different story but all of our interviewees agree that Chinese, against the backdrop of the breathtaking scale and development of China, is becoming an increasingly useful asset for their personal and professional growth in the future, not least gaining a better understanding of one of the richest cultures in the world.