Chinese language popular in Nepal

The Chinese language is gaining more and more popularity in Nepal. Take a look around the South Asian country and you will find the Chinese language almost everywhere.

Chinese characters can be easily seen on shop signs in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Being able to speak Chinese makes one quite attractive on the job market here.

A Nepalese girl with a Chinese name, Wang Zhiqi, doesn't get to speak Chinese often when she's at work. But when she does, it's fluent Chinese. Wang Zhiqi never took a formal lesson in Chinese. She picked up the language while working for a hotel in China.

Wang Zhiqi said, "I took down what the customers said in my notebook, and I asked them later what they meant."

Chinese tourists have become the second largest group of tourists in Nepal. About 20 thousand Chinese tourists visited Nepal during the first three months this year. With all the Chinese people there, the need to learn the language is strong.

At Kathmandu's Tribhuvan University, Chinese has replaced Japanese to become the most popular foreign language lesson. The university now has two Chinese teachers teaching 300 students the composition of characters, how to have a daily conversation, and how to write essays.

Some learn Chinese to make a better living, and some do so just for personal interest. Wu Di, now 75 years old, stands out among his young college classmates. He has been learning Chinese for two years.

"I have been to China: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou. I like the Chinese language," Wu Di said.

Currently in Nepal, around 60 elementary and middle schools teach Chinese to their students. The popularity of Chinese doesn't seem to be wearing off any time in the near future.