Ni hao! My name is Claire Gene Esker and I am a 201 level
Chinese student here
at Carthage. I get asked often, “What attracted you to Chinese as
a foreign language? Why not French or Spanish?” My response
is this: First, Chinese is a beautiful language. It has a four tone
system, which gives it a special kind of musicality. Second, it’s a
very practical language to learn. One fourth of all the people
on earth speak one form of Chinese or another and, in the next
ten to twenty years, China willbecome a major player in the world economy. Third,
China has a very long unbroken history and a thoroughly fascinating culture. Since
beginning my Chinese studies,I have become an avid fan of Peking Opera, Tang
Dynasty Poetry, and Qing prose literature. There’s so much one can learn by studying
Chinese. Why not give it a try?