There are many compelling reasons to study Chinese. Many people simply enjoy studying foreign languages. Chinese is partcularly facinating because of its beautiful handwriting, melodic spoken language, and poetic phrasing. There are also very practical reasons to acquire another language and Chinese is increasingly important to our current and future dialogue with China. According to the Asia Society, “The rise of China presents new economic, political and social realities that demand greater U.S. engagement at every level. As the foundation of that engagement, we urgently need to raise the number of Americans who can demonstrate a functional proficiency in Chinese.”