{"id":1162,"date":"2024-01-10T16:15:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T16:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1162"},"modified":"2024-01-10T16:15:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T16:15:06","slug":"discover-the-middle-kingdom-of-opportunities-with-chinese-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2024\/01\/10\/discover-the-middle-kingdom-of-opportunities-with-chinese-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the Middle Kingdom of opportunities with \u2018Chinese for Business\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u4f60\u597d N\u01d0 h\u01ceo language enthusiasts, curious minds, and future global leaders!<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re keen to learn more about one of the world\u2019s economic powerhouses and how to communicate with Chinese partners in a business context, why not sign up for the Skills Centre\u2019s new beginner-level \u2018Chinese for Business\u2019 course in Semester 2?<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Why learn Chinese?<\/h2>\n<p>Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world. As China continues to play a significant role on the international geopolitical and economic stage, there\u2019s no better time to future proof your skills by learning this language.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some facts about China and the Chinese economy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Vast consumer base<br \/>\n<\/strong>China, or \u2018Middle Kingdom\u2019\u00a0 (\u4e2d\u56fd Zh\u014dnggu\u00f3) in Chinese, has a population of over 1.4 billion. This vast consumer base opens up enormous opportunities for international businesses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Impressive GDP growth<\/strong><br \/>\nOver the past four decades China has experienced impressive GDP growth. Estimated at $17,786 billion, it\u2019s now the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbesindia.com\/article\/explainers\/top-10-largest-economies-in-the-world\/86159\/1\">second-largest economy<\/a> in the world and a magnet for foreign investment. It's also the <a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/country-rankings\/exports-by-country\">world's largest exporter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/illuminatingfacts.com\/ranked-the-10-largest-importers-in-the-world\/\">second-largest importer of goods<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technological advancement<\/strong><br \/>\nChina is making significant strides in technology and e-commence, with companies like Huawei, Tencent, and Alibaba gaining global prominence. Understanding Chinese can be beneficial if you're interested in partnerships with Chinese tech companies or the digital economy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)<\/strong><br \/>\nFirst announced in 2013, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), or One Belt One Road (\u4e00\u5e26\u4e00\u8def Y\u012bd\u00e0i y\u012bl\u00f9) in Chinese, aims to strengthen infrastructure, trade, and investment links with countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. The BRI now has more than 150 member countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Learning to speak Chinese will give you a solid grounding in the unique needs of this huge market and allow you to engage successfully with it.<\/p>\n<h2>What does the 'Chinese for Business' course offer?<\/h2>\n<p>Our 10-week \u2018Chinese for Business\u2019 course adopts a holistic learning approach and aims to give you a solid basis to communicate in Mandarin Chinese in a range of business-related contexts.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the core language component, you\u2019ll also explore the following areas:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chinese workplace practices and culture<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Language is a key to understanding culture. Learning Mandarin provides insights into Chinese traditions, customs, and social norms. This cultural awareness is crucial in building meaningful relationships and conducting business effectively in China.<\/p>\n<p>The course will go beyond vocabulary and grammar and look at different aspects of Chinese business etiquette and customs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chinese society within a business context<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course, business doesn't exist in isolation; it's very much part of wider society.<\/p>\n<p>The course will help you understand the connections between Chinese society and business, gain valuable insights into how culture shapes business practices, and develop a nuanced understanding that extends beyond the workplace.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chinese social media in workplace communications<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In an era where digital communication is king, you\u2019ll learn how to navigate and explore the current Chinese social media landscape. From WeChat to Weibo, you\u2019ll discover how these platforms play a key role in today\u2019s workplace communications.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Intercultural competence to enhance employability<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Success in the global marketplace demands more than language skills; it requires intercultural acumen \u2013 i.e. an ability to understand and deal with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p>The course will help you develop your intercultural skills so you can navigate different cultural contexts, boosting your employability in an interconnected world.<\/p>\n<h2>Who can take part?<\/h2>\n<p>The course is designed for complete beginners or those with some basic understanding of Chinese.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese is a tonal language with a unique writing system based on characters. Learning it is a stimulating intellectual challenge which requires patience, resilience and good problem-solving capabilities. It demonstrates to potential employers that you\u2019re dedicated, open-minded, and willing to go the extra mile to enhance your skills.<\/p>\n<p>So, \u8a00\u5f52\u6b63\u52a1 \uff08y\u00e1n gu\u012b zh\u00e8ng w\u00f9), let\u2019s get down to business! We can\u2019t wait to welcome you on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/guides\/learn-mandarin-chinese-with-the-skills-centre-if-you-are-a-university-of-bath-student\/\">this exciting new course<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p><em>The Skills Centre is also running beginner-level business courses in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/guides\/learn-french-with-the-skills-centre-if-you-are-a-university-of-bath-student\/\">French<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bath.ac.uk\/guides\/learn-german-with-the-skills-centre-if-you-are-a-university-of-bath-student\/\">German<\/a> in Semester 2.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u4f60\u597d N\u01d0 h\u01ceo language enthusiasts, curious minds, and future global leaders! If you\u2019re keen to learn more about one of the world\u2019s economic powerhouses and how to communicate with Chinese partners in a business context, why not sign up for...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1776,"featured_media":1163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[63,59,175],"tags":[209,320,324,322,321,323],"class_list":["post-1162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employability","category-foreign-languages","category-intercultural-competency","tag-chinese","tag-chinese-for-business","tag-chinese-society","tag-international-trade","tag-mandarin","tag-workplace-culture"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/12\/Chinese-Business.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1025,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2023\/09\/06\/a-brit-in-beijing-my-first-trip-to-china\/","url_meta":{"origin":1162,"position":0},"title":"A Brit in Beijing: my first trip to China","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"September 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jeremy Boyle (BSc Biology), who recently graduated from Bath, learned Mandarin Chinese during his studies. He visited China for the first time this summer and shares his impressions of the country and how his trip dramatically improved his language skills. This summer, I seized an opportunity to go to Beijing,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Foreign languages&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Foreign languages","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/language-skills\/foreign-languages\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jeremy Boyle during his trip to Beijing.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/07\/Jeremy-Boyle-800x450-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/07\/Jeremy-Boyle-800x450-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/07\/Jeremy-Boyle-800x450-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2023\/07\/Jeremy-Boyle-800x450-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":902,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2022\/11\/01\/how-a-virtual-exchange-improved-my-confidence-in-speaking-chinese\/","url_meta":{"origin":1162,"position":1},"title":"How a Virtual Exchange improved my confidence in speaking Chinese\u00a0  \u00a0","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"November 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Natalie Page, a doctoral student in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences, explains how a virtual language exchange has improved her spoken Mandarin and developed some key employability skills.\u00a0\u00a0 I joined the University in 2021 as a part of the Southwest Doctoral Training Partnership, in which China features as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Employability&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Employability","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/employability\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Natalie Page with her Chinese virtual exchange partners from Xi\u2019An International University","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/10\/meeting-screenshot.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/10\/meeting-screenshot.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/10\/meeting-screenshot.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/10\/meeting-screenshot.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1808,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2026\/04\/13\/characters-culture-and-careers-celebrating-un-chinese-language-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":1162,"position":2},"title":"Characters, Culture, and Careers: Celebrating UN Chinese Language Day","author":"Daisy Zhu","date":"April 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"On 20 April, the United Nations will mark its 17th Chinese Language Day, one of six official language days designed to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity. For many, this day may pass unnoticed, yet behind this date lies a rich cultural story and a compelling case for why learning Chinese\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Employability&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Employability","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/employability\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"UN Chinese Language Day","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/04\/UN-Chinese-Language-Day.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/04\/UN-Chinese-Language-Day.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/04\/UN-Chinese-Language-Day.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2026\/04\/UN-Chinese-Language-Day.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":686,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2021\/09\/01\/ni-hao-shanghai-my-summer-internship-in-china\/","url_meta":{"origin":1162,"position":3},"title":"N\u01d0 h\u01ceo Shanghai: My summer internship in China","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"September 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Guest blogger Michal Nalepa, who recently graduated from the University of Bath with a BEng in Civil Engineering, describes how learning Mandarin Chinese with the Skills Centre paved the way for a two-month summer internship in Shanghai in 2019. In July 2019 I travelled to Shanghai, China on a two-month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Employability&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Employability","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/employability\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The view of LuJiaZui, the Shanghai financial centre, from The Bund on the other side of the river Pu.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2021\/08\/viewofLuJiaZui-e1629459207209.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2021\/08\/viewofLuJiaZui-e1629459207209.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2021\/08\/viewofLuJiaZui-e1629459207209.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2021\/08\/viewofLuJiaZui-e1629459207209.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2021\/08\/viewofLuJiaZui-e1629459207209.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2021\/08\/viewofLuJiaZui-e1629459207209.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":789,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2022\/04\/20\/do-you-know-where-your-ketchup-comes-from-8-english-words-borrowed-from-chinese\/","url_meta":{"origin":1162,"position":4},"title":"Where does your ketchup come from? 8 English words borrowed from Chinese","author":"Daisy Zhu","date":"April 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"To celebrate the UN\u2019s Chinese Language Day on 20 April, let's take a look at some words you may not realise have been borrowed from Chinese. Without a doubt, English has become a truly global language. Close to 18% of the world population speak it either as a first language\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Foreign languages&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Foreign languages","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/language-skills\/foreign-languages\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Model of a paper tiger","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/04\/paper-tiger.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":836,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2022\/06\/28\/challenging-myself-with-chinese\/","url_meta":{"origin":1162,"position":5},"title":"Challenging myself with Chinese","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"June 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Olivia Wolfheart has been taking part in our Mandarin Chinese course as a member of the public since October 2021. In this guest blog, she explains her motivation for and experience of learning the language. Choosing Chinese For many years I've been interested in learning Chinese. My father is Malaysian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Communication&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/capabilities-framework\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olivia Wolfheart","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/06\/bathblogpic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/06\/bathblogpic.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/06\/bathblogpic.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2022\/06\/bathblogpic.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}