Why is Chinese so important when chosing IS?

szesze1078

It might be true that 10 years ago  Chinese learning was insignificant among IS students.

30 years ago, you didn't have to be university graduated to get a decent job.  Yet today, u-grad
is the minimum requirement.  The world is changing
very fast.  10 years later, getting a MBA will be a
must.

After 30 years, believe it or not, most foreign CEO ,stationing in China, have to  be competent in Chinese, a language which their parents encouraged them to learn since they were in primary schools, in their home countries.

Newton

After like 80 responses on this thread, still not a soul care and mention about their kids' own learning interest!

One clarification first, while everyone here talking about learning Chinese as a language, I am sure most of our kids here are already fluent in Chinese speaking (the most effective communication part of any particular language) and therefore learning Chinese here only means writing and reading Chinese.

I think it is fair to say that significant number of parents here put their kids to Chinese programme in IS is due to one practical consideration - the fast economic growth of China in the coming future. Let me draw everyone attention on one real situation that student HK (or students in the world) had experienced:

10 years ago (not even 30 years away) many students  and parents think that computer science is going to rule the world. Many of them decided to study computer science (CS) in university. The average A-level grade of CS in HKU is ABB. Now no-one care about CS while CS is still one of the most important factor that drive the economic growth of any country. China surely needs CS people to support its economic growth and yet no HK students nowaday want to study CS. The entry A-level grade now drop to CDD and become the coldest subject among all. Now what happen to those who chose this "hottest subject" 10 years ago - they are struggling to find jobs in their mid-30! Have they not had any interest in CS, they have been and will be sufferring from a boring subject for their entire life.

One can make a fair prediction for 5 years time but it is rather bold to make any prediction on 20 to 30 years time for their kids. China fast economic growth is almost unavoidable and it seems it makes perfectly sense that HK people should learn Chinese to cope with the future change. However, there is still many situations that parents' prediction can be wrong.....e.g. what if people in China has tuned to English so well that most business correspondences are in form of English in 10 years. Are we all the time talking about globalization and should people in mainland China move to adapt to the world as well by learning a language that most of the people outside China use?

My point is: it is rather wrong to determine what your kids should learn based on a trendy thought or your own prediction of future world.

I left out the cultural aspect (which is another points that have been *widely* mentioned) as the motivation of studying Chinese in IS here. No matter what parents have been said about this in this thread, it is fair to say it is not the driving reason for most of them to send their kids to learn Chinese in IS. Otherwise the trendy thought of learning Chinese in IS should have happened long before.

warrrren

Dear Newton,

After like 80 responses on this thread, still not a soul care and mention about their kids' own learning interest!

Could it be that what you have been saying does not deserve a reply?

warrrren

MARSHMELLOW

I agree with Warren in that the answer is so obvious, it is not worth a reply. However, I would like to add that many a time my parents have tried to make me learn CHinese when I was young, but I used to hate it. Now, I wish I had listened to them and tried harder to read and write Chinese. Being CHinese, I would not say I feel ashamed but I certainly do feel embarrassed that I cannot write CHinese. I did not feel that when I was still a kid - in fact, quite the opposite. In those days, it was probably trendy to speak French as a second language and not know Chinese. However, times have changed and there is no turning back.

If you step back a minute and think about it - it is actually very strange that we are here debating about whether or not we need to know our OWN language....... if this thread was about French or Japanese, fair enough but it is not, it is about Chinese and we are all Chinese people, are we not?

Newton

Vrindavan

sorry to read post simply defending why we need to learn reading and writing Chinese

"1. Chinese person should be able to write or read Chinese
2. The kids have more chances to get a good job in future......"

What is our real identity ???


Please stick to the topic,
otherwise we need to change the thread topic

Newton

Stccmc.

But English, not Chinese, is the language used in university. Therefore your fundamental form of human skills for thinking, learning and other type of communication in Hong Kong is English, not Chinese. I never recalled any math textbook used in university are written in Chinese!

Newton

MARSHMELLOW,

While you have the luxury to be embrassed by not knowing Chinese writing and claim that writing and reading Chinese are needed to be known as a Chinese, I hope you do realize that 80% of Chinese in mainland China are still living in povety and may not even have chance for education, let alone spending their resouces on learning their own language! Do you think they should be embarrassed and share the same thought and feeling with you?

Although they do not know Chinese writing and reading, they are more deserved to be called Chinese than people in Hong Kong and those who hold passports of the other countries. Don't you think? From this angle, do you still insist that Chinese writing and reading is that important to identify yourself as a Chinese?

MARSHMELLOW

Newton:

I think the hole you have dug for yourself is big enough   

Newton

Back to Chinese as a sure way to learning Chinese culture,    are "Hung Lau Mom" and similar books all time flavurite by kids. I am afraid that not only kids but some parents learn much more *culture* from NEXT or EAST magazine than traditional Chinese literature and history books!

Thinking in this way, knowing Chinese reading is good or bad for the kids may not be that obvious as everybody pictured here.

Any disagreement here?

Newton

MARSHMELLOW,

The size of the hole is not determined by me....you should realize I just responsed to what you wrote which surely emcompassed the whole nation of Chinese.

Now may I solicit your opinion whether those Chinese who do not have chance for any education in mainland China should be embarassed by not knowing Chinese writing and reading, as it seems to be the only point you made in your message.

Good day....and I think at this level of discussion and digression, it is better to leave this thread for good.

warrrren

Dear Newton,

Back to Chinese as a sure way to learning Chinese culture, are "Hung Lau Mom" and similar books all time flavurite by kids.  I am afraid that not only kids but some parents learn much more *culture* from NEXT or EAST magazine than traditional Chinese literature and history books!

Your problem is - you speculate, and do not bother to sever yourself from your own experience and look further.  Many of your assumptions (e.g. those parents who claim to love Chinese care more about English, learning two languages is difficult if not impossible, and what you just said about parents and kids reading Next magazine ...) are simply not true.  Many parents I know are the exact opposites of the kind of parents you described.

I do not argue with you for the sake of arguing.  Why should I?  What I cannot stand is the defeatist attitude, which to me is a virus.

Regards,
warrrren

szesze1078

stccmc,

Well said, you have said all the points I wanted to make.

    

catnips

Newton

stccmc

1) The decision to learn 1st language (in our discussion is English for IS student) is fundamental and far reaching. The decision to learn 2nd language can indeed be considered as the same nature as swimming and piano. Many people minor in another language are indeed out of their own interest rather than any practical concerns. I did not miss your point!

2 ) Why not NEXT Magazine? You guys have been saying kid can acquire knowledge on Chinese culture by knowing Chinese writing and reading, haven't you. While it sounds the righteous thing to say from the surface, it is based on a even bigger assumption: kids like to learn Chinese history and culture by default. I just told you that their Chinese language can also be used to pick up unwanted *HK culture*. Now in term of popularity, affordability and accessibility, can you tell me if NEXT magazine or those imported English magazines are more easily on the hands of kids. Can you tell me now if there is any difference between them?
   
3) About the poor people in mainland China --- please read carefully the latter part of the paragraph. What I wanted to address is the national identity issue that you guys have been preaching. There is no  choice issue here. They may not have any clue of the world economy but they are surely considered to be more *Chinese* than we HK people, yet they know no reading and writing and surely they should not be embarassed. About your "uphill battle", it is completely different issue --- and it is basically irrelevant to what we have been discussing since people in HK gain knowledge through English intead of Chinese.

Please do not cut and paste what I said into whatever context you like and turn around saying that I misunderstand your points.

Newton

Warrrren,

Certain assumptions are necessary. The only thing matter is if they are valid and reflect the reality. Now

1) Parents in IS care more about English than Chinese.

2) Due to the repeatitive and memoization nature, Chinese writing and reading is boring and difficult for kids to learn. Difficult in the sense that kids have to put vast among of time (usually unwillingly) on it.

3) Magazines of entertainment nature are more popular among people than books about Chinese history and culture.

Now I would like you to point out which part of the assumptions you think is not true (in general, not in your own experience and living circle).

Also...Please do not again and again over-generalize what I said and make your point....I never include speaking Chinese and I agree 100% that learning 2 speaking language can be easy and is practically necessary for kids in HK.

warrrren

Dear Newton,

I have made my points, and will add just a few last words before letting you resume control of your thread - If you want to continue to believe that learning English and Chinese is difficult, fine, it is your life.  But out there you will find people who are not fearful of and in fact have joy in doing things that many consider difficult.  They are people who make their kids love and be good at both the Chinese and English languages, and many other things.  They may not be the privileged few who are rich or very well educated.  It is their attitude that distinguishes them from others.


Regards,
warrrren

Vrindavan